Vibrams are like dogs...

...when you're out and about with them, everyone wants to talk to you. Mindful that you can't barefoot run before you can walk, I decided to spend today pottering around in my new shoes. It was with trepidation I left the house. They are not an attractive shoe. However, my flatmate offered reassurance with the words: "Are you really going out like that?" My request he accompany me for support was rejected on the grounds I'd ruin his [in my view, minimal] street cred. What a fool I was. I didn't need his support. No one pointed and laughed. In fact, my feet became minor celebrities attracting interest from all sorts (two men in a cafe and several ladies on the Heath). They all wanted to know if they were as comfortable as they look and have they transformed my running. Having been wearing them for less than a day, I can only say yes, they are very comfortable but, re the running, I plan to go for a very gentle jog tomorrow morning and find out. Wean myself into them slowly. A few people said they'd tried the shoes, but had suffered injuries and given up. This tallies with the words of Lee Saxby - a coach I encountered recently at the Primal Lifestyle Barefoot Connections conference. The reason being, these shoes will not instantly turn you into a fleet-of-foot Bambi-style runner. You have to learn to run skilfully. If you just don the new shoes and gallumph off as if you were wearing a padded trainer, then injury will prevail. I am determined that injury will not prevail here. In fact, I'm thinking that there's a Zola Budd-shaped hole in the running world that me and my feet could fill. Barefoot toes crossed the run goes well tomorrow. (Pic 1: A beautiful day for a barefoot walk on the Heath. Pic 2: Vibrams in action.)