OK, so I did it...

RunningPirate

Barefooters
Mar 23, 2012
1,334
1,663
113
52
Right, then...

I finally just up and ran barefoot, just like that. I was driving home from a 60K bike ride (Tierra Bella for the Bay Area folks) and told myself "No more halfway points or middling latitudes. Take off your shoes and run, dammit." ...and I did, for a Grand Total of: 0.5 Mile (the feet had enough at 0.25 Mi, but I had to get back home).

Yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I may be slow, but I can run for short distances.

...up to this point (the past few weeks) I've been either running in Huararches or walking barefoot, so the muscle/tendon thing was OK. However, the bottom of the feet was a whole 'nother story. Any bystanders were treated to a monologue that started with "Oh. Ouch! Oiy!" then devolved into a stream of invective that would make Tony Soprano blush.

Also, I took Ken Bob's advice and did not avoid the harsher surfaces, e.g. Chipseal, gravel, pungi sticks, lava. A decision I'm sure contributed to my enjoyment.

When I got home, there was an unusual sensation on the bottom of my feet - I was sure that I had ground off the layer of skin and was now tracking blood all over the house. But upon closer inspection, that was not the case; which is good because even club soda won't get that out of the carpet.

Oddly enough, I still enjoyed the actual running and I'm looking forward to giving it another go and running, say, 0.55 miles, or 0.6 miles, or even someday - God willing - 0.75.

So the question is: Do I still have to say "you barefoot runners are nuts" or can I now say "us barefoot runners are nuts"? :D

RunningPirate
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gidds and rbondi
Good on ya! I'm returning to barefoot running after an injury had me out for a couple months; your story makes me really want to get out there and run bare. Keep at those tough surfaces; it's the best thing for your form and conditioning. I am blessed with miles of Pacific Northwet chip-seal and busted pavement to keep my feet honest, along with nice rocky, rooty trails.
 
Welcome to the asylum. Nothing but happy feet here. My good friend Jon, who will be running boston barefoot, said to me "You just have to decide to do it" and he was right.
 
It gets much easier running barefoot. I remember for what seemed the longest time, I could barely run the mile down the hill and back up on the sidewalk. I thought the sidewalk was very rough and cheese grader like. Now it's one of the smoothest parts of my runs.:barefoot:
 
..and it's spelled oye! around here.

Actually, I think I misspelled it entirely. I was trying to say "Oy" as an abbreviated "Oy Vey" (not sure why - I'm Italian, no Jewish :)). That said, I also use the interjection "Oi!" at times, making people think I'm being Yiddish, not British.. Of course, now you've entered a third variation in to the mix :D
 
Once you go bare, your feet are always there.

That is something that I've noticed...when BF, you can just run...no real preparation - just go... and it's not like I spend a lot of time putting on shoes, either, so I'm not sure why I noticed this. I've even started running without the watch, which is a big shift for me is that I always used to track my times and mileage and log them in MapMyRun. Ye gods! What will become of me without my data?
 
I know you've heard it before, but go slow.

Even if your feet are in better shape from running in huaraches, a blister can lay you up for a long time. But still, congrats!

Oh, yes, thank you - I am going slow. In fact, probably one of the more frustrating things I'm experiencing is the sheer lack of milage that I've [n0t] been running. So tell me this: Is there any opinion or consensus on whether it's better to go 100% bare/minimalist and effectively start from zero (mileage-wise) or is it better to mix in smaller amounts of bare/minimalist running with longer shod miles (e.g. run 5.5 miles shod and run the last 0.5 miles bare)?
 
Oh, yes, thank you - I am going slow. In fact, probably one of the more frustrating things I'm experiencing is the sheer lack of milage that I've [n0t] been running. So tell me this: Is there any opinion or consensus on whether it's better to go 100% bare/minimalist and effectively start from zero (mileage-wise) or is it better to mix in smaller amounts of bare/minimalist running with longer shod miles (e.g. run 5.5 miles shod and run the last 0.5 miles bare)?

Before I started BF running, I was running 9 miles /three times a week and didn't want to drop to .5 miles so I added my BF running in the middle of my course. On a run, I couldn't wait to reach my barefoot section and then didn't want to put my shoes back on to continue. I transitioned slowly and evenually found that running in shoes was tough because of the elevated heel and that is when I switched to all barefoot. My mileage was only 4 miles at the time, but I slowly built it back up to my 9 miles after about 1 1/2 years.
 
Oh, yes, thank you - I am going slow. In fact, probably one of the more frustrating things I'm experiencing is the sheer lack of milage that I've [n0t] been running. So tell me this: Is there any opinion or consensus on whether it's better to go 100% bare/minimalist and effectively start from zero (mileage-wise) or is it better to mix in smaller amounts of bare/minimalist running with longer shod miles (e.g. run 5.5 miles shod and run the last 0.5 miles bare)?

My experience is like Mike's, though I wasn't running that much distance per run. I'd switch from bf to shoes partway through. It just takes so long to transition, you'd barely be running at all for weeks or months if you didn't add some mileage in shoes. I also noticed how much nicer it was running bf -- the contrast is heightened when you do them both in one run.

I've been so lazy this winter, not looking forward to that retransition...
 
That is something that I've noticed...when BF, you can just run...no real preparation - just go... and it's not like I spend a lot of time putting on shoes, either, so I'm not sure why I noticed this. I've even started running without the watch, which is a big shift for me is that I always used to track my times and mileage and log them in MapMyRun. Ye gods! What will become of me without my data?

I have noticed that when I walk with my son to the park from our house, I also like to travel as light as possible - typically taking only my ID and my phone, which is also the only things I take when I run. There's just something cool about not lugging around keys, wallet, pen, chapstick, change, all the crap I normally have in my pockets.
 
I love that "strange sensation" in the bottom of your feet. I remember being acutely aware of that when I first went barefoot, too.