Hey everyone,
Jeremiah from Arkansas
I just wanted to say thank you for having and sharing all the information and your experiences!
I grew up running in the heaviest of heavy shoes training for basketball or training with the Air Force. I was never opposed to running - but never ran for the sake of running. Last summer I spent 10 weeks training with the Air Force and we were logging somewhere around 20 miles a week. I had completed a marathon w/ 50 lbs gear a year before but this is when I really discovered I liked running. Every Tuesday we did an 8.5 mile run. After the turn around point it felt so good to fly home. However, by the end of the summer I was spending the first half of the run in pain.When I returned home, I started looking for ways to get rid of the pain and stumbled on barefooting...
It seemed like something I would be down with and then I read Born to Run and decided to give barefoot running a try. I started off short distances, grass, playin soccer and that sort of thing. I grew up in and out of rivers and creeks with no shoes, so my feet didn't really seem overly sensitive. My problem was all these little muscles that were used for balance (that I had never used before- relying only on cushy shoes) and my achilles! I had never felt these parts of my legs get worked before!
Anyway, my first real barefoot jog/hike was a 4 miler trail with lots of nasty gravel sections. The looks of madness I received were so much fun, not to mention being free of cumbersome foot gear! We were stopped by a couple with their dogs, as we had ours, to discuss how they were holding up.... The couple had to spend the next 10 minutes explaining how glad they were to put hiking shoes on their dog's feet, as the gravel and rocks were just too much for them to handle.... I don't guess they ever looked down to see what I was wearing!
Anyway, back to being grateful- this summer I have tried on and off to run only barefoot. My runs feel amazing and its a fun game to see if I can make my loop without waking any of the neighborhood dogs. The only problem is I've been getting frustrated at how long a recovery time I have- waiting for my calves to heal. I thought my form was off, but after research I seem to have good form. The forums here have made me stop feeling like a wuss, with everyone's warnings of TMTS... I'm trying to be patient as my body adjusts to barefoot running so I can up mileage!
Thanks again for the support, and for sharing your knowledge. I look forward to gaining from the forum in the future!
Jeremiah from Arkansas
I just wanted to say thank you for having and sharing all the information and your experiences!
I grew up running in the heaviest of heavy shoes training for basketball or training with the Air Force. I was never opposed to running - but never ran for the sake of running. Last summer I spent 10 weeks training with the Air Force and we were logging somewhere around 20 miles a week. I had completed a marathon w/ 50 lbs gear a year before but this is when I really discovered I liked running. Every Tuesday we did an 8.5 mile run. After the turn around point it felt so good to fly home. However, by the end of the summer I was spending the first half of the run in pain.When I returned home, I started looking for ways to get rid of the pain and stumbled on barefooting...
It seemed like something I would be down with and then I read Born to Run and decided to give barefoot running a try. I started off short distances, grass, playin soccer and that sort of thing. I grew up in and out of rivers and creeks with no shoes, so my feet didn't really seem overly sensitive. My problem was all these little muscles that were used for balance (that I had never used before- relying only on cushy shoes) and my achilles! I had never felt these parts of my legs get worked before!
Anyway, my first real barefoot jog/hike was a 4 miler trail with lots of nasty gravel sections. The looks of madness I received were so much fun, not to mention being free of cumbersome foot gear! We were stopped by a couple with their dogs, as we had ours, to discuss how they were holding up.... The couple had to spend the next 10 minutes explaining how glad they were to put hiking shoes on their dog's feet, as the gravel and rocks were just too much for them to handle.... I don't guess they ever looked down to see what I was wearing!
Anyway, back to being grateful- this summer I have tried on and off to run only barefoot. My runs feel amazing and its a fun game to see if I can make my loop without waking any of the neighborhood dogs. The only problem is I've been getting frustrated at how long a recovery time I have- waiting for my calves to heal. I thought my form was off, but after research I seem to have good form. The forums here have made me stop feeling like a wuss, with everyone's warnings of TMTS... I'm trying to be patient as my body adjusts to barefoot running so I can up mileage!
Thanks again for the support, and for sharing your knowledge. I look forward to gaining from the forum in the future!
Just kidding. Welcome its a pleasure to meet you!
