About a year ago, members started showing up at my gym wearing shoes like this:

And my first reaction was, these guys look like assholes.

But, over time, more and more members showed up wearing them.

At the same time, I kept coming across articles on the advantages of barefoot running technique. I bought and wore my way through a pair of Nike Frees. I started reading journal articles on the underlying science of shoe-less life. I even perused the website for those crazy shoes I kept seeing, the Vibram Five Fingers.

So, this past week, when City Sports put Vibrams on sale, I swooped in and picked up a pair. Or, rather, two pairs – the KSO I’d intended to buy, and a lighter weight, indoor-only pair of Mocs, because I knew I loved these crazy Five Finger things the moment I put them on.

So, yes, now I look like an asshole. But I promise you, if they ever come out with a line of pants, I’ll at least pass on those.