Ever since I read my buddy John Hornbeck‘s description of the Vibram Five Fingers I have been interested in both how they feel and can I use them for more than just walking around in.  Last Fall I picked up a pair of the KSO’s at a local shop, which allowed me to both try them and find the right size since they go by numbers rather than typical American measurements for feet.  After wearing them around for a while I grew to love them, which is what my other Vibram wearing friend, Geoffrey Simpson, said would happen.

I used my KSO’s to walk around in at parks or go to the store (yes people looked at me strange), but never got into running with them because of the overall feel of the the KSO’s.  I read about blisters and rubbing when used for more strenuous exercise.  So when the Bikila’s were announced on the Vibram’s Birthday Shoes Blog I got very interested in getting a pair.  Turns out they were really difficult to get and still are with only a few retailers carrying them.  I missed the first time they were on sale by a few hours and couldn’t get my size (42), but the second time I saw them being sold online last week I snatched up a pair from City Sports.

On Monday of this week they arrived at my doorstep and I proceeded to open with glee and take some photo’s of the unboxing.

On Tuesday morning I headed to the gym for my first short run (2mi) in them to see how I would adjust to barefoot running style over my regular running shoes.  More on that experience in another post