Cold Comfort


I've been running in my Five Fingers since June. Every other day, on an almost perfectly flat trail (because hills hurt my hip). No timer, no racing, no training. Just easy, steady running. And it's been great. I'm almost perfectly comfortable with the form, now. I no longer have to pay close attention to every stride - just little adjustments every once in a while is enough to maintain the proper form. So that's awesome.

If you're a runner looking for a change of pace, I recommend these.

But, the weather's turned c-c-c-cold these past couple of weeks, and it's taught me something new about the shoes: the 3mm of rubber in the sole provides no thermal insulation, and the mesh that makes up the rest of them does nothing to keep off the cold. First step and I can instantly feel exactly how cold the road is. I sweat from the top of my Bruins hat, through my three shirts, gloves and down to the bottom of my nylon pants. But my toes and forefeet go nearly numb from the cold.

Five Fingers: for an ascetic athleticism.

4 thoughts on “Cold Comfort

  1. Rob Caldecott

    How about going to a gym when it’s really cold? Treadmills aren’t the same I know, but maybe you could do a variety of workouts and then start running outside again when the road warms up.

  2. Rob Caldecott

    Get a Wii Fit and run on the spot in the comfort of your own home. You’ll look like a dick but Mrs C will get plenty of laughs out of it.

  3. RosiesDad

    Warm feet seems to always be a problem for me in cold weather. I don’t run (knees are shot) but I cycle and my experience is the same as yours–sweat from top of head to mid-calf. But my feet are numb after ten miles. 2 pairs of wool socks and covers over my cycling shoes isn’t enough–gonna try chemical toe warmers this weekend and if that doesn’t work, maybe ski boot heaters. Doubt that would work very well in your FiveFingers though.

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