The Glade 4.0

I'm sure you've seen these by now? They seem to be a huge and growing fad among a lot of folks.

Even my wife, as of last night, has joined this craze. But every time I see these things, I keep thinking of how Al Bundy was 20 years ahead of his time when he created "God's Shoes." (Great clip here)

Granted, these aren't as good as God's Shoes because the socks aren't sewn into the lining.

Has anyone tried these things? Do they actually make a difference when running? Or are they more along the lines of bottled water? "Ooh! This tastes more watery than water! This is like H-3-O!"

_________________
Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Creepy.

_________________

H3O is acid. Tee hee.

_________________
Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Tell it to Jim Gaffigan.

_________________
Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

My son really wants a pair of those, but we couldn't find any affordable ones in his size. Perhaps for Christmas....I see them as a novelty, something for children and pot-smokin' hipsters.

_________________
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

A friend of mine uses them for when he works out. They are good for certain situations, not so good for others.

Basically, if you're running on natural surfaces (earth, grass, etc.) they are supposedly great. If you're running on man made surfaces (asphalt, concrete, etc.) they aren't so good as they don't have much of any cushioning.

My buddy uses them for his workout routines, so not a lot of impact, but he says they give him an increased stability over normal shoes.

Those are very popular around here. It's almost gotten to the point where I see more runners/joggers wearing those than running shoes.

I'm starting to think the government is handing them out with welfare checks.. and cell phones..

FYI, there are different versions for different situations. Some have thicker soles for trail running, etc...

Also, I have a friend who does a lot of street and trail running barefoot. He has some trail running sandals he uses for some trails...

http://lunasandals.com/

Wow. It seems like getting a pair that fit well would be a nightmare.

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

From what people tell me, they are supposedly better to run in on any surface (depending on which model of shoe you get) since it makes you run more naturally, instead of landing on the ball of your heel and letting your bones absorb the shock.

But we'll see. If it makes my wife a fan, then.... I don't know. They are Al Bundy shoes!!!

_________________
Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Is it just me, or does "Vibram FiveFingers" sound like a completely different product than what it really is?...

_________________
Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

This. There was a giant billboard in Nashville for them that Phe and I passed every day after work.

They were called "Skele-toes," though.

I might try them out, but they don't carry them in my size.

_________________

I couldn't wear them even if I wanted to as my 2nd and 3rd toe on both feet are fused together.

_________________
This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

I'd like to try them, actually. I love being barefoot, but seem to attract stuff like splinters, glass, nails, etc. But they seem kind of pricey to just go out and buy a pair, if you don't know they're gonna work out for you.


Picsplskthx

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Not my toes, but basically this.

_________________
This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Some guys in my running group swear by these, say they are the best thing ever. I might try them after my current shoes wear out, I just bought these ones though.

Interesting toes, Foamy

_________________


Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

And I though having the stupid thing between my toes was bad enough on flip flops, I think 5 mins in those would drive me crazy, plus they are very creepy/ugly looking.

Yup, I'm a mutant. No enhanced or super powers due to it, though. I can't swim faster or anything like that.

_________________
This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Yeah everyone swims at 45 Mph...

_________________
Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Syndactyly!

My son has brachydactyly.

_________________
Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

I have a pair as well. They've come out of the barefoot running craze. Essentially, the thinking is this: By cushioning our feet so heavily we are actually weakening our muscles, and changing the way we run (with heavily cushioned shoes on, your instinct is to take the longest stride possible and land on your heel, sending the entire force of your stride up your now-straight leg, which can be several times your body weight). While running barefoot, you land closer to the center of your foot, with your leg bent, the natural shock absorber it was designed to be.

Here's a video that goes over some of this:

The purpose of the 5-fingers is to allow you to run as close to barefoot as possible, while still protecting your feet from damage. There is no padding/etc, it is just you.

Personally, I started wearing mine quite a bit more when I go out, I prefer going barefoot entirely, but most places you can't get away with that. I'm also thinking of getting a pair of nike-free's for work (since they look more like a normal sneaker, instead of the "gorilla-foot" look of the vibrams).

If you're getting a pair, I highly recommend going to a store that sells them and getting sized. I ended up going one size bigger than I expected after getting sized, and they fit very well.

Here's the book my friend lent me that got me into all this craziness - Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen Really interesting read.

I've considered a pair, but I reallt think they are best for someone who doesn't need padding, and whose natural running motion is healthy. I'm heavy enough to damage my joints without padding, and I have a tendency to run on my heels and outside edges (not much toe action) or to roll my ankle in. So until I correct this, I need the support of a real shoe.

Actually, running with shoes reinforces the negative motion. What you should do is start doing short distances without them (and I mean SHORT, you don't realize how weak your feet really are due to running shoes until you go barefoot) and you'll be surprised at how quickly you naturally correct to landing on the center of your foot. Essentially, you will have sensory feedback from your feet that shoes mask entirely. You'll know when you're landing wrong because it feels wrong.

Granted, if you have previous injuries from running or long term leg/feet problems, talk to your doctor.

According to my trainer, a lot of these issues also come from poorly fitted/selected shoes.

There's a lot of silliness to this shoe, even though I am a believer of the science behind it and will likely try it. And part of the silliness is in it's name. "Fingered"?

Call it what it is. Five Toed. There are no "fingers" involved here.

Just grow a pair call the stone a stone. But no, I am sure some marketing professional who gets paid a hell of a lot more than I do said something like this: "You can't use the word toe. Because when people hear the word toe, they think of bare feet. And if they think of bare feet, they think of stink. Besides, toes creep a lot of people out for some reason and we're already pushing those people away from the design of this thing. So let's just use the word "finger" instead."

But, silliness abounds.

_________________
Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!