The Vibram Five Finger shoes consist of a shock resistant rubber sole contoured in the shape of a standard footbed with 5 distinct toes. There are a number of different shoe models varying mainly in the amount of lycra in the top and direction of the fasteners. Both of us bought the KSOs because at least on my feet, the buckles or elastic of the other shoe models chaffed.

These shoes look like monster feet. I don’t recommend trying them if you live outside the Bay Area or perhaps other style black-holes like Portland or Austin. Definitely restrict your use to open-minded cities.

They make me feel like a giant gecko.

We took the goofy shoes for a really short jog this morning. Short because the Vibram makers suggest you slowly ease into running in them and short because it only took 2 miles before Doug’s calves cramped. Miss Injury, me, was just fine. The balls of my feet are making themselves known, and my back feels a bit more massaged than normal, but nothing muscular to report.

These aren’t like running barefoot. Although I think these shoes allow me to approximate the sensation of running barefoot and alter my running style slightly to approximate unassisted running, these shoes are definitely not like running barefoot. (I’ve sprinted after enough littles in the neighborhood to be an expert on the topic of barefoot running.) I credit the shock resistant rubber for dulling the impact enough that our jog didn’t cause spinal damage. The most notable change to my running was the lack of assisted rolling that my standard shoes afford me. In the monster shoes, I engage the ball of my foot more in the roll and push off of each stride.

Anyway, for me, so far so good. I’ve just got to get fast enough that no one will notice my monster feet.

I’ve been training in some form or another virtually all of my life. I’ve logged thousands of miles in the pool without high-tech gear, ridden thousands of miles on cutting edge cycling gear and have run thousands more in just a pair of standard trainers – all to the same effect – injuries. I’m no stranger to a cortisone shot or a sports trainer, and I proudly wear the trophy of overuse on my right shoulder from a swimming injury. All of this is part of the learning process. Each injury, I learned a little bit more about cross training, rotating my gear, and proper fueling. But, despite the fact that after years of fine tuning my system to the point that I know when I need to ramp up the yoga or replace my shoes or cut back on the miles, I’m going to try something new. Just out of curiosity.

I bought a pair of them newfangled five fingers shoes.

I don’t buy that my sports injuries are a result of relying on high-tech gear. Sports injuries are usually the result of too much repetition, not enough variety. So probably because I’m mixing it up a bit, I suspect my body will be pleased with the change. Who knows. I wore them around a bit today and will be breaking them into my running routine probably next week. Can’t wait to report back.

My non-injury prone husband also bought a pair. We’ll see who gets hurt first.

They may still empty your cooler and drink all your beer, but you’ll have food for breakfast.

This was a 1.2 inch lesson learned by my thumb.

Thankfully, I think these are the 24 hours stomach flus, as both kids have held food down the morning after. We walked over to the bagel shop this morning, and Sylvie finished Will’s cinnamon stick and half a bagel.

On a less yucky note, the boys are off at the hardware store buying a super low flow showerhead. We’ve got a 2.5 GPM, which is one of the lower standard heads, but there are 1.5 and 1.0 on the market, which I grew up with and am used to. I’m interested in this:

Allegedly, this thing works better than the $12 low flow heads we grew up with. I’ll wait and see what the guys buy.

I’ve also checked all of our sinks for aerators. We can’t buy and attach aerators as none of our faucet heads are threaded. Again, I suspect that it is like our showerhead, we’ve purchased all of this stuff recently enough that it is probably aerated or at least low flow already, but I’m sure we could do better…

Finally, I’ve got a ball of french bread dough rising in our oven. We’ll see in ~2 hours if I can make decent bread with my own two hands. After 17 years of using a bread machine, I’m not sure I’ve got what it takes anymore, but we shall see. If it turns out, expect pictures, at least of the crumbs…

Ecologically it makes a lot of sense, and it saves me some of the trek through the house. The cons are that I’m sure it is not as ecologically friendly as watering the yard, and it has me worried about another more embarrassing dilemma – Ring Around the Potty!

Just what chemicals are safe to use on that unsightly soap scum I’m undoubtedly introducing to our potty? I’ll keep you posted as I research this. I’m thinking we may resort to baking soda, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I have been considering changing bath products to reduce the amount of soap scum we leave behind. We already use Dr Bronners all natural soap, but although my Bumble and Bumble hair products are eco friendly (not tested on animals), I don’t think the silicone they contain is all that great for the env or for my inevitable ring around the potty.

… stop rolling your eyes!