My FiveFingers

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My First Year Wearing Five Fingers Full-Time

by Tyler Hurst » on Apr 06, 2011 0

I bought my first pair of Sprints in September 2009, my first pair of KSOs in December 2009 and my first pair of Classics in late March 2010. After one year of wearing almost nothing but Five Fingers to work, run, play and just about everything else, I’m confident that I made the absolute best choice.

Since April of last year, I’ve completed three half marathons, lost 3% body fat, gained more inches in all the manly places (legs, arms, shoulders and chest) than at any time in my life, and changed from a sometimes athletic guy into a a runner who could finish 4-5 miles pretty easily.

Hippies!

Was it the shoes?

Wearing Five Fingers has taught me more about running in the past year than I had ever learned in my first 31 years of scampering around. I understand why and how I pronate, why leaning forward is better than standing straight and the importance of aligning my entire body correctly when running.

Was it the form?

The Chi Running video has helped tremendously, as well. While it’s great to study with books and images, nothing beats some good video instruction. While I had to modify the form a bit to work with my minimalist running style, it was pretty damn easy in the end.

What about my fitness?

I’m MUCH stronger, a little bit lighter and way more pliable than than I’ve ever been. While I seem to have forsaken all sports except for running, I’m confident that my new, stronger body will be able to pick those back up pretty quickly, as soon as I figure out what kind of shoes to wear for those. Five Fingers make poor court shoes.

What’s next?

I suppose pushing my body beyond anything it’s done before isn’t something that most people do, but I can assure you that it’s absolutely worth it. I WANT to run now. I WANT to race now. I WANT to do things like sign up for a full marathon and complete the 2012 Ironman Triathlon course in Tempe. While I can’t say it’s just the shoes, they sure do help.

But the biggest thing is…

Wearing Five Fingers has been more about being in touch with my body and the world around me than an effort to make a statement, eschew “normal” shoes or even teach other people. My Five Fingers force me to pay attention to wear and how I’m walking, plan better on road trips and improve my speaking skills by constantly answering onlooker questions.

How have Five Fingers changed your life?

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