Vibram Five Fingers KSO

I've been reading about the Vibram Five Fingers and it's about time I picked up a pair and started getting used to wearing them. So, how do you pronounce Vibram? Maybe I've never heard anyone say 'Vibram' outside of my family but we all say vIbram with an 'i' sound, not veebram with an 'e' sound. I'll just stick to my old ways and say it with an 'I' sound. Don't ask me how to say 'Sorel', as in Sorel boots. I was never sure.

Back to the Five Fingers... I picked up a pair of the KSO model in black-camo a week or so ago and tried them on with Injinji socks. I plan to wear them with the toe socks so it made sense to wear them when I figured out what size was right for me. My second toe is longer than my big toe so that's what drove the size. I ended-up in a size 44 and I usually run in a size 11.5 road shoe. That's what works for me, maybe not for you.

I'm taking it slow getting used to wearing them. Every other day I'm walking a mile and then running a short amount. I started with a half a mile and I'm up to 1.5 miles, which is what I ran this morning. The KSOs are very comfortable and based just on feel, I'd much rather wear them than regular running shoes. My plan now is to do 3 short runs a week in them during the winter to supplement my outside running. Hopefully by next Summer my feet will be quite a bit stronger than they have been. Ideally, I will be less susceptible to the minor foot injuries I get from time to time during hill running or long races.

So far so good in the KSOs, but since my feet feel so good now as I'm writing this, they will surely hurt like heck when I wake up tomorrow morning. Things like that usually happen after I write something. :-(

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!

--Mark