Karinsmiles

This little piggy

I’ve been thinking about a pair of five-fingers for a while now (yes, I did read Chris McDougall’s book). I have a pair of Nike Frees which were a real bargain in TK Maxx a couple of years ago, and they’ve been well used, both for running and loafing but they’re getting a bit past their best. They looked quite pretty when they were new and they were incredibly cheap so I snapped them up, knowing I could wear them just as shoes for generally walking around in if they were no use for running.

The five-fingers are a bit too expensive for a punt though. If I couldn’t run in them I wasn’t at all sure what I could do with them other than treat them as very expensive slippers, so when Bill offered a pair of KSOs as a birthday present I decided I would go for it. I bought them from Run and Become, generating a fair bit of interest amongst the other people trying on shoes at the time, and I did the obligatory jog up and down the shop a couple of times (if you know Run and Become in Edinburgh, you’ll realise that’s only about 4 steps in fact, but I wasn’t going to take them out on the pavement to try as a first go). They fitted very nicely once I finally got them on so I went for it. Bill remarked that it was probably the quickest decision I had ever made on a pair of running shoes and the girls laughed just a bit too readily (not fair, I generally try on no more than two or three pairs – I just try them on repeatedly and then buy the same ones as last time).

I finally got a chance to try them later in the week. I took them into the office and showed them off (someone suggested I paint the toes with nail polish ) and then took them to Inverleith Park for a lunchtime run. Running on the grass was a whole lot of fun, it was really good to feel close to the ground and even running through squidgy mud felt good. I didn’t feel I was running very differently from usual, it just felt more playful and carefree.

I did a few laps, nothing too stressful, and then decided to leave them on to do the half mile or so back to the office. I stepped off the grass onto the path, and what a difference – it was like chalk and cheese, or maybe concrete and grass. Instantly I started to run differently to protect my feet and it felt desperately flat-footed and awkward. After 100 yards or so I was on a rough earth path which felt a bit better, but I stayed on the muddy leaf-covered bit as a far as possible. The path crosses a little humped wooden bridge over the Water of Leith which I normally hate because it’s steep on the way down (I have a bit of a thing about bridges anyway) but the five-fingers gripped really well and it didn’t feel nearly as precarious as usual and then it was back on concrete and tarmac for the last 300 yards.

There are already too many unknowns and uncertainties involved in attempting the WHW race for the first time, and I don’t think I want to add to them by risking injury wearing five-fingers on hard surface for the moment. However, I was actually giggling as I ran round the grass. I’ve decided that I will use my Vibrams for doing speedwork on grass and hopefully I’ll find fewer excuses to avoid the speedwork so that I can get out and play in my monkey-feet.

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