Cold feet

Are you guys keeping your core warm? I always found that if I kept my core warm, really bundled up, I kept a lot warmer even without shoes on. The thinking is that your core will push the heat to your extremities. I was able to run in the 20s (Fahrenheit).
 
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Welcome, BTW! I see that was your first post.
 
I used to have very cold feet all the time, even w/ 2pairs of socks and thick boots and whatnot in the winter.
I do still find my feet colder than most barefooters (and I should say I'm rarely bf on pavement----usually in sandals or soft star mocs) report (so my comfort level fully bare is a lot higher a temp than most people report).


On the other hand, in stark contrast to most of my life, I find that a pair of decent but not all that thick smartwool-type socks and my old suede soft star shoes have kept my feet comfortable down to below zero temps here in MN.
I have yet to wear a second pair of socks.
Moreover, at the beginning of my life here in MN, I was worried that I might need a warmer boot than just my soft star shoes (yes, they make a sheepskin boot, but I can't afford them right now), and my old snow boots ruin my feet after just a few blocks, yet, even with air temps in the teens below zero, and the wind chill taking me down to -30 or more, that has been all I needed. Cheaper to not have cold feet, right?

Often, I wear my "cute" merrells to teach, with only a thin pair of socks or tights, and I have a half mile walk from my car to class. My feet have felt cold on those walks when it is well below zero F, but just fine, not uncomfortable.

Those examples would have been unthinkable a few years ago. I would have been too cold to even go barefoot inside the house. Thick socks would have been on my feet all the time. So in that sense, I do believe I might have "trained" my feet to be warmer. I wonder if that's a real thing?
My policy now is always to wear the minimal amount of covering on my feet so that they don't become awfully uncomfortably cold, and I have been surprised to find that in general, my feet are quite warm.

Worst thing about this: I am DISGUSTED by sweaty feet syndrome and can't stand it when my feet get too warm in shoes. Eeeeeeeew. Slimy yucky gross. Give me cold feet.
 
Are you guys keeping your core warm? I always found that if I kept my core warm, really bundled up, I kept a lot warmer even without shoes on. The thinking is that your core will push the heat to your extremities. I was able to run in the 20s (Fahrenheit).


Meh. Not sure that's been my experience, but I wish it could be.
 
With me works the opposite way, when I run barefoot or with sandals my feet are always warm, sometimes my hands and body are almost frozen but my feet don't.
+1, kind of.

There have been a few times when the temps and conditions are right (I'm thinking high30s/low 40s am and sunny, low wind), where I have ended up in a tank top and either light tights or capris, sandals no socks, maybe a headband, but then big fat fuzzy mittens on my very cold hands. I figure, my hands are the laziest thing on me during a run, so it kind of makes sense.

That's the time I really wonder what the passersby are thinking. All midsummer everywhere but my hands.
 
big fat fuzzy mittens on my very cold hands. I figure, my hands are the laziest thing on me during a run, so it kind of makes sense.

That's the time I really wonder what the passersby are thinking. All midsummer everywhere but my hands.
Yeah, same here. Barefoot, shorts, t-shirt, and ... running gloves. I was feeling like a weanie, so I left the gloves at home and my hands got cold.

I've read that people can adapt their hands to cold, such as fishermen and lumberman and indigenous populations.
http://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/5th-annual-winter-challenge.17131/page-9#post-165170

However, I wasn't doing anything with my hands, so I started opening and closing my hands, while running. That seemed to help. We don't get much cold in FL, so I'm not sure how much progress I can really make in cold adapting my hands, but I definitely use the gloves less often. Last year, I used gloves when driving in the morning, but I don't anymore. Then again, I usually work out in the morning, so I feel pretty toasty. :D
 
Living a barefoot life is the key. Never wear shoes indoors. Wear them outdoors only if shopping or dining out. Shovel snow and walk or run in snow as much as possible. Shoes will feel uncomfortably warm even without socks.
 
Yeah, same here. Barefoot, shorts, t-shirt, and ... running gloves. I was feeling like a weanie, so I left the gloves at home and my hands got cold.

I've read that people can adapt their hands to cold, such as fishermen and lumberman and indigenous populations.
http://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/5th-annual-winter-challenge.17131/page-9#post-165170

However, I wasn't doing anything with my hands, so I started opening and closing my hands, while running. . . .

Sorry to keep linking to my blog posts, but this one is germane:

Only One of my Appendages is Cold


For the tl;dr crowd, my feet were warm because they were working. My hand holding my hiking stick was warm because it was working. And that leaves . . .
 
I had an interesting experience last fall when we took a friend kayaking. I went barefoot and let him use a pair of kayak booties I have from my pre-barefoot days. Afterwards we ended up going out to eat and I hadn't brought shoes, so I put on the booties. My feet got cold. I've kept those booties in my boat in the winter just in case my feet get too cold while rowing, but I am re-thinking that now. For New Year's day I went rowing and met a bunch of friends at an Island for lunch. They were all looking at my bare feet what with frost on the sand in the shady places but it was great to be able to just walk into the water when I wanted to. My feet were fine until, after standing around for a couple hours I started to row back. They were in the shade in the bottom of the boat and were getting some wind, but I hadn't warmed up my core yet and they got pretty cold. I put on some thick smartwool socks and massaged them a little and went back to rowing and they warmed up fine.
All the best,
Scott
 
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So, the hands weren't too cold on yesterday's run. I tried opening and closing them, but ultimately just made fists to stay warm. I felt somewhat slow and sluggish. I looked at the forecast the night before and it said 60F, but I kept feeling cold. When I got home, sure enough, high 40's. Though, I made it without gloves.

Let's see what tomorrow brings. Forecast says 44F. :D
 
I would just like to add that I have been applying all the aforementioned things about staying barefoot (I would guess 95% of the time or more, depending on the time of year), and keeping the core warm, but I have had times when my core was quite comfortably warm, but my feet were cold past what I felt was safe to continue at temperatures that I know others run in barefoot. I think I am still making progress, but I have learned that it is okay to make progress on my own terms and not judging that too closely to other people's tolerances and progress. This year was the first time that I managed a damp couple of miles around 34°F (1°C).
 
That heated vest thing sounds interesting... I have somewhere one of those reusable hand warmers that you mechanically activate and boil to recharge. When I get cold, first place of my body to get cold is my upper back, so that's probably pretty good tactical location for warming up my core. Wearing a race vest (nathan hpl 028 or minimist) under my shirt with one hand warmer in the back pocket should do the job. :cool:


Has anyone tried compression sleeves for calves? I had them on today (because bit of achilles pain) and my feet felt warmer than normally, so I took my shoes off to work barefooted at -11°C (12°F) on dry concrete floor, it took about twenty minutes to cool them... I'm not huge fan of compression, and if my achilles tendons were ok, I would not use them... I think I have heard some claims that compression would increase circulation. I have always thought such claims as a pile of bullshit..
 
As a Canadian who has lived his entire 51 years in Canada (the cold part), it doesn't matter how hot or cold my core is, my feet get cold. Tried every product, gimmick, you name it, nada! This winter the only thing that has kept my feet reasonably warm is my neoprene water shoes.