Toe-Volution

Have you ever wished you could run as swift and light footed as a Shaolin ninja? Or to ballon as softly as a ballerina? But then you look down at your sluggish, bulky running shoes and sigh. Oh! How loathe those clunkers that weigh you down when certainly you could run a 7 minute mile barefoot. Instead, you’re clocking in at 11 minutes flat because you had to drag those chunks of rubber the last 800 meters. On the upside at least there isn’t a baggage fee for carrying those suckers along on your daily trek. If you’re one of those runners who can’t wait to kick off your shoes after a solid midday run, then listen closely, because I’ve got some delightful news to share with you.

It all begins on a windswept street in San Francisco. I am passing by the ballpark when my boyfriend points out something that doesn’t quite fit, something very bizarre.

“Hey look at those!” He says laughing at the runner’s shoes. “He’s got ninja-turtle toes!”

The description was just. The runner, who had stopped at the red light, was most definitely not wearing shoes but some sort of foot-mold. I could have counted every single one of his toes if hadn’t taken off running when the light changed.

That was my first run-in with the ninja-turtle shoes.

From that day onward, I start seeing pairs of these bizarre creatures here and there as though they were beckoning my attention. They’d pop up in grocery stores, on BART, on the trails. It was a Toe-volution! And I for one was intrigued.

The next day I went into work and asked if we sold what I came to know as the Vibram Five-Finger Shoe. Albeit, we did! I bought a pair right there and then and am officially a ninja-turtle shoe convert.

The first week I wore my ninja-turtle toe shoes, my calves ached as though it were my first time running—ever. Without all that rubber underfoot, I could actually run on the ball of my foot! My toes were actually gripping the ground as though I were running barefoot! I felt lighter, like a gazelle with wings. I was forced to be more aware because with shoes I had grown accustomed to being able to step on just about anything without so much as a second thought. But now I was weaving through scattered acorns, leaping across stones in the path, and increasing my own awareness. At first, I’d silently curse everytime I ran over a rock. I’d consider going back to my Asics. Instead, I paid closer attention to where my feet were being placed. Now, I take my ninja-turtle shoes on the trail. There might be a prickly here and there that pierces through the Vibram’s soft, single layer of fabric, but the benefits outweigh the irritations.

I took off the horseshoes and replaced them with a pair of butterfly wings.