Five Fingers

Went out shopping in downtown Manchester for a good pair of shoes to wear walking back and forth to work everyday.  Stopped by Runner's Alley on Hanover Street.  Mike at the store was very helpful.  He asked a lot of questions and will check out your running style and help you decide what type of shoes are good for you.  They do not appear to be set on selling you any one type of shoe over the other.  He made some suggestions and then let my feet tell me which pair was best.

Mike also gave me a lot of pointers about running so I really felt it was well worth the cost of going to a speciality store to purchase the new shoes. After trying on several different pairs of shoes I narrowed my choice down the Five Finger Shoes and another minimalist style running shoe.  They were both the same price, so no help there in picking out which one I wanted.  They did not have my size in the Five Fingers so they ordered me a pair in a different size to try on.  Once again a good reason to shop at a speciality store.  That pair was a tad too small, so I waited yet another week while they got the next size up.  As you can see I bought the Five Fingers.

They warn you it may take your feet and legs a bit to get use to the different style of shoe.  You should walk more on the forefoot verse heel striking first, so you'll use different muscles.  The day I bought them I walked about 4 miles before having to switch back to my old shoes.  Your results may vary, but I started to get a hot spot under the ball of my right foot.  You may also want to keep the miles low since the next day I could feel some muscle soreness in my legs. 

Overall I love the shoes.  The really do feel like your walking barefoot, except your not getting hurt by the sharp objects on the ground.  They are better then sandals since when I took them off the paved paths onto a real sandy trail I did not have to stop and shake stuff out from between my foot and the sandal.  I even ended up digging up my garden wearing them the next Saturday and they worked great.

What about the fabric between the toes.  Yes I do feel that, but it is not too bad.  I have never liked flip flops because the the cord between the toes, but this feels nothing like that.  It is noticeable but not annoying.  And the overall feeling overrides that one small perceived disadvantage.

Note;  I am not affiliated with Runner's Alley in any way.  I purchased the shoes at full price and receive nothing for the positive review and remarks about their store.