Too ambitious of a start?

This summer I decided it was high time I got in shape. Along with yoga and lifting, I wanted to make sure I got in a good running routine. I'm home from college in Wilmington this summer, and I want to make sure I have made running a habit before I get back. So, I was in the bookstore a week ago when I saw Born to Run. I was immediately drawn to it and picked it up and started reading it right there. I was five chapters in when I decided it would be best for me to go ahead and purchase the book, but as I was leaving another book caught my eye: Ken Bob's BR SxS. I picked it up also and decided that if I was going to start running I should start doing it barefoot. Aside from a short two week stint of Cross Country in middle school, I have never been much of a runner. Therefore, I feel it safe to say I am coming into running and subsequently barefoot running entirely fresh.

In Ken Bob's book he has a suggested schedule for how long you should start BR in order to not over do it. It starts with about 3 5-min runs initially. The first one I did I found myself struggling and ended up quitting around the 2:30 marker (a testament to my newness to the activity). Two days later, I was able to push on and comfortably do the whole five minutes, but this time on a treadmill. Then two days after that I got on a treadmill again and started running. I ended up pushing to 15 min--a big achievement for me. I was feeling so good after this that I stepped outside and decided to sprint the hill in front of my house. I felt good afterwards until I went inside and my feet hit the cold hardwood floor. Big painful blisters had appeared on my inner forefoot and big toe. Now, I know I was obviously doing something wrong during my running, and I have reason to believe that it was during the sprint I did outside quite carelessly. I guess what I'm wondering is how should I recover from this small injury. Should I take some time off before I run again (something which will be very hard since with the help of Ken Bob and McDougall I have fallen in love with running)? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can avoid this pain from occuring again?

My goals are to be able to run 12 miles barefoot by the end of the summer and be able to run a marathon barefoot by next summer. I'm looking for some coaching, if there is any to be found, so that I can achieve these goal and do them with proper technique and form. I guess I'm getting scared because with this blisters I am very tempted to wear some shoes tomorrow, simply so I can get out and move. Now that I look at that idea, and how far I feel like I've come already, I know it is something I should not do.

Thank you to anyone who reads and any advice anyone might have would be greatly appeciated.

Comments

Barfuß Chelsea
First off, welcome! :)

Slooooooow down! Everybody (every body) is different, but if you're just getting into running for the first time barefoot OR shod, working up to 12 miles in three or four months is a sure-fire way of developing a TMTS (too much, too soon) injury. You're young. You have time. Take it! :) As for a marathon next summer...well...maybe doable, but why not shoot for a half first, and if that goes well, maybe try for a marathon in the fall.

I haven't had the chance to read Ken Bob's book yet, but all the rewiews around here seem to be pretty positive, and the man definitely knows his stuff! If you were able to run 2:30 for your first outdoor run, then shoot for 3:30 on the next, 4:30 on the next, and so on. The general rule is to never increase your mileage/intensity by more than 10% from week to week. Obviously this is impossible in the beginning, as 10% of nothing is still nothing, but that just makes it all the more important to really listen to your body in the beginning. If something hurts, you're doing it wrong (too much of the right thing is also wrong).

Let the blisters heal (which will also give the inner stuff time to recover), and then go back out and stick to the SLOW 3-5 minutes. Seriously, it's agonizingly tedious in the beginning, but it's worth it! And if you really need to get out and move, biking and swimming are both great cross-training options.

Have fun with this new (for you, but pretty stinkin' old for mankind) and awesome sport!
 
Smelph
Chelsea is right on with her suggestions. to add a little bit, teadmills can be dangerous barefoot as the belts can wear off what little pad you may have developed (having just recently started) if you're not careful, and then taking pads that are already tender (and probably sweaty) from the dreadmill and sprinting on the road is a recipe for blisters.

sprinting biomechanically involves pushing off with the feet, which is the most common cause of blisters from what I've seen, and since you're relatively new the soles of your feet probably aren't quite up to the challenge yet.

not that doing a couple short sprints is bad, but it's harder to see what you need to adjust when going too fast. going slow gives you time to look at (nearly) every footfall and make necessary adjustments. Take Ken Bob's advice in his book to heart, as the guy knows what he's doing. I just finished reading it and even after beign barefoot for 8 months I learned a lot of new things.

I've dealt with a few blisters in my time (once a pretty large one the size of a siler dollar), and I would typically give them time off until I could walk on them without pain (depending on severity this has ranged from 2-4 days), and then take a short run or two with my trail gloves (you could use any minimalist shoe, but I would imagine VFFs would be difficult to get on and off with a recovering blister) to gauge the healing. once I could walk on asphalt entirely pain free (every day or so I would take a walk to the mailbox or something to check it out) and the blister looked nice and healed then it was time to take the shoes off again (this was typically about a week for me, but your mileage may vary).
 
jldeleon
I would suggest you go barefoot, or as close to it as possible, at all times. I wear mens slippers to work, etc., or flip-flops, or barefoot when possible, all year round. This definitely helped my transition into (in my case) minimalist running. I never suffered any major injuries in my transition, and I attribute it to wearing minimal support at all times.
 
Tender Toes Mark
I must agree with the advice already given, with this encouragement thrown in ... The start may seem really really slow, but keep at it and you'll enjoy steady progress. Enjoy the journey! Sure, make a goal and keep it in mind, but don't worry too much if you have to alter the timing of accomplishing it along the way. This life is too full of others giving you deadlines (as you know full well being in school - and that don't get any better with employment!). I enjoy the enthusiasm you've found for this new bfr thing. Hang on to that! Nothing kills enthusiasm like injuries, and nothing causes injuries like TMTS, so avoid that and keep the enthusiasm! Best bfr wishes!
 
jordan.a.mallory
Thanks everybody for the wonderful advice! I'll be sure to take it to heart. As I write now, I've recovered from the aforementioned blisters and gained a few more. After a little looking around on the website though I found that until the pads of my feet get tougher, I'll probably get a few more. I've started running later in the day, so that the pavement has time to cool off from these 95 degree days.

It's all a process, and I'm learning to enjoy the journey more. Not to meantion how much happier and more confident I feel every time I go out and run.

Once again, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'm determined to stay barefoot or minimalist for the rest of my running life.
 

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