The Next Step - Vibram FiveFingers?

I'm by no means a purist about barefoot running. I don't have any strong feelings for or against the Vibram FiveFingers, but want to do a little exploring first. I like the fact that my body is strong enough to actually run barefoot and can adapt to the changing surfaces. But I went on a run yesterday morning in the rain and I could see how the FiveFingers would come in handy -- no blisters because of the friction between your feet and the water. Right now, I don't run barefoot two consecutive days because my feet are still sensitive after the first day of being barefoot. If I had FiveFingers, I could probably run everyday, switching off between barefoot and "semi-barefoot."

Here's what people around the Interweb are saying about FiveFingers:

"My second barefoot run, on asphalt, went more poorly: I tore up the tip of my fourth toe on the rough surface and spent the rest of my (shod) run bleeding into my sock. That was enough to make the attraction of Vibram’s foot gloves clear: They give you much of the feeling of running barefoot, and give the same workout to your arches, Achilles tendons and calves — except you don’t have to worry about injuries from rough terrain."
- "To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes" by Dylan Tweney for Wired.com

"I swore I’d never wear them. We called them the Five Fingers of Suck a few years ago and I was sure they were crazy. Friends, I’m here to tell you I was wrong. And I’m sorry."
- "Review: Vibram Five Fingers Classic" by John Biggs for CrunchGear.com

"I arrive home to find the Vibram FiveFinger shoes awaiting me. They look like green rubber gloves, with individual toes and none of the padding or protection found on regular running shoes. I wrestle them on--getting each toe into its little rubber home tests the limits of my podiatric dexterity--and run with my daughters around the block...I hadn't really been aware that I had toes, but there they are, all 10 little darlings, in corpse-colored hot pockets. I vacillate between splaying them out to grab the ground and lifting them up to spare their delicate sensibilities...These odd-looking shoes are worthwhile training tools as long as I don't run too far in them. I walk through my hotel lobby, past people who studiously avoid staring--something I've grown accustomed to while wearing the FiveFingers."
- "Footloose" by Peter Sagal for Runners World


This website, Birthday Shoes, is all about the FiveFingers. There are reviews, a blog, and forum for FiveFinger wearers (users?).

My uncle recently got a pair of FiveFingers and has been trying them out. He has gone on a couple of three-mile runs with them. While he has never gone totally bare, he does say things feel good in them and that there is a free-ness to wearing the gorilla-feet-looking shoes. Maybe later this summer I'll cruise into an REI and try on a pair and see what I think. I'll keep you all posted. Maybe you'll see me running around in funky looking toe-holders soon!