Newbie question: Rocks stick to my feet

Buckeye Matt

Barefooters
Nov 23, 2013
6
6
3
44
Rochester New York
#1
I'm fairly new to barefoot running (and is been several years since I've done any running). I've been running barefoot for 3-4 months and run 2-3 miles 3-4 times per week. I found a gravel path to train my feet on and can run for 2 miles on mixed gravel dirt with minimal discomfort, however even though my feet appear to be aclimating well I often have small rocks or other debris that sticks to the bottom of my feet. It doesn't matter if I'm on the paved road or the gravel path I get something stuck to the bottom of my foot every mile or so. Sometimes I can brush one foot off on the top of the other foot but sometimes I have to brush my foot with my hands. Note, the rocks or sticks are not puncturing my feet in any way. Is this normal? As my feet continue to acclimate, will this happen less often?

At least now that its gotten colder there are a lot fewer goat heads. I'll take the rocks to goatheads anytime!

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
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#2
Hello and welcome!
Yes, gravel sticking to your feet will happen less often as soon as your feet have developed a harder skin. That takes some months: the soles of the feet become kind of shiny as if they were made of plastic. It could be (just my impression) that running barefoot on asphalt (as opposed to running only on gravel) helps to develop this "plastic skin" more quickly. Once your soles have acquired this shiny plastic-like texture, gravel and small rocks have nothing to stick to: they will fall of much easier.
 
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#3
Hobbit is correct. Welcome!
 
#5
Whenever I got stuff stuck to my feet, like when the ground is wet, I would gently scuff the bottom of my foot along the surface of the ground, just ever so slightly though. Try that until you can condition your soles.
 
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#6
things stick but they come off easy. you get goat heads and you're complaining about gravel? wow. :wtf:
 
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#8
Hobbit said:
Gravel sticking to your feet will happen less often as soon as your feet have developed a harder skin. That takes some months: the soles of the feet become kind of shiny as if they were made of plastic. Once your soles have acquired this shiny plastic-like texture, gravel and small rocks have nothing to stick to: they will fall of much easier.
Click to expand...

Precisely. :)
 
#9
Buckeye Matt said:
I'm fairly new to barefoot running (and is been several years since I've done any running). I've been running barefoot for 3-4 months and run 2-3 miles 3-4 times per week. I found a gravel path to train my feet on and can run for 2 miles on mixed gravel dirt with minimal discomfort, however even though my feet appear to be aclimating well I often have small rocks or other debris that sticks to the bottom of my feet. It doesn't matter if I'm on the paved road or the gravel path I get something stuck to the bottom of my foot every mile or so. Sometimes I can brush one foot off on the top of the other foot but sometimes I have to brush my foot with my hands. Note, the rocks or sticks are not puncturing my feet in any way. Is this normal? As my feet continue to acclimate, will this happen less often?

At least now that its gotten colder there are a lot fewer goat heads. I'll take the rocks to goatheads anytime!

Thanks in advance for your advice!
Click to expand...

3 years in doing quite a bit of bf trail running. What I try to do is concentrate on disciplining myself to relax and not "flinch" when I feel a piece of debris sticking. It seems doing this helps pieces of debris to come off on their own (as opposed to clenching the foot, which seems to have a gripping effect ). It's a trip how this works, and brings a reminder of how amazing a design the human foot is. Its like a "zen" thing, part of an overall relaxing technique to let your body do its thing.

BR
 
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#10
Lots of good info here!

I run on a lot of asphalt roads in my neighborhood, and have found that if debris doesn't come off the bottom of my foot naturally in 3-4 steps, I just run 2-3 steps on the side of the road (grass or dirt) and the debris always comes off (well, 98% of the time). I think this works because the more uneven and varied surface off of the roadway removes the object quickly.
 
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#11
Welcome, Bill. I see you joined in April. Glad to have you posting. :barefoot:
 
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