My journey to running in Five fingers started back in 2022, after seeing several of my friends run in them. As someone who has osteoarthritis in both knees and who overpronated when running, I was sceptical, but my curiosity was stronger.
After doing some research I took the plunge and purchased a pair of V-Trail 2.0, which I used primarily for dog walks around the local fields. It soon became clear that with the right sort of strength exercises, and a bit of work on my running technique I should/could be able to run in them.
Before I knew it, I was running in them regularly and enjoying the feeling of the ground right beneath my feet. It was at this point that I decided to train and run a trail marathon in Five-fingers, and the only decision to make was which pair to use. I successfully completed the Tissington Trail marathon in mid-2022 in a pair of V-Alphas, setting what was then a personal best.
Unfortunately, in late 2022 I suffered a reoccurrence of a metatarsal injury I sustained in 2018, and once I recovered, I went back to regular cushioned running shoes. So, my 2023 journey was completely different to 2022, and it just didn’t feel right, like something was missing and it was the fun.
Rolling into 2024 with several marathons and an ultra planned, I wanted to get back into minimalistic running and the fun I had in 2022. I picked up the ankle and foot strength work again and laid out my plan to embrace barefooting again. So far this year I have completed another trail marathon in V-Trails and managed to take 24 minutes off my PB.
It is hard to explain the great feeling I get from running in a more natural way, and I can only suggest that people give it a go and embrace the feeling of the earth beneath their feet. As long as they start slow, do their homework and look after their feet, their feet will look after them.
