So I ran 12 miles today. This is a record for me. And I ran the entire distance in Vibram Five Fingers shoes. If you aren’t familiar with these, they are basically a shoe that is designed to simulate the feeling of barefoot running by giving the soles of your feet a thin layer of protection from all the little nasties on the road that may play havoc with the tender undersides of your foot. They are similar to reef or water type shoes and they have individual pockets for each of your five toes. When you walk around in them you feel like a ninja. Now to most runners, 12 miles isn’t a huge distance… until they try doing it un-shod. Most marathon runners would be whimpering after only a few miles if they tried doing it barefoot. Most runners in general have no idea just how weak their feet, ankles and lower legs really are. This is the result of carrying your feet in soft pillowy high heel foot coffins mile after mile which encourages poor running form and gives your feet nothing to work with in order to make them stronger.