Bob Graham round - anyone think this is possible with no shoes??

mikekeswick

Barefooters
Sep 30, 2013
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Hi all, i'm new to this website and have been running without shoes now for around 2 months. I am planning to do this run called the Bob Graham round next summer. Here is a link to the BG website http://www.bobgrahamclub.org.uk/
So as the topic title says i'm thinking about doing it barefoot (just cos I like a challenge!) but literally every fell runner I know just looks at me like i'm am completely nuts when I say I want to do it barefoot.
I have been doing some recce runs on different sections to get to know the route and have been doing them barefoot for the most part but also taking along my innov-8 baregrip 200 shoes as a back up for when my feet get tired.
When i'm on the grassy mixed sections i'm totally fine barefoot but when it gets to sections where it is just sharp,pointy rocks...i'm really struggling. I have to slow down to a snails pace and pick my way across them...this would be fine but to do the round in 24 hours means you really can't afford to be slowing down whenever you come across a rocky section....there are more than a few of them!
I guess what i'm really asking is just how rough the terrain can be and still be ran on barefoot. Like I said i've only been doing barefoot running for a short time (2 months) and am really hoping all you folks who have been at this longer and are jedi's over rocks can tell me something like ' it will come just perserveer!'
I've read Ken Bob Saxtons book and also the book by Michael Sandler/Jessica Lee....I completely agree with what they are saying BUT i've yet to see a photo of people running over the sort of rough stuff that there is in the Lake District.
So far i've surprised myself with the sort of terrain I can now run over but the real rocky stuff is still stopping me!
Help!
 
I don't have a lot of experience with really rough surfaces, but I can confirm that, generally speaking, any surface is doable but the rougher the surface, the slower the pace. On pure gravel I'm up around 13m/m or 8m/km. So for me the question is whether or not the barefoot challenge takes priority over running performance. I can see it once in a while, but I'm just a recreational runner. For your race, I would think it would take a long time of constant running on rough surfaces to be able to meet your performance goal while running barefoot. Like possibly years. But in theory, it should be possible.
 
Thanks for the advice.
I've noticed a massive difference over the couple of months i've been doing this and am thinking with another 9 months or so of learning and adapting I may be getting close to where I would need to be.
It'll be interesting trying if nothing else :)
As for the 24 hours time limit i'm happy to do it in 48 or whatever it takes to begin with. The 24 hour round being the ultimate goal. Taking light sleeping kit and food or stashing it along the route somewhere to allow me to do it over 2 days is definately on my list of things to do.
An important part of being able to do it in 24 hours is the navigation. A lot of the time you are on trods that are fainter than the sheep tracks! Knowing all the best lines and the alternatives is really how to stay on time.
Just spending a lot of time on that terrain barefoot is probably what I need to be doing.
I normally run in a forest where it's a mixture of natural sandy/rocky trails and manmade trails topped with crushed rock. In the last week or two i've managed to be able to run on the manmade trails with decent form (not a two legged limp!). It seems like I need to not be thinking 'this is going to hurt', stay relaxed, keep the tempo high and it just sort of works. Practise makes perfect :)
 
An important part of being able to do it in 24 hours is the navigation. A lot of the time you are on trods that are fainter than the sheep tracks!
I remember getting lost a few times on the Pennine Way!
It seems like I need to not be thinking 'this is going to hurt', stay relaxed, keep the tempo high and it just sort of works. Practise makes perfect :)
I agree relaxation (and good posture) is key. It doesn't help to be in a hurry either! I've also found that the rougher the surface, the higher my cadence, given a constant pace, even mild chipseal makes a difference.

Anyway good luck with the adventure! Look forward to hearing updates.
 
That circuit is probably possible barefoot but I thought that the whole point of "The Bob Graham Round" was to do it in 24 hours!

Taking your time (and taking it easy) you should be good - but it won't be a walk in the park!
 
Welcome! There is a video of Ken Bob running on some serious gravel and boulders up and downhills, but I don't know where it's at. Anyone?
 
Welcome Mike, how timely, I've started reading "Feet in the Clouds" and was thinking the same thing myself!

66 miles over 24 hours means a fair bit of it will be hiking rather than running so that would help reduce the abrasion. To this end I'd probably be sounding out the good people in the barefoot hiking section and seeing what distances they have been able to achieve and at what speed over what terrain (people like Rick Whitelaw, Ahcuah and paraganek who hike the Grand Canyon).

Your sole conditioning, if consistently running should feel like it hits a bit of a peak at about 3 months in. Further resilience is possible though: In my experience just training long distances doesn't guarantee tougher soles. It will help with your foot strength, but for tougher soles you need to add in either pace or abrasive surface (or a combination thereof). To illustrate this my feet are tougher now chasing a sub 40 min barefoot 10km on concrete than they were when I ran 180km barefoot in 24 hrs on an athletics track. Anyway 9 months sounds achievable if you don't mind spending a lot of time at the edge of your comfort zone. Occasional ice, voltaren and shoe use in the early stages will help stop any inflammation becoming self-perpetuating (swollen balls of the feet are like a magnet for rocks!)

The devil will be in the detail of the course, ie how much of it is loose rock versus more solid track or grass. Most of my time the Lakes was in and around Coniston so I am not familiar with the fells on the Round. It might be that you need to investigate a few deviations from the standard route which serves shod runners. Have you got a set of Wainwright's guides yet?!

Depending on how much of it is slopes (versus steps), you might also find you need to work on stretching your calves so your heels can touch down more often when going uphill. Otherwise you'll be taking a lot of strain in the calves and at risk of injury.

As for relaxing, learning to run at night around dimly lit uneven streets/pavements and using the "force" (ie proprioception) is good practice. That and using more peripheral vision to look at the ground when running in the day. It's a bit of a balancing act (literally) when it comes to loose surfaces though, but you'll be going slower on these bits so you don't need to be as relaxed.

Good luck with it, love to hear how you go. To quote Wainwright "There will be fair winds and foul, days of sun and days of rain. But enjoy them all. Good walking! And don't forget - watch where you are putting your feet."

Cheers

Rob