Most of my posts have been about how I use my current pairs of VFFs; I use my KomodoSports to do CrossFit workouts, running and any other physical activities, my Sprints are for general walking around, and I have a pair of old KSO’s with a hole in the bottom that sit in my clsoet.  Today I gained insight into how I could put my old KSO’s to good use.

Yard Work

I was getting ready to go out and get started on the yard work that needed to get done and I was putting on an old pair of sneakers when I noticed my old KSOs that had recently been retired from active duty at the gym.  I thought, “why not, they are just sitting around”.  Now to be fair, I had worn my KSOs and my Sprints last year to do some stuff around the yard but since I also wore the KSOs to the gym, I needed to wash them frequently because the gym didn’t like you wearing dirty shoes.  My Sprints are a light colored and got easily grass stained.  But this spring, I had the KSO laying around so I decided to put them back into use.

Yes there is a hole in the bottom of them, but I figured this wouldn’t hurt me since I wasn’t running in them anymore.  Plus I really dislike wearing my old pairs of runners which haven’t gotten much action over the last few years since I discovered FiveFingers.  So I now have a pair of gardening VFFs.

Work Done

I got a fair bit done with the help of my 12 year old son.  He was a big help despite his frequent stops to check out big worms he had found and to track down a salamander that was spotted under a rock.  Still, he was outside and not inside stuck in front of some screen exercising his eyeballs.

We accomplished a fair number of taks:

• Digging up a flowerbed,
• Mowing some lawn,
• Planted seeds in the now dug up flowerbed,
• Hauling of mulch, soil bags, and a few rocks.

It was nice to get outside and get some work done in the sunshine and spend some time with my son.  Despite only spending a few hours outside, I still felt like we accomplished something physical and got the added benefit of making our house and yard look nicer… and I was able to find a new use for a pair of VFFs that were prevously destined for the garbage.

Impressions

Just like wearing VFFs when doing anything else, you notice a lot more things that your feet come into contact with than if you were wearing normal shoes.  I could feel how soft the ground was when it was dug up, rocks under the soil that I couldn’t see but could feel, and the unevenness of my yard became apparent despite it looking flat with the grass growing on it…  lots of tactile sensations that you just don’t feel in shoes.  The KSOs did a pretty good job of keeping stuff out of the shoes, but some dirt and grass clippings did get in around the ankle opening and from the hole in the bottom but that is normal and was expected.  I was actually wondering if there would be more dirt getting in through the mesh on the KSO, but it actually kept out almost everything.

The only problem I had was when I first used my foot on the spade to dig up the garden.  I placed my foot on the spade like I normally would when wearing my army issued boots and  and pressed down on the spade with the arch of my foot.  Of course, my feet were not protected by the heavy thick sole of my boot, so it hurt a bit and I may have said a bad word.  I was a little bit disappointed that my son seemed to have heard the word before despite me never having used it at home (I think).  Once I moved the ball of my foot onto the spade and pushed with that, there was no problem.  If I had to dig in heavy or packed ground, I think I would use a shoe or boot to prevent it from hurting my foot.  Lesson learned.

It was an all-around good day.  I got some yard work done, spent some time outside with my son, and found a new use for my KSOs.

KomodoSport Update

A quick update on my KomodoSpots:  They are holding up well with the washings and wearing I have done.  You may recall that I was initially concerned that the insoles might come apart or get damaged in the washing machine, but they are doing great.  The detailing is starting to crack a bit on the sides near the small toe, but this could be from several things: the rowing machine strap that sits there when I row, normal wear and tear from foot flexing, or the washing.  Not sure yet.