I'm into fitness maniac lately, in a short turnover I bought more stuff than I could ever utilised.
It started October last year where I started my first 10k race in Putrajaya Night Race and after the race I bought my Brooks Glycerin 9. Retiring my old New Balance Shoe (very good shoe but I bought the wrong size), I managed a 12minutes improvement for my following 10k race (Penang Bridge Internation Marathon-PBIM) and soon Nike We Run KL 10k Race.
During the small time frame, I bump into various problem. During PBIM, I tried Heel Landing and have a serious knee problem induced on my body. For Nike Run which falls on the follow week of PBIM, I simply felt too exhausted to compete in the race.
Soon on later I get more obsessed with GAS - Gear Acquiring Syndrome which I cant remember how I bump into barefoot running. This is the damage done. Introducing the Vibram Five Fingers - VFF.
So what's so great about the VFF, it has no or minimal support. You know what you are stepping on - Asphalt road, grass or cow dunk (you would not want to know how it feels like) meaning your feet dictate how you would be doing instead on the legs helping. It's really great to condition your legs muscle which have been went hiding many years under the Heavy Cushion Shoe we used to wore.
Another major thing I like is that flexibility and ease of wearing, I wear it without socks (I thought the Injinji was too expensive that I keep dragging on my purchase) and eventually it actually fells more natural running without socks in this particular "shoe". The flexibility is a double edge sword. During trail running, you will be thankful how easily you can run fast but landing at various odd angle during a trail / hill run. The other edge meaning if you step on a stone, kicked a root, or had someone to stepped on your, you would be screaming in vein.
I am still training to get used to this shoe (transitioning takes time and awakes our giant sleeping muscle), overdoing it will only cause more harm than good. To date I have done around 5 Apek / Bukit Segar trail. Even in one occasion when I was in the middle the journey, rains pour heavily and have no problem running in a soaked shoe (imagine that with a thick cushion shoe). I done my longest ever run in my life, a 20k hills road run last week.
I wish this shoe help me achieve more in my running passion and meanwhile, happy running.
p/s I did this for bricking too (40km cycling followed by a 7km run), although it looks really weird to cycle in VFF.
p/s2: I hate writing so many words
p/s2: I hate writing so many words
