Does the road surface change with the cold?

[skedaddle]

This is my first barefoot winter and on my run today it felt that the road surface was a lot rougher.
I only managed four miles barefoot, out of fourteen, and couldn't work out if it was my feet that were more sensitive or if the road surface had actually changed, I'm sure the surface must expand and contract with temperature changes causing it to feel different underfoot.
Also any tips for winter running would be cool, pardon the pun I'd like to keep my toes intact and frost bite free, even if other bits of me seem to be dropping off at an alarming rate I’m very attached to my feet and would like to keep them intact for the foreseeable future

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

The road doesn't change, it's just the feet are more sensitive to the cold. I experience a change when I go into different seasons. After the cold winter and into my spring my feet need adjustment to warmer weather as well as the cold.

 

[Robin]

I use my min-shoes...I take them off now and again,last week I ran 8miles bare man it was pretty cold!!
This week temperature went a bit up so I start in min-shoes when I'm warmed up I take 'em off,once I'm warm I'm ok for some miles...at least that's what I do...We have more or less the same weather,you and I,so try it.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Check out Barefoot Rick's advice on winter barefoot running.

http://barefootrunner.org/winter/wbfr_article_110610.htm

 

[skedaddle]

Check out Barefoot Rick's advice on winter barefoot running.

http://barefootrunner.org/winter/wbfr_article_110610.htm

Well that's torn it BG, anyone who starts an article with why? because you can! Will instantly get me into a world of pain, i just can't resist a challenge, especially if it involves the word crazy and mad
I hadn't even contemplated that anyone would run BF in the snow before, i was just thinking along the lines of sharp frosts and the like, but now the seed has been planted.........pauses to think......... no definitely no, did i say NO! I will not be running barefoot in the snow. Ah my new mantra, "No, i will not run barefoot in the snow," "No, i will not run barefoot in the snow." Phew, dodged a bullet there!
When the snow comes in the UK they grit and salt the roads, i could imagine it being akin to forty lashes and then rubbing salt in the wounds.
Thanks for the feedback though, everyone's got to find there own level and then tip the balance in there favor and i can happily say that BF Rick tips the scales with this one, i have been out crazied

 

[Sid]

I was just chatting online with a friend up North who is starting her transition to barefoot running. She was trying figure out how to keep her feet warm. Then I remembered one of those science shows that I saw years ago where they stuck some test subjects in a walk-in cooler and gave them hand dexterity tests, like putting together nuts and bolts. They gave some of them heated jackets, and it worked!

Here's the research article. They measured toe temp, too! (along with other areas...)
Maintaining Finger Dexterity in the Cold: A Comparison of Passive, Direct and Indirect Hand Heating Methods

And a more recent news article.
Canada wins the war on frozen fingers

I wonder if bundling up a lot would work. When someone is running, they're generating their own heat, right? Though, one might end up overheating on a long run...

 

[happysongbird]

Our friend, Barefoot Bob, just wrote an excellent article on cold weather running for my blog: http://dailyimprovisations.com/winter-running-can-be-fun-try-it-barefoot/

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Our friend, Barefoot Bob, just wrote an excellent article on cold weather running for my blog: http://dailyimprovisations.com/winter-running-can-be-fun-try-it-barefoot/

Thanks for posting, this is a great post by Bob!

 

[JosephTree]

Yes your feet are more sensitive, but will acclimate.

Yes, ice and grit can make it uncomfortable, but one can accomodate.

No, you can't actually get used to road salt if it's actually freezing. Frost bite will result.

The biggest deal for getting ready to run, besides the right clothes, is to get my body temp up to just below sweat breaking before I run.

Have fun!

 

[Robbi]

I just got through winter and this same transition. I decided to go barefoot absolutely as much as possible, and after 2-3 weeks all of a sudden my feet didn't seem to get cold like they used to before. When running, I'd make sure my core was warm and that did the trick for my feet. There is more sensitivity, but you get used to it quickly and it's much less severe when your body is warm. You just gotta embrace the cold.

 

[Mikkel]

Also if the roads are wet your feet gets soften from the moisture and hence you will feel any bumps/rocks/gravel even more.

 

[skedaddle]

Thanks barefoot buddies, I'm slowly beginning to make sense of things now There is definitely a procedure to follow to stay safe.
At first all I could see were the headlines in the local newspaper "Crazed sixty year old man found running barefoot in the snow with painted toe nails" See I was actually quite normal before I found this site.

 

[Bare Lee]

Pain becomes different too. The little pebble that is nothing at 41F / 5 C can become painful at 23 F /-5 C. You're also more likely to injure yourself, stub your toe, or land badly, when your feet start to numb up a bit, so you got to be extra vigilante about good form, especially at faster paces. I did mile intervals down on a sandy gravel track yesterday, and today my big toe knuckles are hurting just a bit. I was probably pushing off more without realizing it.

But yah, just to reiterate what everyone says: build up to it, find out what your tolerances are on smooth, dry asphalt with no wind, and then adjust accordingly for harsher conditions like chipseal surfaces, or for moisture and windchill, and watch out for salt--it's a meat tenderizer.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Bare Lee stands correct about the importance of concentrating on your form when the feet become a bit numb. This morning I ran for a half hour on wet roads, it was 33 degrees out, I really emphasize the foot lift more in these conditions.

 

[skedaddle]

Pain becomes different too. The little pebble that is nothing at 41F / 5 C can become painful at 23 F /-5 C. You're also more likely to injure yourself, stub your toe, or land badly, when your feet start to numb up a bit, so you got to be extra vigilante about good form, especially at faster paces. I did mile intervals down on a sandy gravel track yesterday, and today my big toe knuckles are hurting just a bit. I was probably pushing off more without realizing it.

But yah, just to reiterate what everyone says: build up to it, find out what your tolerances are on smooth, dry asphalt with no wind, and then adjust accordingly for harsher conditions like chipseal surfaces, or for moisture and windchill, and watch out for salt--it's a meat tenderizer.

Thanks Bare Lee, it all makes perfect sense to me now.
And I thought my retirement would be all pipe and slippers, falling gently off to sleep to the crackle of an open fire and the rhythmic chatter of my wife's knitting needles as we try to work out what social networking is and if we should buy some if it comes up cheep in the January sales

 

[skedaddle]

Bare Lee stands correct about the importance of concentrating on your form when the feet become a bit numb. This morning I ran for a half hour on wet roads, it was 33 degrees out, I really emphasize the foot lift more in these conditions.

Well it's forecast to drop below freezing here tonight, so I shall put into practice many of your suggestions, thanks for all your help BG.

 

[Bare Lee]

Well it's forecast to drop below freezing here tonight, so I shall put into practice many of your suggestions, thanks for all your help BG.

Just remember to bring back-up footwear in case you get into trouble or have any doubts as to what your tolerances are.

 

[skedaddle]

Just remember to bring back-up footwear in case you get into trouble or have any doubts as to what your tolerances are.

Yup, I always carry my Trail Gloves, it's O.K. going out completely barefoot until something bad happens, like cramp or a twisted ankle then you're really be in trouble.
I'm also going to take the bladder out of my Camelbak and add a spare top, socks and a small flask of soup. I practice running with a backpack so it should be no problem.

 

[JosephTree]

...And I thought my retirement would be all pipe and slippers, falling gently off to sleep to the crackle of an open fire and the rhythmic chatter of my wife's knitting needles

Sure, you can do it like that, but you'll be dead in 10 years or less and fat before that. Boredom kills!

 

[Barefooting Bob]

A little late to the show here, sorry about that. I just posted a blog post on my 4km run at lunch today. Includes a quick 35 sec video and a couple of pics. Temps were about -16 C with the wind chill and it was gusty wind out of the north west (of course I was travelling mostly north and west .
As Bare said, make sure you have backup with you at all times, and if you can't feel the pads of your feet anymore get them on. One of my favorite sayings is 'Numb Feet are Dumb Feet' , and that is when you usually get hurt.

http://winnipegbarefootrunners.blogspot.ca/2012/11/barefoot-winter-running-yes-through-snow.html