Becky, a Vibram Five Fingers fan, is no slacker, but she recently ran in the Slacker Half Marathon in her new Bikilas. Becky told us about the race:
My Bikilas went the distance with me yesterday in Colorado’s Slacker Half Marathon, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results!
For those who don’t know, The Slacker Half starts at Loveland Pass, an elevation of 10,700 ft and ends at Georgetown, elevation 8,300 ft. The downhill race is not as easy as it sounds – its hard on both the legs and the feet. And yet by the end of the race my feet still felt great! (Going down stairs today has been a bit tough on the quads, though).
I am relatively new to VFFs, and new to distance running as well. I started longer distances (over 6 miles) in the summer of 2009. And I began wearing KSOs in March of this year, after running a half marathon this spring and getting blisters galore. My husband ran that race with me in his KSOs without getting any blisters. He sold me: I just had to have a pair of VFFs! I have had good experiences running in KSOs. Yet of course once the Bikilas came out, I had to try them. While I still enjoy running in my KSOs, I have found that my running experience is even better in Bikilas, especially on trails and on steeper terrain. The Bikila shoe also fits my foot better, especially the heel, and is more comfortable for me when running longer distances.
In yesterday’s race I looked everywhere for another VFF wearer – usually there are a few others out there. Yet I was surprised that I did not find even one other person wearing VFFs. Could it be that this VFF wearer debuted the Bikilas in The Slacker Half?
Thank you, VFF, for coming out with a shoe designed for running! I look forward to running many more miles in my Bikilas.
Becky
Becky, great job on completing the half marathon and thanks for sharing it with us. The Bikila does have a snug, glove-like fit that makes it great for running(Read our Bikila review!).
13 replies on “Becky Runs Blister Free in Her Bikilas”
Congrats Becky on your half marathon!
Congrats Becky! I’m training to run the Dixville 1/2 Marathon from the Balams’s Resort to Colebrook, NH this Fall. It’ll be my first race. I’m currently running in KSO’s and hope to run it in Bikilas! My wife may run it in her Sprints.
Awesome job! It sounds like such a cool race. I’ve been running 5ks in my VFFs and I’ll be walking 60 miles in them in the 3-Day for the Cure next week!
Congrats Becky!! I really wanted to find Bikilas for my first pair of VFF’s, but alas, no stores carry my size. So I ordered KSO’s for my first round. So far so good on the CO hiking trails…currently working up my endurance in them. If I ever stumble on a pair of Bikilas in my size I am totally going to try them!
I’ve been running in Vibram toe shoes for a month or so. One run a week in them, 5 to 8 miles, mostly pavement but some gravel, some grass. Some hills.
This week I did 7 miles on flat pavement and have a VERY sore left achilles and my right foot feels like I strained something. It hurts when I bend my toes up.
I run marathons, have done 13. Last was early May. I run 90 minutes every Sunday and bike ride 1 hour a day the rest of the week.
This pain has never happened before so I’m blaming the Vibram shoes.
@Bob – You’ve committed the most common mistake known to any barefoot or minimalist runner, you went too far too soon! You can’t expect your shod feet to adapt in a month to that distance. If you are serious about making change for the better, here is a great guide (imho):
http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Running-Light-Getting-Touch/dp/0984382208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279109349&sr=1-1
Best of luck!
I agree with PB about Bob’s Achilles and foot pain. From what he described, he did way too many miles way too soon. Blaming the shoes in this case is just plain wrong.
For almost all runners, the transition to minimalist shoes or barefoot running has to be done gradually with a great deal of attention paid equally to the required change in how one runs barefoot as well as how one feels both during and after the run.
There is a ton of good information on-line about transitioning to running in minimalist shoes and/or barefoot.
Dont’ give up, Bob. Just take a step back (pun intended) and re-evaluate everything about your transition to the Vibrams. Do some reading, start over, and take it slow. The payoff is worth it.
Let me make sure I understand. The marathon was in Brooks and I wear the same Brooks’s to bike in: the point is that I’m not a rookie runner and am in decent shape.
I only run once a week for 70 or 80 minutes in the Vibrams. Is that too much too soon?
That book sounds interesting though, I’ll get a copy.
@Bob, yes that seems too much too soon. It needs to be more gradual.
@Bob – I hear you about running marathons, its not about the cardo fitness levels, its about the atrophied muscles in your feet that need a LONG time to ‘wake-up’ before you can put many miles in a minimalist shoe or even barefoot. I’ve run competitively for many years and it still took 9 months before I was comfortable in VFF. But the payoff is well worth the effort! Best of luck.
Bob, the problem isn’t that overall your body can take the distance, it is that running barefoot, or with VFF’s, you are using all new muscles that you don’t use with shoes. Your bones also need to get stronger too. You can create a stress fracture if your muscles develop too fast for your bones to catch up. Need to take it slow. “Barefoot Running” or other barefoot how-to books are good places to start, and they all say, take it slow. Most common problem is too far, too fast.
Hi Becky
That’s great to hear you had a good half in the Bikilas. I am transitioning to Bikilas from the Sprints (after 5 months). I can only do about 5 miles in the VFFs before my heel gets lazy. However it’s nice to see evidence by your run that if you work for it, a half / full marathon is possible in the lingerie of shoes 🙂
Regards
Joe C
I appreciate the comments regarding the VFShoes. I have 3 pairs and have been using them since November. I love the shoe. I worked through a few blisters at first and thought it was the end. I had been only indoors at the gym and walking around the streets shopping etc. When the weather broke and I joined the outdoors, the blisters have returned with a vengeance. The inside of the toe area, both feet and the ball of the foot again the inside area. It seems as though the shoe fits so snugly that a sock will not fit inside the shoe? However I saw a sock on Becky’s foot? This may be an answer for me as the stitching seem rough on the inside where the seams meet, and or some loose material? I receive many comments on the shoe whenever I wear them. I travel a lot so when I reach my destination, usually China or another far away land, it is a wonderful relief to place my food inside this wonderful comfort. I just want to deal with the blisters. and the swollen ball of the foot under the big toe. Help?