Vibram Five Finger Shoes: Woman or Beast?

I have been wanting a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes for quite some time. (Do they have an actual name, or do you just call them that?) Our kettle bells trainer was the first one to get a pair and then my partner in crime at NDC Timber was raving about them. I thought they would be perfect for gripping the steep rocks on Camelback.

And for my birthday, 6 Par Farmer got me a pair. Nice! I have narrow feet and my feet often slip around in shoes. One of my favorite things about these crazy looking shoes is how supportive they are. Although, you don't have much between you and the elements... you don't have much between you and the elements! It is awesome. Your feet never slip around in the shoe and you can really feel where you are stepping. I am always rolling my ankles, and I haven't even come close in these babies.

The power of the shoes doesn't stop there. I don't run. When I say I don't run, I don't mean that I don't run marathons or 10k's. I mean, I really don't run. I hike mountains, power walk, do aerobics, etc. I think I have a mental block, because even at points in my life when I was in great shape, I still wouldn't run more than a 1/4 of a mile. So, imagine my surprise yesterday when Dolce and I went out for our daily walk, and I decided to start running. Not sure what came over me. (I am blaming the shoes. Or maybe the fact that it was snowing. I love snow.) Whether it was snow, or the wild beast unleashed by the primal power of the Vibram Fiver Finger shoes, I ran for a mile. Actually, 1.2 miles. This might seem insignificant to those of you who run, but I honestly don't think I have run a mile since 8th grade. I even ran kind of fast. Yay me.

Looking at Dolce's footprints ahead of me in the snow, and then noticing the "barefoot" prints I was making, I couldn't help but wonder, today, am I woman or beast?