Barefoot running?

No running today, though I wish I could have, it was so beautiful out. I think when I left work around 2:30, it was 63 degrees or something. C'mon Seattle, let's keep spring around now! I'm tired of the cold, wet weather.

I found an interesting blog yesterday called Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. It's about a family of four that lives in their RV, traveling around the country. The whole concept is extremely interesting to me, though I'm not sure my mildly type-A personality would let me live like that. But I digress ...

The woman who writes the blog, in one entry, was walking about wanting to get back into running after a few years off, but when she tried, her knees were bothering her. Damn knees. So she tried these Vibram FiveFinger shoes--basically a way to run barefoot while not running barefoot. My husband had mentioned these sometime months ago (last year, even), but now I'm starting to see them around. I think one of the trainers at work has them, and there is also a thread about it on Daily Mile. I'm very intrigued, and think I need to check them out at REI. I'm certainly not going to run 13.1 miles practically barefoot, but it would be nice to try it out with a small percentage of my training and see how I feel. I know from all the yoga I do that my balance is significantly improved when I don't have shoes on. (Ever try eagle pose in tennis shoes? Not a simple thing to do. Even lunges are harder for me in shoes.) If running in these Vibram shoes could help strengthen my feet and ankles and be easier on my joints, I'm willing to look a bit silly when I run. I probably do anyway.

Anyone have any experience with these shoes? My hesitation is that they are kind of expensive for something I might not like. Of course, I've purchased other shoes that were just as expensive that I hardly wear ...