About a year ago, I started noticing people at the gym and out in public wearing some weird looking shoes.  These shoes were not your typical tennis shoes.  They came in bright colors and varied in shape and size.  They almost looked like those toe socks that were so popular several years ago.  Yes, I hate to admit it, but I did have a few pairs of toe socks myself.

Since picking up running, I’ve really started to notice these strange looking shoes on marathon runners and even jogging out and about in the neighborhood.  I did my research to see if maybe they would work for me.  They describe running in these shoes like running barefoot.  You might think that wouldn’t be a good thing for your feet, having no padding on the bottoms or arches of your feet.  After plenty of high tech research by the inventors of these shoes, it turns out, it might not be that bad… actually might be better for your feet and joints.

My curiosity got the best of me and I finally ordered my first pair of “Finger Five” shoes.  If you haven’t heard or seen these shoes, a simple Google search will bring them up.  I ordered them in my favorite color (purple) and measured my feet to match the criteria, which requires you to measure from the base of your foot all the way to the tip of your longest toe (weird… right?) 

I received them in the mail a few weeks ago… and let me tell you… I LOVE them!  Sure they were a little expensive and definitely a gamble, but I think it has really paid off!  When I first started running, I was getting really bad shin splints and my hip flexors were incredibly sore… these shoes have fixed any and all joint issues that I was having with standard tennis shoes.  The first time I ran in the “Finger Five” shoes I had several blisters on the bottoms of my feet and my shins were really sore the next day.  To successfully run in the “Finger Five” shoes you literally have to reteach yourself how to run… toe first instead of heal first.  Besides the fact that they look a little silly… I’m really starting to like them!

Has anyone had luck with these shoes…or do you think they just look weird?  I would love to hear about your experience!