One day I was wandering through my running store and saw a display of these rather odd looking flip flops called OOFOS. The sign on the display called them “recovery footwear” whatever that meant. While I was intrigued, I didn’t pursue it further since I was about to drop a chunk of change on new running shoes. I also didn’t feel I ran enough at that point to warrant anything marked “recovery” since that, in my mind, was more relevant to more disciplined and higher mileage runners.
Fast forward quite a few months and I saw a post someone made about how they’d finally bought some of these funny sounding – and looking – shoes. Hrm.
Then I saw another one.
Could there be something to these shoes I hadn’t paid enough attention to? I was hiking more along with running a bit more often, surely I could justify taking a look, right?
I happened to stumble on some on sale and decided to finally try them. (Bonus: fun color!)
Now to me, these are not flip flops I want to wear out and about. In all actuality, I am pretty anti-flip flop for anything more than for something to take my dog out for a very short walk or playing on the patio. My feet and legs have thanked me for not wearing them long term, so I was wondering how a recovery flip flop would feel.
The thing about OOFOS is how they’re made. They are made of something called OOfoam. Rather than rebound like traditional shoe foams, they claim theirs absorbs more shock. It sort of feels like falling onto a squishy bed, all soft and cradling as you sink into it. What I noticed most, though, was the feel under my arches. It’s not just a little bump where the arch hits, but something about the shape cradled my arch and the middle of my foot which alleviated pressure on the ball of my foot and heel. Not gonna lie – it instantly felt good.
Not gonna lie, I just stood there for a moment enjoying that feeling.
Walking around in them feels a little odd at first, they are structured different than my other shoes – and very different from my other flip flops. Aesthetically they aren’t the most stylish of shoes, but that’s not their focus. For function over looks, I’m a fan. I put them on after a big combo day of 5.5 mile run and 4 mile hike, my feet and legs thanked me.
Down side I have found, though, if I wear them for too long, they start to rub just a bit on the inside of my foot where my arch is, not sure if I might have the wrong size or it’s how my feet are in them. It’s not enough to have worn a blister at this point, but I definitely notice it and usually remove them when it starts.
I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s tried OOFOS, especially higher mileage runners, walkers, or hikers about your feelings on them.
If you’d like to order some, I’ve found them on Amazon (affiliate link) in all sorts of colors!
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