Would you enjoy running if it wasn't for barefoot running?

#21
I enjoyed running before I took up barefoot running.... but nowhere near as much as I do now.

I'm one of those people that had a massive, immediate form change. Once I started barefoot running, I was so much more comfortable! I've learned it well enough that I'm enjoying running minimally shod WAY more than I enjoyed running in cushioned trainers.

But as skedaddle says, there's nothing quite like barefoot running.
 
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#24
This thread helped me figure out why I can't run in mass-market shoes. Thanks!

I started running after college on the university trail. Didn't have any problems, until my schedule changed, and I couldn't easily get to the trail.

I tried running on pavement/asphalt, but that kept tweaking a tiny small muscle in my lower back. That's when I had to give up running. Tried it again and again over the years, but again those stupid mass-market shoes kept tweaking my back.

Although, I don't wear them now, the VFFs got me into minshoes, then barefoot. I wouldn't enjoy running nearly as much without being barefoot. However, I prefer soft sandy, grassy trails where barefoot works much better than shoes.
 
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#25
Well, I ran barefoot more than 20 years ago. Liked it.

Ran with shoes for a few years 10 years ago. Liked it, but like Monsieur Gentile says, five miles always felt like enough. And that was the only time in my life I was able to run consistently while shod. Every other time I took up shod running, I would stop after a month or two.

Now running barefoot again, since 2010, but only consistently since late spring 2011, and I LOVE it; not only does it feel so much better, but, again, as BG has noted, it feels easier and I want to run farther.

I've been running with shoes a lot in Jan and Feb, and it really stinks. I just don't run as well, and the sensuous pleasure is greatly reduced. The parallel with a certain prophylactic is exact. I'm hoping to move somewhere where BFR is a year-round option, it will be like marriage.

Lomad said:
tl;dr yes I enjoy running whilst not barefoot.
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That's the best thing about the current running scene. I think we're more aware of our options, and so can choose what works best for us.
 
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#27
No question, running has been given me a lot of joy since I started with it 11 or 12 years ago. Running barefoot, or minimalistic, was just another step to enjoying it even more, after several competitions, 10ks, Half Marathons and two full marathons, I was starting to care more about the way to run, and of course, to stay injury free. What I did not expect was how the whole barefoot thingy would also change my point of view about running in general, no much hunting for personal records in every race possible, more trails rather than streets, little family like events rather than the big city races with their long queues. And it introduced me to ultra running as well, so having finished a marathon is not longer the ultimative goal, there is now so much more to dream of:) But no matter how close or far the distance may be, minimalistic or with bare feet, or even back in my trusted old Mizunos - it's all about running:)
 
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#28
um, no. i haven't been running at all. Jen, get your stories straight for once. i got shoes for the cold which it looks like it'll be warming up and i may not need them at all.

Nick i gave you grief not because of getting shoes but because you used them to cover pain. we tell newbies to go bf so pain will help guide them. if there's pain there's a problem to work out. you got the shoes to cover the pain, that's why i gave you grief. sorry if i didn't make that clear.

i haven't been running because of my imbalances, i believe, had become too great. affecting my form more and more and causing more and more pain. i'm getting them worked out and feel i should be running in a week or two. i'm a former shoe whore. there, i said it. i haven't bought shoes in years and now i bought two pairs and am getting the other ones for free.
 
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#29
migangelo said:
Nick i gave you grief not because of getting shoes but because you used them to cover pain. we tell newbies to go bf so pain will help guide them. if there's pain there's a problem to work out. you got the shoes to cover the pain, that's why i gave you grief. sorry if i didn't make that clear.
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I used them due to some rough surfaces that I didn't like running on. For me, the longer I ran barefoot on these surfaces the more tender my feet became and the worse my form got due to the pain and my body trying to minimize said pain. Nothing wrong in my opinion using shoes for that. I guess I also used the one set with orthotics for a few months while following drs orders... (guess I shouldn't do that though, I know you have a high distrust of drs;) )
 
#32
Interesting thread, this.

I came to barefoot running because I was hoping to avoid injury, at least the types of injuries that would debilitate me for weeks. Hips, knees, ITB, you name it. If barefoot running could help with these things and extend my running life, I was all for it. To say that it rejuvenated my running is an understatement.

Having said that, there are things that I now have to consider that were never an issue before. When shod, a trail was a trail and a road was a road. Now, I ask myself, "What sort of trail?" or "How's the road paved?" Getting to that first step takes more mental work than just pulling on a pair of shoes. And when I'm actually moving, the concentration required is greater than when I could afford to zone out and not have to pay attention to every step I took.

All things being equal, though, I have to say that for pure enjoyment, which is the basis for the OP's question, barefoot running has it all over shod running. If I didn't have the barefoot experience to compare, in my ignorance I would still enjoy my running as I have in the past. But it remains to be seen how much of a running life I would have considering my propensity for injuries. I'm afraid that at a certain point I'd just give up on trying to beat the constant hurt-recovery-hurtagain cycle and stop running altogether. And THAT I most definitely would NOT enjoy!:)
 
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#36
Thanks, Gent. I miss the roughness of the asphalt and running barefoot on it. It's so addicting.

I have some VFFs that actually fit me quite well, and I can finally wear them for longer than 20 minutes, which used to kill my toes if I tried to wear them for longer. I wore them for 3 hours a few weeks ago going to my doctor visits, and that was on a "good foot day." Wearing regular footwear is painful and makes my toes go numb (versus void), and walking barefoot on asphalt is painful. I still feel every little crumb like it was a needle or a bee sting. I'm good barefoot on flat ground that has no debris at all.

So other than being able to wear "some" footwear (which may or may not be a good thing, ha!), I also no longer feel like I am walking on the bones in my feet, which was terrible, so there's been some good that came out of those last surgeries I had.

Some of why I don't run though, other than the physical part of it, is the damn drugs I'm on. Thankfully, we doubled my dose, and that really has lessened the intensity of the phantom pains I deal with due to the amputated nerves, but I still feel the pain, sometimes "nearly" intense. They've also caused me to gain weight, which is a common side effect of the drug. But mostly, they cause me to sleep all the time. I am tired all the time.
 
#38
Barefoot TJ said:
Thanks, Gent. I miss the roughness of the asphalt and running barefoot on it. It's so addicting.

I have some VFFs that actually fit me quite well, and I can finally wear them for longer than 20 minutes, which used to kill my toes if I tried to wear them for longer. I wore them for 3 hours a few weeks ago going to my doctor visits, and that was on a "good foot day." Wearing regular footwear is painful and makes my toes go numb (versus void), and walking barefoot on asphalt is painful. I still feel every little crumb like it was a needle or a bee sting. I'm good barefoot on flat ground that has no debris at all.

So other than being able to wear "some" footwear (which may or may not be a good thing, ha!), I also no longer feel like I am walking on the bones in my feet, which was terrible, so there's been some good that came out of those last surgeries I had.

Some of why I don't run though, other than the physical part of it, is the damn drugs I'm on. Thankfully, we doubled my dose, and that really has lessened the intensity of the phantom pains I deal with due to the amputated nerves, but I still feel the pain, sometimes "nearly" intense. They've also caused me to gain weight, which is a common side effect of the drug. But mostly, they cause me to sleep all the time. I am tired all the time.
Click to expand...

Well, you will see the light of day through this frustrating and painful experience, I will say a pray for you for healing and strength.
 
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#39
Thank you, Gent. That is very sweet of you. :shy:
 
#40
jldeleon said:
Nick - you read that wrong. Read it again, dude.
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No Nick, you read it right; she's blaming you. Trust me, truth is that anyone who would have a cat as an avitar is NOT to be trusted.

Anyhoo...
I for one can say that I would NOT be a runner anymore if it wasn't for barefoot running. I had (yes, had) flat feet so stores always prescribed cushoned/motion control shoes. I always felt like I was clomping down the road in my size 12 boats.

I had taken a good part of the winter off (2008?) cause I wasn't motivated anymore when Runners World added the Barefoot forum. My first thought was these people must be hippy freaks, but TJ didn't seem TOO hippyish. I started reading about barefoot running and VFF's and a few weeks later I went and bought a new pair of Asics gel Kayano's and a pair of KSO's. the Asics have a total of 25 miles on them and are still in my closet.

I would have quit a long time ago of not for barefoot running. So in reality, I owe it all to TJ for getting RW to open the Barefoot fourm.
 
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