The BFR Beginner

Niffer

Niffer

Barefooters
Apr 14, 2012
26
2
3
37
ON, Canada
#1
I went on my first barefoot run yesterday - the trail was painful as it turns out is mostly loose gravel, but the pavement was lovely.
As I'm also a beginner runner, I did the run a minute/walk a minute schedule, for about 25-30 minutes.
My calves, thighs and glutes are very sore, but my feet feel fine.
I'm a bit worried about my form, I can hear my feet slapping the pavement; should I be trying to avoid that?

I'm a beginner at everything, BFing and Running, so any tips/hints/suggestions for beginners would be very welcome.
I also invite other beginners to post questions and experiences here too.

Peace,
-Niffer
 
#2
For a first run, that sounds pretty aggressive.

Congrats and hurray for you for actually starting correctly with nothing on your feet.

I'd stay off the "hard stuff" until you refine your form a bit. Maybe stick to concrete or smooth street asphalt and get your feet used to working the way they were intended. If you want to be a trail runner, start feeding in some off-asphalt running a bit at a time. Try to slowly build your miles and don't run on consecutive days. Remember, your feet are new to this and it will take time to train them properly, but they also need rest as well.

Start slow with both pace and distance. Speed and distance will come.

Good luck and have fun!
 
#3
I believe the general rule is the quieter is better, but not always. Some people think they have to run on their toes to be quiet, and that will probably earn them a stress fracture. Run as quietly as you can while using a fore or mid-foot strike UNDER your body. I run nearly completely silently and regularly "sneak" up on animals.
 
#4
Bend your knees more to help reduce or eliminate the foot slapping. It will come with time, practice, and patience.
 
#5
It turns out I really strained my calves and thighs. My run was not that long or hard (in my mind) but I guess I'm using muscles that aren't normally used, so the ache lasted for a good 3 days after my run.

Are there are certain stretches I should be doing that are more helpful to BF runners?

Thankfully I was able to get out today, and that helped. I even went for a BF walk with my folks and hubby. (who still all think I'm nuts) but they seem to be putting up with it rather well.

Peace,
-Niffer
 
#6
Oh, dear - TMTS! I started full BFR about a week ago (up to that point, I've been doing minimalist running). You'll find that two things need conditioning: The muscles, ligaments and tendons in your legs, and the soles of your feet. So far, it appears they do not condition at the same rate, based on casual observation (then again, I haven't been running a fully scientific test). One of my gripes about switching - either to minimalist or completely BFR - is that I'm not able to run the miles I would normally be running whilst shod.

Also, remember that while BFR generically requires the use of leg muscles, you're using different muscles in your legs (than what you would use, while running shod) - thus the pain/suffering.

As for stretching, to be honest, I haven't been and I'm doing shockingly well. Even when I wake up and immediately go running - no issues.

In the meantime, you might want to stick to BF Walking (BFW?) until you get your quads/calves/etc... sorted out...


RP
 
#7
There's a new 'no stretching' dogma going around (even anti-stretching t-shirts), but I find it's very helpful to stretch out both my feet and legs after a run and throughout the day. Really reduces soreness. Place the outside of your foot on top of the opposite leg's thigh and then use your hands to pull the top of the foot towards you, then push the toes away from you, thus stretching out both the top and bottoms of your feet. I also like to put my leg up on something high and stretch out the hams and calves. Works for me.
For introductory info, check out Jason's Primer (not sure if it's still for free), Mark Cucuzzella's video (http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2012/03/06/video-the-principles-natural-running/), or Jason and Ken Bob's books. I haven't read the books, but found the first two pretty helpful. You're lucky to be starting running and barefoot running at the same time. When veteran shod runners switch, they are often frustrated by the decreased mileage, but you'll be able to build up slowly. Happy trails!
TJ: you really need a tab or link or something to some basic info and links on the home page.
 
#8
If you judge your success by how far you're running BF you may lead yourself quickly to injury. Keep the runs short and really study and then work on your form. Ken Bob's book is really terrific. Go slow, especially if you're new both to running and BF'ing. Let your body slowly adapt while you figure out your form. As has been pointed out, bend your knees more and get the load on your quads and hips. Keep your steps quick and light (cadence around 180). On the days between runs, do some exercises that will strengthen your body and prepare it for the longer distances ahead.

Have fun with it, and good luck. I'm still pretty early in the process myself, but I'm making slow progress and enjoying every run.
 
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#9
I second everything Hawkbilly said. Ken Bob's book Barefoot Running Step By Step is a must read as well as Jason Robillard's book. Born to Run is great for inspiration and I just started reading Michael Sandlers book and I'll give a report. Definetly take it slow. The slapping noise if exsessive is a result of poor form but poor form is expected in the beginning. Try bending the knees more while still allowing all 3 parts of the foot to touch the ground. I typically touch Ball, Heel, Toe on a flat surface as lightly as possible and try not to push off. The soreness is normal and usually due to trying to stay on the balls and toes not letting the heels touch lightly. This can also lead to stress fractures and achillies tendonitis. Speaking from experience, injuries due to TMTS can be very discouraging and hard to overcome. Keep it bare till you find your form. Good luck and welcome.:barefoot:
 
#11
Bare Lee said:
Also, if possible, try to become a barefooter, not just a barefoot runner!
Click to expand...

Hear hear! I wouldn't be here as a BFR if it weren't for me going BF all the time before that.

And I'm pretty sure Niffer is, as well. I suggested on the Hip Forums Barefoot forum that she come check this site out. :D
 
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#12
I had the feet slapping thing going on as well when I started out. TJ's right about bending the knees reducing the noise - like Ken Bob says in his book, however much you think you're bending your knees, you're probably not bending them enough. I also find that if I think about lifting my feet off the ground instead of thinking about the landing, I land more softly and more quietly.Think about lifting the foot before it's even landed.
 
#15
Yeah I second, third and fourth a bunch of stuff other people said. Go barefoot whenever possible, walk barefoot, to warm-up I would just walk for awhile before you run and walk for awhile after you run (I'm an anti-stretcher). There are plenty of BFR videos showing you proper form you should watch. I would also add in adductor and abductor exercises, which pretty much every runner, shod or not, should do, since those muscles are chronically weak in most of us.
 
#16
PatrickGSR94 said:
And I'm pretty sure Niffer is, as well. I suggested on the Hip Forums Barefoot forum that she come check this site out. :D
Click to expand...

While I am a new BFer, I did start out by just being a general barefooter, before I tried to run.

jackie hayes said:
Run one, walk one for 25-30 min means you were running bf for 12-15 minutes, which is probably 1+ miles even if it's a slow run. That's just too far when you're starting out, imo.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I really didn't think that would be too strenuous. I wasn't that tired, which is why I kept running. Even at the end of my run, I didn't feel exhausted, just sore.
What would be a better time/distance to shoot for?

Hawkbilly said:
If you judge your success by how far you're running BF you may lead yourself quickly to injury. Keep the runs short and really study and then work on your form. Ken Bob's book is really terrific. Go slow, especially if you're new both to running and BF'ing. Let your body slowly adapt while you figure out your form. As has been pointed out, bend your knees more and get the load on your quads and hips. Keep your steps quick and light (cadence around 180). On the days between runs, do some exercises that will strengthen your body and prepare it for the longer distances ahead.

Have fun with it, and good luck. I'm still pretty early in the process myself, but I'm making slow progress and enjoying every run.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the tips about my form, I will definitely be reading that book, and looking at other resources.

Peace,
-Niffer
 
#17
Niffer said:
Hmm, I really didn't think that would be too strenuous. I wasn't that tired, which is why I kept running. Even at the end of my run, I didn't feel exhausted, just sore.
What would be a better time/distance to shoot for?
Click to expand...

Getting tired isn't the main problem, and sore calves aren't too worrisome (though annoying, I know). But while you're working on form, you want to let your feet adjust slowly. Both the skin and the 'inside' structure. Running bf puts new stresses on your feet -- the landing, the flexion are both different. You can get an injury if you don't let yourself adjust slowly.

I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but for me, I don't think I felt comfortable enough to go a mile for well over a month (starting from 1/4 mile, then slowly ramping up -- stuck on 3/4 mile for a while before that felt truly easy). When I tried to progress faster (my first try at bfr, earlier), the tops of my feet started to hurt at one point, which worried me enough to shut it down for a while. I didn't have any noticeable problems while I was running -- I just started noticing a dull pain throughout the day.

Everyone's different, so use your judgment, but I'd cut down the running part until it's totally comfortable. Worry about that, only, not distance. (I'm also just talking about running -- I don't believe walking bf is a concern in the same way.)
 
#19
Just as food for thought: my first barefoot run was 3 minutes. Second was 4 minutes, 2 days later.
 
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