Latest Vibram Five Fingers Reviews 7/12/09

And another week of Vibram fivefingers reviews:

• Vibram FiveFingers KSO and Classic Running Shoes at Wired.com:
  

  Running in FiveFingers is much like running barefoot, except without the mincing “Ow-ow-ow!” moments as you hit a patch of gravel or sun-baked asphalt. You have to use the same stride (and the same, probably atrophied, calf and arch muscles) as you do when running with naked feet. The end result is good: By forcing me into a more efficient stride, the VFFs helped subtract nearly a minute from my admittedly slow per-mile pace.

• Vibram Five-Fingers Shoes and “Barefoot” Running at Rambling outside the Box:
  

  If you’re going to be a “barefoot runner,” you are naturally tempted to forego socks altogether with your Five-Fingers. I’ve now experimented quite a bit with and without socks. My current preference is to use socks only for hotter temperatures and runs of more than an hour or so. I don’t bother with socks for runs of an hour or less. The primary issue is that I start to develop hot spots after my feet start to sweat significantly. Socks help reduce the chafing and wick away the sweat. I don’t seem to need very much sock; I use very thin Injinji “liner” socks made from bamboo fiber, and I’ve had good luck up to the maximum run of about 12–13 miles I’ve tried so far. I

• Vibram Five Fingers Shoes at Finding stuff to do in Nebraska:
  

  I did, however, find that running in the grass, or on uneven terrain is much more fun in these shoes. Running on pavement is almost boring when you have all that extra dexterity and balance in your shoe! I also plan on wearing these for our weekly Ultimate Frisbee session on Monday, as my current shoes tend to roll sideways when I try and change direction too fast.

• Taking the plunge with Vibram Five Fingers by Drew Price: This is sort of a review in the making, with some updates on VFF experiences. It also gives mention to other barefooting alternatives.
• Going “Barefoot” In Vibram Five Fingers at SmarterFitter:
  

  They’re very comfortable to walk in, but my feet became tired over the course of the walk. This morning, the outside of my left foot feels tired, like I’ve been using weird muscles. Calves were also differently tired. But otherwise they felt good, and there was no chaffing or rubbing between my toes. I like that they’re very light. I like them.

It’s fun to see Wired.com talk about VFFs (They also have an article on running barefoot or with VFFs that accompanied their review). As always, let me know if I missed any!