Barefoot Walker from Iowa has joined

[Barefoot Walker]

Barefoot Walker Is now also a runner!

I just started this delightful activity on 07/31, and progress has been slow since before then I never had run at all.

I’m estimating that I get in ten to twenty minutes of (BF) running a day, but never more than twelve at once. Usually I do two sessions of about eight.

I hope to do a 5K probably next year as it seems that I won’t be ready in time for any this one.

Are there any other snowfooters here? I have been walking barefoot in winter for many years but this will be my first one trying to run and I wondered if anybody had any advice on this as far as the lungs are concerned.

I’m looking forward to meeting other BFRs here and elsewhere.

Barefoot is best!

 

[Phil Hart]

Dave:That sounds like a

Dave:

That sounds like a wise, healthy and fully appropriate early transition to me. TMTS (too much too soon) is the classic bane of newly converted BFRers. It earned me a stress fracture in my left forefoot. Your body is providing you with the best feedback you can get, and you are listening to it. Keep it up, and you'll build both time and distance as you do. Welcome to the crew. Enjoy!

 

[ajw1970]

I must say... the barefoot on

I must say... the barefoot on snow thing doesn't hold much interest to me. I see the value in barefoot running... I don't see the value of barefoot running on snow... I do see the value of staying warm and cozy when there's snow on the ground though.

 

[taterman]

Welcome to the club. I

Welcome to the club.



I started barefoot running last April so I am not a barefoot expert, but I've been running since 1998 so on that I feel I can speak with some credibility.



As far as the lungs are concerned during winter, it has been my experience that if I am running in the summer and continue to run through the fall and into the winter, I never have any sort of problem. However, if I do not run through the fall and into the winter, rather I start running in the could without allowing my body to acclimatize, then I have issues where my throat and lungs hurt until I have gotten used to the cold.



Since this will be my first winter barefoot, I hope that I can experience something similar with regards to my feet. I don't, however, plan on running barefoot on snow/ice/slush etc. I'll likely continue running outside but will wear some sort of minimalist footwear when the pavement is not clean. I am hoping to get as much barefoot time in as the pavement conditions will allow.



Good luck with your training. We have an Iowa chapter that gets together to do some group runs if you're up to joining sometime.

 

[Barefoot Walker]

Tuesday the eighth of

Tuesday the eighth of November was a new record for me, as I ran barefoot to the polling place (with about a minute waiting at a light), voted (they are never surprised to see me barefoot), then ran back home. It was about ten minutes out (I turned off the timer when I got to the polls) and fifteen back (I returned via a longer route in order to get some food to take with me so the clock stopped in the restaurant, plus one minute walking and a few seconds waiting at a light for which it does not stop), and I got fairly wet in the rain, but my body felt wonderful.
The following day, I ran in the snow, not nearly as long (and was in the street for most of it so as to avoid parts of the sidewalk I could not see, but did leave a lot of bare prints), but got in a decent amount, then again yesterday and today.
Sunday the sixth saw me run around Gray’s Lake in eighteen minutes with two one-minutes pauses to walk. So I’m getting up to the amount I need for a 5K. (The longest I’ve run at any one time is seventeen minutes.)
So far, my lungs have not complained about the cooler air, nor have my feet. My hands seem to get the coldest, and sometimes my face as well, as I cannot protect the latter very well.
I am looking forward to a barefoot run with the other group members after I get further along in my training.
Stay bare and keep running!

 

[Phil Hart]

You're movin' on up, Dave. 

You're movin' on up, Dave. Congratulations on such a great experience that is hopefully a foretaste of continued runs.

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Hey Iowa Walker, welcome!I

Hey Iowa Walker, welcome!

I hate, hate doing anything on the snow but I am glad you can pull it off.

Where in Iowa are you?

 

[Barefoot Walker]

Im in DM.I hope to

I’m in DM.
I hope to participate in the Forey Fest. It would be my first organized BF run if I do.
The cold weather slows me down somewhat just for the sheer amount of energy it takes to keep warm as well as run. My times hav increased though, to where I can usually do close to twenty minutes a day. One day i got in over 29; other long times have been 23, 25, and 26.
On 12/09, I had an interruption: had to wait almost nine minutes for a train to pass! It was somewhat below freezing with a trace of white stuff, in which I made footprints while walking back and forth along it to keep the fires going. A guy offered to let me warm up in his pickup, but I declined because I was not sure I would be able to restart after that. When the train cleared the sidewalk, I was off, and nearly bowled over a woman on the other side! The cold had done its work, though, and I cut out part of my planned route due to that. I was out about 33½ minutes so got in 23½ running. (I had shoveled the driveway prior to running also.)
On 12/24, my car was not working so I ran to Christmas Eve service, which is 2½ miles, of which I was able to run all but the last few blocks with one of walking, about 22¼ running and four walking at the end. I got a ride home. Since then I have been doing some driving, but always try to get in my run. I learned that I cannot run for several hours after a big meal, and in my neighborhood, the gravel on the driveways that gets on the sidewalk can be distressing if I fail to negotiate it properly.
I failed to run on 12/06 as I had some sort of bug, but felt fine the next day.
I had an amusing incident over bare feet on 12/10. I was just entering a Wal*Mart® with a blind friend. A lady coming out looked at me, looked at my bare feet, and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head! She kept staring and when I got alongside her, I just said, “Take a picture, it lasts longer.” She made some unintelligble reply and went out. In the confusion, I lost track of the blind guy and had to go back for him!
Keep running barefoot!

 

[Chaserwilliams]

Welcome! Although it doesn't

Welcome! Although it doesn't get "cold" where I live, my feet never feel the lower temps nearly as much as my hands do.

 

[Barefoot Walker]

Today I did my first

Today I did my first organized 5K, the Forey Fest, in 29:33 on my stopwatch.
It was okay (a few degrees below freezing, my feed said -6℃ when I left home), with a light dusting of white stuff on parts of the course.
I saw two other barefooters, but they covered theirs at the end and were quite surprised when I did not.
Two days ago, the high for the daytime was -11℃, and I double-layered sweats, gloves, and cap. Several people slowed their cars to stare at my feet. Yesterday a bicyclist accosted me with, “Can I ask you a question?” to which I usually reply, “You just did!” but wasn’t that fast thinking so just stopped and let him ask. He of course wanted to know why I was barefoot, and I just replied that I do everything and go everywhere barefoot. He shook his head in disbelief.
This was the third time I have run over 29 minutes. The first was in my neighborhood, and the second in a different area where the AIDS run will be, and that is much more challenging!
Stay bare!