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Jon Stempa

Barefooters
Apr 28, 2015
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Hello everyone. Im from Kentucky and new here but not new to running. Took 14 years off due to knee/ meniscus issues and am back at it with a new(to me) running style. Im the obsessive type that fully immerses in my hobbies and just discovered the benefits of barefoot running.. Got some xero ztreks and earth runner circadians to start, began pulling not pushing, upped cadence to 180's, began striking forefoot midline with knees bent........and my knees feel great!!! My calves have finally broken in to 2miles with only a little soreness.....the first run I couldnt walk for 2 days hardly. Used to run 5ks in the 15's, but only managing 8:30 miles right now. Lost 26 lbs so far and feeling great!!!! Very glad to be here!!! I might be doing too much too soon, but ive missed pain free running so much I just cant help my self. Hope this site has alot to offer.
 
Welcome, Jon! I lived in Kentucky for four years. Have lots of relatives there. Which part are you from?

We are like a big family here. We have both veterans and beginners to both barefoot and minimalist running. If you have a question, we have an answer.

Sounds like minimalist running is working well for you. That's great! My advice though, the best way to learn how to run barefoot is to run barefoot. Give that a try, but go slowly, and never overdo it. :barefoot:

Glad to have you here!
 
Welcome. As I was telling the folks who asked me during my run today, be patient! It is so much fun and feels so good, but it takes some time for your body to adapt and your form to develop. Don't worry about speed. Just have fun, with a bit of caution.
 
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Welcome, Jon! I lived in Kentucky for four years. Have lots of relatives there. Which part are you from?

We are like a big family here. We have both veterans and beginners to both barefoot and minimalist running. If you have a question, we have an answer.

Sounds like minimalist running is working well for you. That's great! My advice though, the best way to learn how to run barefoot is to run barefoot. Give that a try, but go slowly, and never overdo it. :barefoot:

Glad to have you here!

Hey Barefoot TJ! I live in Versailles, KY and have so for about 15 years now. I was raised in the city, but had too much redneck in my blood. I found that out when I moved out in the country and found serenity and nature had a much stronger pull on me than malls and crowds. My wife and I work hard on our little farm keeping up our simple pleasures like gardens, dogs, chickens, etc......and love every bit of it. Hey, anyway, thanks for responding....I am hell bent on this barefoot fascination Ive found and would greatly appreciate any bit of advice you could spare. I respect experience and seniority. God bless!
 
Welcome! Congrats on the weigh loss!

While I still have a large collection of minshoes to evade the shoe police, I agree that barefoot is best.
(Shoes are for weenies.)

In the beginning, when my feet couldn't take the miles on the sidewalk, I would hit the trails.
I learned how to run skillfully on drainage rock, and that still did nothing for my sidewalk skills.
It wasn't until I committed to barefoot fully, that I not only rehabbed my feet but now run comfortably on concrete.
Totally worth it. Now, I can just walk outside my house and start running, rather than drive to a trail.

Good luck!
 
Welcome! Congrats on the weigh loss!

While I still have a large collection of minshoes to evade the shoe police, I agree that barefoot is best.
(Shoes are for weenies.)

In the beginning, when my feet couldn't take the miles on the sidewalk, I would hit the trails.
I learned how to run skillfully on drainage rock, and that still did nothing for my sidewalk skills.
It wasn't until I committed to barefoot fully, that I not only rehabbed my feet but now run comfortably on concrete.
Totally worth it. Now, I can just walk outside my house and start running, rather than drive to a trail.

Good luck!

Hey Sid, thanks for the info. I am definitely having trouble with asphalt. The trouble with fully committing to barefoot is that I work full time in a hospital/cardiac cath setting(shoes required). Luckily, my boss is allowing the xero sandals underneath shoe covers, and when I get home, I kick them all off. Still have quite a ways to go toughening up my feet for any distance on asphalt. I envy your ability to commit, I mean thats really cool! God bless Sid!
 
Welcome. As I was telling the folks who asked me during my run today, be patient! It is so much fun and feels so good, but it takes some time for your body to adapt and your form to develop. Don't worry about speed. Just have fun, with a bit of caution.

Thanks Happysongbird, speed is definitely my biggest enemy. I always feel like I have to go faster and feel pain to get anything out of running. My biggest challenges lately have been to force myself to stop and walk down in the creekbed, or stop and check out that snake, or bird, etc..... Basically, just learning to enjoy my run and open my awareness up and appreciate the blessings around me. God bless!