Ryan in CO!

Ryan

Barefooters
Sep 30, 2010
12
0
0
Hey everybody! Let me first say thank you to all of you, I've been reading these forums for a while, but just haven't had time to sing up and all of that yet, but have still managed to pick up some great tips and stories.

Anywho, as you can guess my name is Ryan, and I live in CO, US ( though not the gorgeous area full of mountains that everyone loves so much, rather I have re-located to the desert, full of giant desert splitter cracks that go on forever and never change width!) If that didn't give it away, I'd say that rock climbing has been my number one passion for a few years now, but I've recently taken up running. I ran my first race ever, a 10k back in May (con shoes) after a training program that really ended up being 2 or 3 training runs, the longest being about 3 miles... maybe. Needless to say I was pretty much on the verge of death by time I finished. On an interesting note, in the last 1/4 mile or so I had my first encounter with barefoot running when a s 'crazy' woman went flying by me right before the finish line without shoes!

That race was most definitely what got me hooked on running, but it wasn't long before my daily runs began tormenting my knees and an old achilles injury, so the search was on for the problem. Eventually, after talking with some more experienced runners, I decided I probably needed better shoes to correct the problems with my gate etc. Luckily I came cross BFR, and figured I'd give it a shot.

It's been a few months now, and while going slower than I had hoped, the transition has been going well. I really enjoy the feeling of barefoot, but have adopted huaraches, for the sole reason that I step on too many rocks/nails/sticks/glass etc. I don't like to use it as a cop out, but I'm legally blind (my central accuity is about 20/1800, if anyone is curious), and realistically I just don't see stuff on the ground. This whole thing is getting way too long though, so if you're still reading you should get a prize!
 
Ryan, Welcome to the BRS!

Ryan, Welcome to the BRS! Nothing like a 3 mile long run to train for a 6 mile race...gotta love dem coaches! Just remember to listen to what your body is telling you. 'Cause if you don't listen when it's whispering, you'll sure as he!! listen when it screams! :)
 
welcome aboard! slow and

welcome aboard! slow and steady wins the race
 
What prize did I win? 

What prize did I win? Hmmmm. Welcome, Ryan! I'm glad you're at least running, even if you can't see all that well.
 
Hi Ryan, My family and I

Hi Ryan,

My family and I went to Colorado last month, stayed in a cabin in Antonito and went on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic rail, also to Great Sand Dunes National park, it is SO beautiful there, even in the desert! Would love to go back there some day, maybe in the Spring or early summer when water flows by the sand dunes.

How do you like the huaraches? What kind are you using / where did you get them? I would like an alternative to the VFF's - they are great, but still too much shoe for me.
 
Wait, theres desert in

Wait, theres desert in Colorado? Where? If you mean East Colorado then I say boo, just because I can't stand plains. If the land doesn't have any elevation change on it then I don't want to live there.

Wow, and I thought my 20/40 vision was bad, haha. Props on still running.
 
Thanks to everyone for the

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I actually live in western Colorado, in a town called Grand Junction about 30 miles from Utah. Luckily there are some cool geological happenings, so it's far from flat. If you're ever in the area a trip to the Colorado National Monument is well worth it, and it's literally walking distance from my house! I have only been to the Great Sand Dunes once, but there was water at the time (I didn't actually know it wasn't always there) and it was pretty cool. All I remember is a ranger telling us it's possible to surf in that river when the water is high enough because it actually generates waves, though I don't know why. Weird stuff.



I have been enjoying the Huaraches, actually. I made them from 4mm vibram cherry soling sheets, with some poly line as the laces, and they are great. I did a pretty poor job of making them, being all misshapen and looking like they were made by a 7 year old, but running in them is a dream. I own a piar of Bikilas that I bought right out of gate, with no research or whatnot (they felt really good at the store, so I took the dive), but I never make it very far running in them before I just take them off and go barefoot. With the huraches, I think I get enough feeling of safety without feeling like I'm wearing a shoe. My only complaint thus far is that they are kind of 'floppy' in the toe area, but I've always known that could be an issue with my foot size (43) and the 4mm. I've been thinking about trying some 6mm, but I'm not sure how much feeling I'll lose with that extra 2mm, and I really only notice them being floppy when I'm not running in them.
 
I've been through Grand

I've been through Grand Junction several times while traveling with my family from California to Kentucky to visit relatives. I believe we've even visited the Great Sand Dunes as well, but that's a foggy memory.
 
Thank you for the info Ryan,

Thank you for the info Ryan, my husband has been wanting us to make some of our own... I'll have to tell him about your experience.

Yeah, weird about Sand Dunes N/Park, it was dry when we were there, but the sand on the river bed was very cool so there must be water deep down still. I heard how amazing it is when there is water so we definitely plan on going back. Could you imagine surfing in the desert! Wild!
 
Welcome, Ryan.  My transition

Welcome, Ryan. My transition is going slower than hoped as well, but at least it's sustainable. I've run hard on my heels for 25 years, and my joints finally put a stop to it. BFR is letting me run again. I hope it's as good an experience for you. Use the heck out of this forum - there are some great folks with a fantastic span of experience to share.
 
 Thanks Phil, and everyone

Thanks Phil, and everyone else! It still blows my mind a bit that just changing how I run completely takes away my knee problems, cool stuff. I'm hoping to get into the forum more soon, I'm pretty excited about it, but somehow the last few weeks I just haven't been making it to the computer, I guess the weather has been too nice! I still need to upload a picture and all of that, lol. I guess the important part is that I'm getting runs in :)
 
Welcome Ryan!One of my

Welcome Ryan!

One of my brother's best friends lives in Grand Junction. I myself have been known to frequent the Boulder area - it's such a change from FL!
 
Welcome! My mom is legally

Welcome! My mom is legally blind in one eye and I would not trust her to run with debris - she'd be flat on her face in five seconds. It's just too easy to come down hard on an ouchie. Do you ever get stuff under your foot inside the sole? I have huaraches, but I'm too chicken to run in them (but I'll run barefoot LOL).
 
 I really enjoy Boulder, it's

I really enjoy Boulder, it's a super cool town with world class climbing, though it probably has as much in common with Grand Junction as FL, lol. I've actually been trying to get some plans in motion to re-locate to Boulder in Feb or so, but at this point it's more of a pipe dream than anything I think, unless I just stumble into work over there (but hey, there is still time!)



I have been breaking my 'blind guys shouldn't run bf' rule lately, had a few sluggish mornings where I literally just forgot my huaraches (think that's the first time I've been able to say I forgot to wear shoes). There were a few ill placed rocks, but they have made it a bit more obvious that even the 4mm rubber block a lot of feeling. I really miss the sensation of skin on ground, so I don't know. The point I'm trying to get to is that the rocks getting stuck between my foot and the sole is a problem at times. I've managed to get a few stuck in there that required me to stop and pull them out, but overall they are usually very small, they usually just fly out, and the ones that do get stuck tend to get stuck around where the laces go into the soles on the sides (around the arch on either side of my foot) so I rarely step on/notice them. The ones that squirm their way under my foot could probably be classified as large grains of sand, and don't even hurt to step on compared to a bigger rock BF. Other people might find them more annoying if you have the option to run BF without stopping on big rocks, but I would highly recommend taking them for a spin, worst case scenario you can just take em off!
 
 haha, I knew someone was

haha, I knew someone was gonna call me on the desert thing. It's not officially the desert, so I suppose you're right, but you get a few miles out of town in any direction and all you've got to work with are gnarly half dead trees, scrub brush, cacti, and sand, so it sure feels like it sometimes!