Six Little Words

Today a man at the gym said the six words I've been waiting to hear: How do you like your shoes? He was pointing at my Vibrams. My hard-earned, waiting since November, finally got a run in them Vibrams.

"I love them." I said. I explained I had only had them a short while but I'm very pleased so far. I explained why I switched to minimalist shoes and why I chose Vibrams as my next step. He was open, but still a little skeptical, "Yeah, but what about for a middle-aged overweight man like me?" I told him I had never been a middle-aged overweight man like him, so I couldn't say for certain, but that I had less joint pain and fewer aches all around since running with them. The bulk of our remaining conversation was summed up in these points:

Pros

-No pain

-Look silly

-I love running in them

Cons

-Calves are sore

-Tricky to get on my feet

-I have new blisters

The Con list is made up of inconveniences I am certain are temporary. My calves will get stronger, my shoe-putting-on technique will get better and I will get calluses. The Pro list is mostly just a list of things that make me happy like no pain, silly things, and being excited for my workouts. The Pros win. Vibrams win. I win.

I love them.