Barefooting in the Park

In my last post, I mentioned that I was interested in becoming a barefoot runner. Since that post, I have done some more research on barefoot running and have found out that my notions about how to transition from running in shoes to running barefoot did not quite match the recommendations of other barefoot runners. I have been running in what some call "transitional shoes" -my Vibram Five Fingers. However, all of the barefooting blogs and magazine articles I have read suggest not using "transitional shoes" at all. They recommend going pure, that is, totally barefoot. Also it is recommended that one starts out on hard surfaces rather than soft surfaces. In fact, one particular article I read suggested starting out by standing and walking on sharp gravel. The idea is that even transitional shoes will mask the feedback that your feet are trying to give to the rest of the body and mind. Running on grass also deprives your body of feedback from the feet. It is suggested that running barefoot on hard surfaces will better teach your body how to run with proper form.

Of course running on hard surfaces will make the transition from shoes to barefoot take a little longer but in the end should yield better results. In case you were not sure what my goals are here, let me tell you. My goal with running barefoot is to improve my form, decrease injuries, and also make it more fun. It actually is fun to run barefoot!

After reading all of this, I decided that I would go ahead and take the plunge and follow the advice of accomplished barefoot runners. I started last Saturday with a run around a gravel track at a nearby middle school. The gravel was pretty soft as far as gravel goes with pretty small stones. Melissa and I walked about half a lap-me barefoot, her with shoes. Then we went ahead and starting running. Right away, I noticed a difference from running totally barefoot and running in my VFFs. My form was different. I had faster turnover and better posture. We ran at a relatively slow pace and ended up running one mile with a 400 meter cool down walk. My feet held up pretty well. They were a little tender especially on the balls of my feet but no blood or cuts or anything like that.

After this initial barefoot run, I took a couple of days off. Then today, at lunch I went out again. I went to Dorey Park and started my run on the pavement. I ran about half a mile until I got to a gravel path and then made my way down the path. This gravel was different than the gravel from the middle school track. It was sharper and had bigger rocks. I only ran about 25 yards before I had to walk. But that's ok. It is a gradual process. I walked on the sharp rocks for about 10 minutes before returning to pavement and running the rest of the way back to the car.

When I got back to the office, my feet felt pretty tender. And after examining them, I noticed that the ball of my left foot was pretty tender. In fact, it was just shy of becoming one big blister. But again, that is ok, it is a gradual process. I will let it heal and try again in a couple of days.

Also for the record, the picture above is not my foot. It is Melissa's foot about mid way through our 125 mile, 7 and half day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail a few years ago. Her shoes were old and it was wet everyday and the blisters just kept coming and coming. One thing about running barefoot is that over time, blisters are no longer a problem. Also if I do get to the point where I can run ultras, I won't have to worry about another problem that ultra runners face. Black Toe is a common problem many ultra runners have. Here is a gross picture for you showing a mild case of Black Toe.

So that about brings you up to speed on one of my new projects. It will be a gradual undertaking but with time and patience, I think I will benefit. Thanks for reading.