How do you start barefooting in Northern Michigan in January?
Well, I read everything I could find, and while I was not excited about basically starting from scratch, I was sold on the idea of running without shoes, so decided it would be worth the effort. I began by doing my cross training barefoot. This winter, that consisted of using the kids' wii, and buying a copy of wii Active. Its was a great way to get some basic core workouts in, along with being a good excuse for running in plade without feeling like a total tool. 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week, all done barefoot.
My outdoor work was all snowshoe runs. I usually do 3 or 4 snowshoe races over the winter. Can't exaclty do that barefoot, so Ihad to invest in a treadmill.
I began by doing short, easy runs wearing only my socks. As I felt my stride and mechanics get stronger, I made those runs longer. I was very slow to add mileage to the sock workouts. It seemed frustrating at times to be going so slow, but I managed to avoid any injuries so far.
One day I felt really good, so I took the socks off and did 4 miles at an 8:00 pace on the mill. I blisterred my feet in places I didn't think was possible. On the sides, on the tips of my toes, I had blisters everywhere.
Barefooting it on the treadmill was like running on a cheese grater.
Well, I read everything I could find, and while I was not excited about basically starting from scratch, I was sold on the idea of running without shoes, so decided it would be worth the effort. I began by doing my cross training barefoot. This winter, that consisted of using the kids' wii, and buying a copy of wii Active. Its was a great way to get some basic core workouts in, along with being a good excuse for running in plade without feeling like a total tool. 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week, all done barefoot.
My outdoor work was all snowshoe runs. I usually do 3 or 4 snowshoe races over the winter. Can't exaclty do that barefoot, so Ihad to invest in a treadmill.
I began by doing short, easy runs wearing only my socks. As I felt my stride and mechanics get stronger, I made those runs longer. I was very slow to add mileage to the sock workouts. It seemed frustrating at times to be going so slow, but I managed to avoid any injuries so far.
One day I felt really good, so I took the socks off and did 4 miles at an 8:00 pace on the mill. I blisterred my feet in places I didn't think was possible. On the sides, on the tips of my toes, I had blisters everywhere.
Barefooting it on the treadmill was like running on a cheese grater.
