Ok I'm gonna ask- bash at will I can take it

I was going to ask this before then I read most of the BFR is not fast food.

So bash me if you must :)

I have been running BF for a few weeks and love it! Yup i get blisters torn skin etc... Im ok with that too! Im ok with less mileage while being BF!

My question is that I want to run more for the cardio/ fat burn/muscle building that goes with running I know it may take me months or years to get my desired distance BF but is it going to hurt my BFR if I wear min shoes to go out for a longer run while Im still in transition?

Thanks
Shawn
 
I'm only running 2-3 miles 3X a week BF. I wamt to eventually get back up to about 6 miles 3X a week.

I was running in Newton Sir Isaac's with the drop in the heel. I also cross train BF and have been for a couple years.

So far the bottoms of my feet is all that gets sore Agin I am not looking for a "fast food" approach :) i just want to get my total
Miles back up even if it means some are with shoes as long as it won't hurt my BF transition

Thanks
Shawn
 
I agree with SillyC you wont gain anything by adding in some miles in minshoes and it may slow your transition down...no way to predict what will happen. It sounds like your running a lot already this early in ....this is where many runners over do it and the real learning about body awareness starts to happen. Part of the transition is adjusting to a forefoot/midfoot running form...if you were already a midfoot runner that helps a lot for both barefoot and minshoes.

Some other things to consider...do you plan to run in minshoes during the winter? trail running in rough terrain? These are good reasons to try some minshoes and it may take a few different models to find what you like....your shoe size may change from the barefooting too.... what you buy now may not fit next fall.

If your trying not lose fitness you could always sub in some other activities for a couple months till your better adapted.
 
When I was transitioning, in winter no less,I used a combination of barefoot, minshoe and trainers in order to meet my mileage goals (I was training for a marathon). My observations are:

1. It is possible to successfuly transition this way though I felt that I was frequently on the verge of injury. I definitely felt as though I was rushing things.

2. Many of my bad habits did not start resolving until I hit a point where I was doing all my mileage bare.

3. There will come a point where, if you are bare enough of the time, shoes will become difficult to run in whether youre ready to be 100% bare or not. I can now barely run in VFFs, let alone my old trail gloves, and when I need footwear the only thing remotely comfortable are my bedrock sandals.

Long story short, It is absolutely possible to transition this way. However, be prepared as mixing footwear and bare can "confuse your feet" (for lack of a better descriptor) and it becomes far easier to put yourself at risk of an overuse injury.
 
Hey Sean,

When you say the bottoms of your feet get sore, do you mean just the cuts and bruises or is there something more?

From my experience, if you're successfully running 3 miles, 3 times a week, you're not that far from being able to hit the 5-6 distance you're hoping for.

Good on you Sir, keep it up.
 
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I think adding more miles in minimal shoes is a bad idea. The reason being is that your skin actually heals way faster than your bones. You are doing some serious rearranging to your feet right now and you just don't realize it. Putting on minimal shoes is going to make that go faster and harder and could lead to injuries. Your skin will get tougher faster than your bones will.

Now what I did was to keep running in shoes during that time which I don't really suggest, but I think it was smarter than trying to build up minimal shoe mileage. The were nike frees so they weren't quite traditional boat anchors but not minimal shoes either. It let me keep my mileage up and I made it through the transition with a fairly normal amount of problems, but I think I would have been better off if I had just stopped being stubborn and listened to everyone and biked, or did aerobics or something else during that time. Thing is I was trying to keep like a fairly large mileage base during the transition and new it would set me back 6 months to just stop. You are so close to what you want anyways I think you should just keep at it bare, another month or two and you'll be there. Also your skin heals so quickly maybe try adding in a short barefoot walk on your off days to help out your skin. I found walking back and forth to school (about a mile each way) to be really really helpful in the skin building process. Especially after long periods of mostly minimal running after being fully transistioned and just needing to rebuild my skin up.
 
I've only been running BF since last July. Like you, I was running 2-3 miles per week, 3x week. I also do quite a bit of strength exercises for cross-training, as they related to my feet (like arch exercises, etc.). In February I was preparing for my first 8k race (4.95 miles). I did not have time to run 5 miles, 3xweek, which is what I wanted to do. So instead, I started running 1-3 miles almost every day, usually no more than 2. I did this for a month. I knocked out the 8k at an 11 minute pace, without any pain or injury and minimal exertion. Since then, I have ran 5 miles a couple times a week without any problem -though I have not done it regularly, but I haven't had any problems. So, I think that you can easily get up to your goal in a reasonable amount of time.
 
Can't speak to the idea of switching between shoes and bare, but I can attest to the efficacy of cross-training while you're building up your bare foot/leg strength. Last November I jumped from 5 to 10 miles and got a tiny stress fracture in my left foot. Very little pain, but persistent. So over the winter I reduced to 2-3 miles a run, more or less 3x a week (all barefoot except for a handful of really cold/wet days), and rowed on a Concept II rower for 30 minutes on alternate days (in addition to doing strength-training). By March my foot felt pretty good again and so I've been pushing the distance and pace little by little (no more big jumps!), and while my leg muscles are a little sore, my aerobic base is in good shape (and I've continued to lose weight), thanks, in part, to the rowing I did while my foot was healing. Rowing is also nice because it works different muscles and is zero-impact, so I'm sticking with it for the time being (run one day, row and lift weights the next), although it's pretty boring without the water.
 
I am not in agreement with the bashers. There should be no problem switching between BF and minimal. It doesn't take a whole lot of coordination to adjust between the two. So depending on your goals, either approach may be best. If you were trying to maintain an existing mileage, then switching would likely work best. Since you are not, then there is not need unless you want to do min running also.
 
I do more biking in the summer and cut back on my running slightly due to the heat. It is not a perfect replacement, but it is better than doing nothing.
 
Going to try and hit some of the comments its tough on my iphone and at work. Lol!

I do a LOT of cross training workng out 6 days a week most weeks(life happens) I do double workouts 3-4 days a week strength training and cardio bike run an lifting! I bike a lot too. Soon my biking will be close to 100 miles a week just took the bike off the trainer! Been doing 3 1 hour sessions a week
On the trainer!

As for my feet being sore I mean just the skin and still occasionally taking skin off my toes but I can still run don't mind the pain at all.

I was running a lot more miles over the winter but knew I had to cut back to transition to BF.

I already have Min shoes (merrell True Glove) and wear them to and from stores and to and from work. I work 12 hour nights on my feet in steel toe shoes and on concrete most of the time.

Thanks for all the help!! I will keep working on my mileage and take it slow and easy!
 
I am not in agreement with the bashers. There should be no problem switching between BF and minimal. It doesn't take a whole lot of coordination to adjust between the two. So depending on your goals, either approach may be best. If you were trying to maintain an existing mileage, then switching would likely work best. Since you are not, then there is not need unless you want to do min running also.

Is not a coordination thing, its a covering up the damage thing. This is transition specific too, not for fully converted people. You can see blisters, you can see your skin, what you can't see is microfractures and weak points showing up in your bones. You don't see (or rather feel) those until its far to late to do anything. Your skin will heal faster than your bones. Now I switch back and forth all the time, my feet are fully transistioned and I don't have to worry about doing too much and getting a stress fracture. My muscles and mind give out before my bones. No one has to take off 6 weeks for skin (well ok, I think maybe Nate did once, but that was super extreme), tons of us have had to for stress fractures.

Edited: To mention that, just for the record, this is totally the advice everyone gave me and I ignored. My feet felt perfect, why shouldn't I throw on minimal shoes. Then I very nearly got a stress fracture (I caught it at the stress reaction phase) had to take a month off, and wasn't very happy about it. Listen to your body doesn't always work, sometimes your body is a dirty liar and covers up minor injuries until its too late.
 
ajb, I did along similar lines, and stuck to going bf cold turkey. I think its the best way to learn. It was a very slow process for me but it was worth it, and I havent been injured and only 1 blister in 7 months.
If your going to learn a new form, best to just learn that form rather than constantly switching about. I did have to hold off the transition until after my last race, I had a 10k I did and I waited to go bf until it was over (but I did start bf walking, and wearing min shoes to work instead of regular, ahead of time). So I went from a 10k race, to being able to run about to the next telephone pole from my driveway, and didnt get my mileage back up to even 5k for like several months. And not even near 10k yet and its been ~7 months total (although there were many setbacks). I did wear vibrams starting in December, but I kept the progress on the same pace (10% per week) anyhow. Wearing min shoes didnt help progression much anyhow, yeah it got around the burning skin, but my calves and arches tend to set about the same limit for me.

Good luck!
 
Ive been able to run 2-3 miles 3x a week for the past few weeks even hit a short trail BF yesterday! Calves, arches, legs feel fine. I had some arch pain in
My right foot before I ever went BF but it only hurts when I first wake up and then its fine! Once my skin toughens up I will add more distance todays run I actually took no skin off my toes!!!! :)))) i did however get a small rock stuck in my left foot and its a bit sore tonight :(
 
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I think you should just really be aware of your body/feet. If they're feeling more sore than usual, or in a new place or way, take it easy until it feels better. Just don't ignore how your feet feel and start slowly. Don't just jump next week to 6 miles 3x a week!
 
blisters are not only a sign of soft skin but bad form. blisters on your toes means you're pushing off and can be tough for people to unlearn. you're going to have to decide what's most important to you and go for it. learning to run bf or getting in the mileage.