Transtioning to shoes, and not happy.

BarefootGburg

BarefootGburg

Barefooters
Nov 7, 2011
206
62
28
#1
I've been running barefoot since April and, because of the weather, recently bought a pair of Vivo NEOs.



I'm unhappy. I feel clumsy and I'm moving poorly. And I'm noisy. I can't wait for Spring. In the meantime, whenever the pavement isn't wet and it's above 30 degrees, I'm going barefoot.



Is anyone *really* happy in their shoes? I'm glad I bought the NEOs, because now I can go without a heel lift all day, but the joy is gone from my run.
 
#2
Yeah I hear ya. I'm glad I

Yeah I hear ya. I'm glad I have 0-drop options available now (I didn't at this time last year), but I really hate wearing shoes of any kind for any reason. I'm banking on my huaraches getting me through as much of the winter as possible.
 
#3
That's easy to say right now,

That's easy to say right now, because even with the wind, clouds, and cold temps bare feet are still workable all day whether running or not.

BUT, when the slush starts to build up, and the salt crystals allow for sub-freezing puddles of supercooled water it gets pretty tough to handle. Even the salt chunks present a challenge in themselves

I'm still barefoot, but somehow I will have to adapt to footwear pretty soon.

Wish there were a barefoot friendly brushed concrete indoor track nearby.
 
#5
There will be dry sunny days,

There will be dry sunny days, don't worry. When it happened last year I sometimes just ran several times around my (boring) block (only .3 miles) to get my fix of barefoot sensations. On a sunny afternoon the road surface get reasonably warm, even on cold days.

On cold or snowy/wet days you can always take off your shoes for the last mile of your run and smile.

Running in minimalist shoes is still more fun than not running at all, so my huaraches, water shoes and merrell will get used this winter.
 
#6
I'm one of the lucky or maybe

I'm one of the lucky or maybe less sensitive ones here. I like my Bikilas, and am happy to have them when the situation or conditions warrant. However, I love to run BF, and will push it as far as I can.

My peak running experiences are BF and nearly naked, floating along almost silently up a trail.
 
#7
I only just started running

I only just started running bf in september, so I'm dreading losing what conditioning my feet have, as well as if my form will get all sloppy without the bf feedback. BF on a treadmill/indoors is not an option, since my university gym doesn't allow it and my house is way too small for that level of exercise equipment.

FYI, I just got some soft star mocs and they are way more comfortable for running than my merrells. Quieter, too, it seems.

Even getting below 50 degrees bf has been really difficult and unpleasant on my feet. They start losing feeling after only about 1/4 of a mile and it never gets better. Maybe next year when my skin is thicker I'll be able to tolerate lower temps, but I'm a little skeptical, as my feet and fingers are usually very cold sensitive.

Most of all, though, I do miss the sensation of being bf, and the quiet. It feels so much more easy and fun to run bf. Minimal shoes are a distant second.
 
#8
scedastic - How far are you

scedastic - How far are you running BF when it's cold out? I find that the first 1/4 to 1/2 mile can be pretty unpleasant but after that my feet warm up and I get all the feeling back. Granted, the coldest temperature I've seen so far this year was only 39 but I was running in the evening and I swear it was colder than that (I know, wishful thinking.).
 
#9
You might try a pair of

You might try a pair of huaraches with injinji socks. Won't help if you like to romp through puddles, but I prefer that option to running in my vff's for minimus line. Something more freeing about a sandal. Keeps my feet pretty warm and dry.
 
#10
This is exactly why I am

This is exactly why I am logging on today! I have never complained about winter before, but after working up to being totally bf since July, I was so disappointed when I had to start wearing shoes some again. Last week, it got down to a moist 37 and I couldn't feel my feet enough after about 3 miles, so I put my Soft Star moc3s on. I wanted to "tough it out" but was concerned about injury. The run in the moc3s today was much better as I concentrated hard on my form.

Has anyone ever tried putting extra coarse sand paper in their socks or on some flip-flops to wear around the house to keep their soles tough? My husband likes to work with stones and cement in his "free" time, so I was going to present the idea of "asphalt flip-flops" to his engineering mind.
 
#11
I've thought about the

I've thought about the sandpaper or similar for an insole, but haven't actually done it. The one thing about that that might not be so good is that each grain of sand doesn't move so instead of random "aggravations" all over the foot you might have permanent wear spots. I've noticed this on longer barefoot workouts on the elliptical at home--the foot contact area has little bumps that after 30 or 40 minutes really irritate in a different way than a gravel road, presumably because the bumps stay mostly in the same spot.

I seem to recall someone saying here last spring or summer that he put gravel in his shoes to walk around in during the day. Others have done the gravel bucket training--running in place in a bucket of gravel. I tried that this morning with small gravel--between 1/8" and 1/4" and found that to be a good approximation of running on a gravel/dirt road. Wood chips might work too.
 
#12
We interrupt your regularly

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program with the following .......

Ok, not trying to be a naysayer here, but has anyone actually tried the sandpaper idea. To me that doesn't sound like a very good idea. What is the purpose of sandpaper? To wear down the surface that you are applying it too. Let's think about that for a minute, you are trying to build up the skin layer on your foot are you not, not wear it down. Maybe I am missing something here, but I have been barefoot running for just over 18 months, and the skin on the bottom of my feet is definitely thicker (but softer) than they were when I first started, I think sandpaper would remove that thickness don't you.

Another thing with sandpaper is the more it rubs it creates friction which produces heat, I would think that would be rather uncomfortable.

I ran a lot last winter both with footwear and barefoot (I live in Winnipeg, Canada) but mostly with footwear, and I had no issue in the spring building up my mileage barefoot rather quickly again once I lost the footwear. I did not use the gravel bucket technique I just ran. But that is just my personal opinion.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program......
 
#13
Thanks, Barefooting Bob - I

Thanks, Barefooting Bob - I thought about those things, but went ahead and put it out there to see what people thought. It is good to hear from runners who have gone through a winter. Did your soles keep some of their thickness? Can you give an overview of how your spring transition for your soles was as compared to when you were first beginning to barefoot? Obviously, some of it is different because of form.
 
#15
happysongbird wrote:Thanks,

happysongbird said:
Thanks, Barefooting Bob - I thought about those things, but went ahead and put it out there to see what people thought. It is good to hear from runners who have gone through a winter. Did your soles keep some of their thickness? Can you give an overview of how your spring transition for your soles was as compared to when you were first beginning to barefoot? Obviously, some of it is different because of form.
Click to expand...

Laura,

If I recall, yes my soles did keep most of their thickness over the winter last year. I was pretty luck and not saying I was the norm, but I was able to drop my winter running footwear completly (Zem's and mukluks when it was really cold) early in April. I was up to 17 miles barefoot by April 17th and to 30 miles by mid May. Now as I said I am probably not the norm, I had a easy time transistioning to begin with and only been running for a little over 2 years. But you are right about the form as well, very important.
 
#16
Interesting topic.  This will

Interesting topic. This will be my first winter trying to barefoot (started last February) and I am also worried about losing my foot pads. I figure only two months will be impossible to barefoot, December and January. At least we live an hour from a warmer climate and I can run while my wife shops once a week. My other runs I will have to wear min-shoes. I might have to try the gravel buckets, or better yet, borrow two of the cat litter boxes.
 
#17
Bob, I think the sandpaper

Bob, I think the sandpaper idea is an attempt to still get feedback while in footwear. If you land properly, it won't matter if you're landly on sandpaper because you will have a minimal amount of friction same as running barefoot on hard surfaces. If you run incorrectly though you will definately know because that part of the foot will get worn down and/or blistered. I wouldn't advise this method as I don't know think this is necessary. I have heard numerous barefooters say the same as you about your footpads staying mostly built up over the winter. Just my two cents
 
#18
NickW wrote:Bob, I think the

NickW said:
Bob, I think the sandpaper idea is an attempt to still get feedback while in footwear. If you land properly, it won't matter if you're landly on sandpaper because you will have a minimal amount of friction same as running barefoot on hard surfaces. If you run incorrectly though you will definately know because that part of the foot will get worn down and/or blistered. I wouldn't advise this method as I don't know think this is necessary. I have heard numerous barefooters say the same as you about your footpads staying mostly built up over the winter. Just my two cents
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree with your analogy of the sand paper. Unless your feet are poured into the shoe, you will have a little bit of movement no matter how good your form is. Winter running (at least on snow and ice) is not a level playing field, many different variations of surfaces with ridges and rises, etc. I have worn some pretty form fitting minimalistic shoes in the winter including zems, VFFs, neoprene scuba boots and custom made mukluks and my feet still move around a bit in what I am wearing, and I believe I have fairly decent form.

It's kind of funny cause a lot of my running friends have been asking me what I do for this as well, so I decided to chime in with what I do on my blog, so if anyone is interested the link is.

http://winnipegbarefootrunners.blogspot.com/2011/11/keeping-your-feet-barefoot-running.html
 
#19
Bob, I agree it is not a

Bob, I agree it is not a great method, one that I wouldn't suggest even and you'll notice above I had stated that same thing. It was more my thought of why someone might do this.
 
#20
Sorry Nick, might of jumped

Sorry Nick, might of jumped the gun a wee bit with that, went back and reread your post and a 'ah-ha' moment happened.
 
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