Another Reason Vibram FiveFingers Can Save Your Knees

Well hello there FitFeat friends!

Hope that your week is off to a great start! It’s going to be another fast one, I can tell already! Time flies when you are having fun and loving life, right? I swear I need to go back and see what my July horoscope had in store for me because I feel like things have been working out in my favor lately – in a “wow that was pure luck” sort of way! Yes, I read horoscopes AFTER the fact. It’s more fun! I also read magazines from back to front. I’m odd like that, I guess!

So, those of you who were FitFeat readers a year-and-a-half ago may recall that was when I got my Vibram 5Finger shoes. And proceeded to rave about them for how they took the pressure off my knees – no pain when wearing them for running.

Well I have found a new reason to wear them.

Last week when I was insanely tired from an unplanned delayed arrival into Denver coming home from my work trip, I left my house to run an errand wearing these:

Well that excess piece of sandal you see in front of my toes somehow latched onto a curb and threw me down hard before I even knew what hit me.

Giving me one of these on my knee:

(I decided not to post the pic I took when it first happened, because it was really gross. This is 5 days of healing – so not as bad.)

Can I just tell you I was up from the ground in a NANO-second after biffing it? I forgot how embarrassing taking a tumble in public is. My purse went flying, I landed all askew. I popped up like it never happened and kept right on going. (My pride was seriously hurt more than this knee!) Until I started to bleed all over the card section of the drug store…at which point I had to hit up their pharmacy to beg for a band-aid or two.

It occurred to me that had I been wearing my 5Fingers, this would not have happened. They fit nice and snug, and I would have been light on my feet instead of the “slap slap flapping” of my loose sandals.

Lesson learned. (I must say in my own defense that my 5Fingers were in the washing machine at the time… since I’d used them a bunch the prior weekend.)

Now that you are hearing yet again all the virtues of “barefooting” it in your 5Fingers – I have to share this cool race info with you. A colleague of mine and his wife started these Barefoot Races and they have them all over the country:

The Naked Foot 5K, sponsored by Merrell

Minneapolis, MN: August 20th
Grand Rapids, MI: August 28th
Austin, TX: September 24th
Highlands Ranch, CO: September 11th
Nashville, TN: October 15th

If you live near one, check them out! And check out their website because they have some fun info out there. Plus they collect shoe donations for Soles for Souls (a shoe charity that recycles shoes for people in need). If you know any barefoot runners (or anyone interested in starting) this would be a great event for them to look into!

I know some of you readers have done some barefoot running. Who’s barefootin’ it these days? Leave a comment and share!

8 Responses to "Another Reason Vibram FiveFingers Can Save Your Knees"

Joan says:

July 20, 2011 at 3:32 pm

ouch to both the knee and ego.

I took a tumble on my bike…whilst riding down hill to the ferry…went nearly head over handlebars…landed on my side…didn’t jump up, just rolled over like a turtle on it’s back and laid there till I felt maybe I could get up…all infront of a whole row of parked, occupied cars awaiting the ferry. talk about embarassing.

hope you’re ok…my knee bruise lasted about 2 years before it totally cleared up, but I don’t think the ego is healed yet.

Reply
1. Shari B. says:
  
  July 21, 2011 at 8:10 am
  
  Hi Joan! Oh wow your tumble sounds PAINFUL! I remember about 15 years ago I was tooling around on my mountain bike and I went to “hop” up onto a curb that didn’t have a ramp. Only I “hopped” too soon and my bike came down then hit the curb and stopped short, tossing me over the handlebars. I have learned over the years that I have NO BUSINESS being on a bike. I seem to have enough trouble with my own two feet!
  
  Reply
Cindy says:

July 20, 2011 at 11:03 am

owwwwwwwwwwwwwwie

I SO know what you mean by getting your ego bruised more than the knee part when falling flat on your face in public…what can be more embarrassing??

so sorry that happened to you!

I still love barefoot running but I wear out my socks fast when I do it on the tm.

hehe

take a deep breath…week is half over!
xo

Reply
1. Shari B. says:
  
  July 21, 2011 at 8:11 am
  
  Hi Cindy! Bruised egos are the worst
  You should buy some super cheap dollar store thick socks then you can barefoot run more!
  
  Reply
allison @ thesundayflog says:

July 19, 2011 at 5:14 pm

shari! i hope you are ok! once i WIPED out down a set of marble steps in south africa. i was wearing my rainbows which are slick on the bottom and it was raining. i jumped up so fast that my friend nellie said she had no idea what happened. soooo mortifying, so i know how you feel! im so sorry you fell, but maybe MAYBE you should toss those sandals. are you sure you didnt borrow your husband’s????? they are HUGE on you! hahaha

Reply
1. Shari B. says:
  
  July 21, 2011 at 8:14 am
  
  HI Allison! Holy moly, marble steps?? That seems like asking for everyone to slip and fall – marble is SLICK!!
  
  I have TINY TINY feet and a lot of brands of shoes start at a size 6 so I seem to often end up with some shoes that don’t fit quite right. (I swear this is a large part of why I hate shoes and hate heels even more – I’m the abnormal woman who is NOT into shoe-shopping at all!) I’ve had those darn Nike sandals for over 10 years and they are so comfy, but I think I am with you, I might need to toss them.
  
  Reply
Carrie says:

July 19, 2011 at 5:01 pm

I’m not barefooting it yet, but I’ve noticed a lot more people at the gym wearing Vibrum 5Fingers!

Reply
1. Shari B. says:
  
  July 19, 2011 at 5:10 pm
  
  they’re hard to miss, huh? So goofy looking! But I sure do love them!
  
  Reply

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