In my recent travels I have been looking for opportunities to go for runs in my FiveFingers “barefoot” shoes. During our trip to Innsbruck I found a great run along the River Inn that runs through the city and provides great views.
The course I followed included the 5-Brücken-Runde (5 Bridge Loop), a ~5km route. The local tourist office has collected several suggested running/walking routes in and around the city under the name “Innsbruck Inn Motion” (website in German only). To extend the route you could follow some of the Promenadenlauf past Karwendelbrücke to the Northeast, or Zur Mautbrücke to the Southwest. I did a bit of the latter, but soon I was running along the wall next to the freeway and turned around to return to the picturesque views of the city.
The running surface was perfect for a barefoot excursion: primarily asphalt, with a few cobblestones. The paved trail is often right next to the designated bike path, so pay attention to the signs and keep out of the way of the cyclists.
I’ve been waiting patiently to hear how you enjoyed running with the shoe-gloves: if you mentioned it before I missed it and I’ve been reading reviews of these for years.
How do you like them?
I’m glad to know I’m not the only person in Germany with the Five Finger shoes — I certainly am the only person with them at my gym — and I only use them at the gym as I’m not an outdoor runner — or indoor, for that matter.
I’ve come to really find them quite comfortable and what I like the most is that when they start to smell, I just toss them in the washing machine and they come out smelling great.
I LOVE my five finger shoes. I have been using them just as daily shoes though rather than running shoes. I’ve always hated running, but I am tempted to start running in the barefoot shoes just to see if I like running better in them. I tend to not do well in traditional running shoes because I can’t get used to the impact of landing on the heel. It just doesn’t feel natural to me, but that won’t be an issue in the barefoot shoes because landing on the ball of the foot works in them!
I like my barefoot shoes, but they aren’t magic. The way to reduce injury in running is to have the proper low-impact form. Padded running shoes (which I still use regularly) encourage bad form. Barefoot shoes encourage good form. Running incorrectly in barefoot shoes is the worst thing you can do. My calves and feed aren’t yet fit enough to only run in the barefoot shoes, plus I often run on rough surfaces.
I had initially thought about wearing them as daily shoes, but haven’t been bold enough to do it yet.
do it! you will meet many friendly germans who want to know more about your shoes. (it’s a real ice breaker) plus, it will help strengthen the calves.
Sounds like a magic run. I love my five-fingers as well, ‘cuz they’re so perfect for sneaking into your luggage. Funny you mention the paved surface, I was recently in Washington DC where I’ve always dreamed about running the mall. I woke up really early one day and did—only to have tender feet the rest of the day from all the gravel.