Viva La Vibram

If it seems like it's been a while since I've posted anything on my Bikilas, it's because I haven't been doing much running in them.  After running a half marathon in Seattle, I did some trail running with them in Oregon but was able to go only a few miles before my calves really started hating me.  Ever since then, I've been practicing forefoot running in regular shoes, in hopes that when I switch to Bikilas again, the transition will be a little easier/less painful.  In the meantime, however, I've been wearing my Bikilas around -- at the beach, into the water, around the office, around Downtown Honolulu, and even indoor rock climbing.

It turns out that Bikilas are perfectly suited for curling your toes around those little features and nubs plastered onto the wall.  I saved a few bucks by not renting climbing shoes, which apparently are REALLY tight and REALLY uncomfortable.  My Bikilas let me flex my feet and contort them in every possible way to get myself up the walls.

The Five Fingers have also worked great for running on the sand and wading into the ocean (on reef and other rough surfaces).  You really should try not to walk on reef, but if you must people in Hawaii often use tabi.  They're similar to the Japanese sock-like footwear but thicker and made of neoprene or something.  The Vibrams are perfect for this.  I had to walk over some reef to get to a friend who was fishing in shallow water.  I did a quick run on the sand, then like an amphibian walked straight into the water.  I love the multi-functionality of these!

And finally, I have been hiking and running (very sporadically) on the trails.  One way I've found to get used to Vibrams while getting a long run in and not hurting yourself is to simply carry them while running in regular shoes.  At some point in the run, I switch into the Bikilas, then switch back later.  I know I need to keep doing this so I can actually wear them for an entire run at some point, but I've just been too lazy.

I should mention that while the Bikilas have been great for trail running, they do wear out more quickly on the trails.  I hear the KSO Treks are the Vibrams that are intended for hiking and trail running, but I couldn't wait that long to get my toes into a pair.  The seam near my right big toe is starting to come unglued from the shoe, and I think it's because of the abuse of the trails.  I mentioned this to an employee of the store where I bought the Bikilas.  He said that there was one bad batch of Bikilas and lots of people had complained about the same thing.  I could take it back in and trade it for a new pair, but now that these Bikilas have been with me to the Northwest, Kauai, all over Oahu, and even up walls, I'm feeling pretty attached to them.