My Vibram Bikila footwear was a tough snug fit when I first squeezed in to them. It may have felt snug and tight only because the Vibram KSO’s I had before may have been one size too big. Whether it’s due to them being broken in or because my feet are less fat…my feet now slide in comfortably. Even after throwing them in the wash and hanging them to dry, they don’t have the same squeeze and struggle when getting them on.
I remember the day I got in to mine: I was about 9miles in to a run with my KSOs when we ran off course and up to my running partner’s pad. Jimmy gave me his Bikila’s to try on because my feet were getting really hot (going raw and beginning to blister). I immediately felt lighter on my feet and there was more bounce to my step. I needed it because I was ill-prepared and unconditioned for the 11mi back home. FUNNY SIDE NOTE: I fell stricken with cramps 3 times on my way back home sending Jimmy ahead of me so I wouldn’t drag him down with me. On the final collapse, I had to lie out for about five minutes before a lady out running along the trail offered to phone for help. There my arrogance refused the help and I walked a slow zombie walk back home for the final mile. I WAS WALKING LIKE A DEPRIVED ZOMBIE! Biting off more than you can chew in long-distance running bears tremendous consequence!
A good century of miles later, I run and wonder how I can ever run without these. I ran my “Hottest Half” half-marathon in them and they served me as best footwear could. I feel as though it kept me light in my last kick to the finish where I sprinted a one-on-one race with a man who caught me dragging because I failed to pace myself. After the race and days later…no joint pain. I only had one blister that was at the middle of my forefoot. I had plenty of muscular soreness which is how I like it. I want to know that I expended my muscles and not my bones at the joints. 10 years ago, I’d finish playing football and basketball with joint pain. Don’t we always wish we knew then what we know now? Although I don’t usually play football and basketball in these shoes (I have on a few occasions), the effects of my run training in these Bikilas have translated to running more effectively in the sports. So even though I may compete in the appropriate sporting footwear, I don’t have the joint pain I had back in high school and early college years.
Comparing my transition from the KSO to Bikila, I prefer the latter because I feel that I have a greater margin of error with respects to my running mechanics (which wasn’t ideal to begin with). They are designed specific to running after all! Today my Bikila’s show sign of plenty wear and it is time to move on. But I love this color scheme which was apparently a release for men in Europe as it was not released for the U.S. market.
These shoes serve their purpose and they serve it very well. The blister issue isn’t something that merits much to ask of its design, as many runners in the same distance running situations will still develop blisters even running in traditional shoes. Injini performance no-show socks have taken away all my blister problems!