Call them what you will -- toe shoes, barefoot shoes, minimalist footwear -- since the first mainstream pair of athletic shoes with separated toes appeared on the scene in 2006, these "foot gloves" have spawned a small, but loyal following among runners, hikers and gym rats.
Meeting Mr. Toe Shoe I had seen toe shoes in magazine ads, heard them discussed in the sports media, and seen a pair or two go by in the gym, but it wasn't until I had the chance to visit at length with a "toe shoe" aficionado that I became sincerely curious about the newest trend in running shoes. Indeed, I couldn't take my eyes off of them. This was somewhat awkward, as we were both standing up and our feet were some 5-1/2 feet below where our interaction should have been taking place. So rather than feign a mysterious tic in my neck in order to keep ogling his lime-green, festively strappy footwear, I made it the topic of our conversation.
A Mrs. Robinson Moment I must confess at this point that the wearer of said toe shoes was not the least bit hard on the eyes. He could have been wearing ballet flats or scuba fins or Jimmy Choo pumps and I would have let my gaze linger awhile anyway. Slender and toned, with an asymmetrical haircut that screamed "you're not from around here, are you?," he was a nicely wrapped piece of eye candy at a buffet of otherwise pudgy middle-aged men at -- of all places -- a small town Super Bowl party. Never mind that he was probably 15 years my junior and that my husband is the only man with whom I would ever consider going home. Sometimes, it's just nice to look.
But About Those Shoes Somewhere in between staring at the cleft in his chin and admiring his comely ankles, I learned that his passion for these shoes was based on both research and personal experience. He felt they helped with his overall body alignment (I'd have to agree, he looked aligned!), eliminating a chronic backache he used to have. As a consequence, he had a pair for running and another for casual wear like Super Bowl parties. When running, he found that he tended to take shorter steps, more on the ball of his foot. In his case, he also ran faster, which was an unexpected bonus. That wasn't a concern for me, I was simply seeking something novel to kick-start my running habit.
Having monopolized the young man's conversation for long enough, I returned him to his appropriately beautiful young wife and impossibly adorable daughter (approximately the same age as my granddaughter) and returned to hosing down jalapeno poppers and microbrews with my own kind.
But those toe shoes stuck in my mind.
Why Toe Shoes? So I decided to do a little research of my own. Besides reading manufacturer claims, I spent some time on medical/podiatry websites and also reading blogs by toe shoe wearers. Those who ran in the shoes invariably mentioned improvements in overall body alignment. Better balance, agility, and circulation were also reported. Not surprisingly, the shoes strengthen one's feet, making them less prone to injury and common shoe-induced deformities. Wearers spoke of the experience of their feet being able to feel the ground better, enabling "intelligent" stride and foot placement, which in turn may help the spine and other systems.
While many of these claims were anecdotal, it's clear that these shoes (along with other minimalist footwear ranging from sandals to sock-like shoes with unconstrained toe boxes) allow independent toe movement. When we are barefoot, our toes do move independently as we walk. So this intuitively strikes me as a good idea.
Let's face it -- our feet are important. One quarter of the 206 bones in the body are in the foot! Plus a few dozen joints and scores of muscles and connective tissues. The massage system of reflexology is based on the theory that every single organ in our bodies, from our livers to our lungs, from our stomachs to our spleens, is represented somewhere on the foot. I've been worked on by a reflexologist, and I think these claims have merit.
Putting My Best Foot Forward In the end, all of these factoids and all of my Internet snooping simply provided me with an excuse to pull the trigger. I wanted a pair of those snazzy, quirky, flexible, foot-hugging shoes. I had to try on a few pairs, but when I found the one I eventually purchased, I knew it in an instant. They fit my feet like -- well, you know. A glove.
Sally O'Neal has been a halfhearted but consistent runner for some 30 years. Every once in awhile, she indulges in something to re-ignite her interest in running. Stay tuned for her adventures in toe shoes. She writes weekly for sportsmansguide.com.