I washed them after the last run I did in them, so they actually look pretty good. Also, I hope you like looking at my leg hair. There are a few rips in the fabric between the toes, but the real reason for replacement is only visible from the bottom:
Apparently I push off harder with my left foot or something. There are 3 holes of varying size on that foot (1st, 2nd and 5th toes). For a while I've been treating it like a very gradual transition to running completely barefoot. And I will still put a few more miles on these shoes, but with the holes water gets in very, very easily, and that water is very cold this time of year. So, new shoes for Christmas!
Yeah, they're the same shoes. Still Vibram KSOs. I think they've quit making them in lieu of 100 other fancier varieties. That means that the selection is a bit more limited, so I ended up with boring gray ones (with "camo" soles, which thankfully are more of just a gray/black marbled look). I would have been happy to have bright red ones or something more fun, but couldn't justify paying an extra $10 or more for different color options. I'm not usually a big fan of flamboyant footwear, but if you're already wearing some of the most bizarre shoes you can find, why not go all the way? While I won't pay extra for different colors, I will pay extra for . . .
More shoes! These photograph poorly, because they're all black. They're Vibram Classics with the notably more open top. I found these for less than $30, and since the KSOs were less than $50: hooray! I haven't gone running in the classics yet (high temp of -14 °F tomorrow), but I have been out in the new KSOs twice. The first time I was super smart and went out for a 9 mile run in brand new shoes. I started a blister at about mile 6, I think. I did 5 miles yesterday and wore socks, partly for warmth, partly for blister prevention.
2 comments:
How do socks work with the vibrams?
My blog seems to have eaten my first attempt at a response . . .
Obviously, normal socks don't work with toe shoes, you need toe socks. I have one pair of light weight injinji socks, though I rarely use them because:
1. My feet don't start getting cold until wind chills drop at least to the mid 20s, and I don't really find myself wishing I had socks until they're in the teens. But I quit running when the wind chill drops below about 10, so it's a fairly small window where my feet are cold, but the rest of me isn't also.
2. If it is cold and wet, I don't wear the socks because the sock just holds the cold water right next to my foot. The KSOs are so minimal that they don't hold much water, and thus it's warmer to have wet feet without socks.
3. My KSOs had holes in them, and I didn't want to wear out my socks! Skins grows back, socks cost money!
4. Once my KSOs are broken in (10-20 miles maybe?) I've never had any problems with blisters or anything. (10 miles gives about 7000 steps in each shoe, so that's probably enough to break them in.)
So, I don't use socks much. The pictures are exactly how I run in them. When I do use the socks (only 8 times or so ever) it doesn't make much difference. The shoes fit a little tighter, and my foot stays a little warmer. If I were always running with the socks on, particularly thicker ones, I might want a bigger size shoe. I'd have to try it out.
One added bonus with the socks is that it helps prevent stinky shoes. VFFs are machine washable (air dry them) for when the smell gets too bad. As long as you don't stick your nose in them, I don't feel that it's that bad, and I don't recall Shannon complaining.
Was there anything else you wanted to know?
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