Let's Try Something New

I am a shoe lover. Stiletto, boot, wedge, flat, sneaker - doesn't matter, I just adore them. I keep my collection in individual, clear plastic shoe boxes stacked (by color and style, mind you) on the shelves of my closet. My favorites used to be this gorgeous pair of strappy, black leather stilettos that always made me feel like a total babe...something that was much needed on the weekends after wearing combat boots and a fairly masculine uniform five days a week! They looked like this:

But alas, stay-at-home motherhood has prompted me to move on...I now tend to sport a "Mommy" uniform most days, or my workout gear. So, I have a new favorite pair of shoes:

These are my Vibram Five Finger Sprints, and whoa, are they great. I know, I know, they're funny looking, aren't they? It never fails, whenever I step out in these bad boys I get stared at by people who are probably wondering why it looks like I have gloves on my feet. But let's keep it real, the first time I saw them myself, even I had to do a double-take. My initial thoughts? Weird.

When I first started doing the Crossfit thing, I saw tons of people wearing them. They would explain that it was the closest thing to working out barefoot, and I would just think, "why on earth would I want to do that? I have my faithful, broken-in pairs of running shoes - and they rock!"

But as I began progressing in my workouts, I realized that those people had a point. My sneakers actually seemed to weigh me down when I would sprint, or throw me off balance when I would attempt a handstand push-up or do dips on the parallel bars. So I bit the bait, and spent an afternoon navigating the streets of dowtown Honolulu with Isaiah, trying to find the ONE store that actually sold them on the island. (Okay, in all fairness, I could have bought them online - but I hate paying shipping! I guess I'm cheap like that with some things.)

Anyway, we each got a pair - once we finally found the store, that is - and strapped them on for our next workout. And you know what, my skepticism disappeared once I hit the gym. I saw such an improvement in the way I moved - my stride changed, I felt lighter, and my balance was WAY better. Check out our handstand push-ups at the squadron gym:

Not bad at all. But the final test, of course, was when I went on one of my long distance runs. These shoes held up wonderfully during circuit training and sprints around the track, but I wasn't quite sure as to how this whole "barefoot" thing would work when it came to the outdoors. Especially when I would venture off the beaten path. And especially after being spoiled by my comfy, cushiony Nike's.

The first time I tried them outdoors, I went on a two-mile test run. At first, my natural reaction prompted me to overcompensate for the lack of "spring" in my shoes; I would find myself tensing up, or trying to hop up on my toes.

But once I started to relax, everything else fell into place. Nice, quick cadence, a soft landing, a swift and light step, and it was almost impossible for a hard heel strike - oh, and it was an incredible calf workout, too! Over the past months, I have managed to shave a minute off of the running time for my PT test. I think that qualifies as results, don't you? : )