Vibram Five Fingers Running
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First, I saw a lot of talk about Vibram Five Fingers on the Internet. That’s understandable, I’m on the Internet a lot. But now I’ve started seeing them around town and at running clubs. As soon as people see someone wearing the Vibram Five Fingers they want to know everything about them. All of the runners that have started wearing Vibram Five Fingers say they take some getting used to but they love running in them and are pain free. I honestly think that is Vibram Five Finger’s marketing strategy, they are so strange that everyone wants to strike a conversation about them. Then usually the wearer says they have never felt better running. What better marketing can you get? One runner yesterday said, “That’s it. I’m buying a pair tomorrow.” Not knowing this person to necessarily be a man of action I asked, “Tomorrow? Really?” His responded, “Well the stores will probably be closed by the time we are done with our run, don’t you think?” I think that’s an immediate sale for Vibram Five Fingers!
Personally if I were Vibram I would take it one step further and include some information about the product that the buyers can read. That way when wearers are “marketing” they can speak more intelligently on the subject. I often find myself explaining more about the concept of the Vibram Five Fingers, being developed for runners to run how humans were build to run, to inquiers because I have more knowledge on the subject from reading and research on the Internet than the actual wearers do. This is what Vibram Five Fingers says about their product:
“The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.
“That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.” There are many different styles to choose from depending on what activity you plan to use them for. Trail running I hope.
The science makes sense, but my question is, ‘What does it do to your body in the long run (pun-intended)?’ Sure the pain goes away now but there haven’t been people running in these over a long-term to find out what possible side-effects that may occur in the long-run (again, pun-intended). It is going to be interesting to see how far this craze will go and if it will last. Until then, check out birthdayshoes.com to hear more stories about Vibram Five Fingers to decide for yourself if you want to join the party. Or you can just wear some around town so people will talk to you. You’re so popular.
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