Cold weather barefoot running techniques

[TimButterfield]

Owen McCall is a long time Chicago area barefoot runner and the leader/instructor of the Chicago Area Barefoot Running group on Meetup. He is a member here, but may not be a frequent visitor. He posted some cold weather barefoot running techniques here: http://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Area-Barefoot-Running/boards/view/viewthread?thread=10093236

KenBob reposted them here: http://therunningbarefoot.com/?p=7180

The ideas for enhanced blood flow training and keeping an overly hot core are interesting. I tried some quick tests and it seems to work. After bundling up and getting hot while sitting inside, I was able to walk around outside on our concrete patio and sidewalk for a few minutes at 27F without freezing my feet like I normally would. It was weird feeling my core temperature gradually dropping to keep my feet warm. But, it worked. After getting back inside, my feet were finally cold on the bottom, but nowhere near painful. If I were running, it would have kept my core warmer much longer than just casually strolling around my house. I tried another test inside also as I was going to sleep. I put a down comforter over an electric blanket and pulled back the corner so I could expose my feet. As I gradually turned up the control level, I could feel my core warm initially and then re-stabilize at a lower, comfortable level. I was surprised I was not overheating. My feet were keeping me comfortable the whole time dissipating the excess heat to the cooler room. Perhaps if I do this on a regular basis, I can train my feet to be dissipators instead of my head when I run outdoors as Owen suggests, well, provided the ground is above freezing anyway. I'm not sure I want to consider below freezing just yet.

Tim

 

[txtenderfoot]

 I suppose there are dietary

I suppose there are dietary ways to help increase circulation. I've heard consuming cayenne can help with this, as well as green tea. Something in green tea is supposed to reduce the rigidity of the blood vessels. Any thoughts or info out there?

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Nice post and great

Nice post and great information. I ran a barefoot 10 miler this morning, at 25 degrees. No toe numbess, and feet were always pink.

 

[TimButterfield]

Adam G. wrote:Nice post and

Nice post and great information. I ran a barefoot 10 miler this morning, at 25 degrees. No toe numbess, and feet were always pink.

Thanks. Sounds like a great run. How did you get to your route? Let me explain what I mean more fully.



I like these ideas and plan to try cold weather barefoot running this winter. My biggest concern is one of the safety aspects Owen mentioned, getting feet wet from salt snow melt moisture and the resulting evaporative cooling. Salt or chemical granules or the spray laid down on streets for municipal snow removal are all over most urban areas, especially mine near Chicago's O'Hare airport. If you don't live on an uncontaminated route, what is the best way to get to one that is close by, risk it, drive, or wear footwear? I'm only two blocks away from the grass of a park, but none of those methods of traversal seem appealing. If it was further away, it would make more sense to drive, but I don't really want to start the car to drive two blocks. It doesn't make sense to wear footwear only to take it off and carry it for a run. And, I don't like the idea of running over salt and chemical granules on the sidewalks or the spray on streets. I guess I need to wait until it is a dry day, all moisture has evaporated, and crunch some granules on the way, pretending it's pea gravel. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Tim

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

I just left my house with my

I just left my house with my garmin, and just kept running. It was a dry day, and the sun was shinning bright by 7:30am. We have not had snow yet. Sooner or later I will have to resort to my Vibrams. I never knew about the danges of salt so never thought twice about it last year, but I wasn't barefoot. I ran in the snow with my KSO's.

 

[Barefoot Mary]

Great article!!! Thanks for

Great article!!! Thanks for posting it!

I've experienced running on salt this year, but when it's dry and crunchy it doesn't seem to effect my feet. That said, I try to avoid it when I can, dancing through it. Here in Colorado we've had a lot of 30ish degree days but it's very dry (high desert) and sunny. As a rule, I don't go out running on days when it may snow or slush, etc. I haven't seen anyone hosing sidewalks here. Hmmm.

My technique is to go out in my water shoes and when my feet get warm (after about a mile) I whip them off and go barefoot. They're easy to carry so when my feet go numb I can put them back on and head home. So far I've gone up to just over a mile in under freezing temperatures barefoot. Each time gets easier, like my feet are learning to deal with the cold!

I'm a big fan of arm-warmers on the bundling front. When my hands start sweating and I have to peel them back, that's about the time my feet start sweating and I can to take off my shoes. It's kind of a neat indication...like my blood has reached my extremities after that first mile.

That's all I got!

 

[stomper]

All good info.  I like Owen's

All good info. I like Owen's idea of keeping the core warm and trying to get it to flush out the heat to the extremities. Mary's idea of checking the status of your hands fits in with that... perhaps your hands can give you a suggestion about how well your feet, which are very busy while running and may be tough to observe, are being heated.

(Of course all this probably sounds insane to any shod runners lurking here. Why don't these people just put on some socks and shoes and get warn that way? Well, lurkers, the problem is that the sensation of BF running is intoxicating... I'm finding it hard to go back. :innocent: )

 

[stomper]

Update: the core warming idea

Update: the core warming idea does seem to be helping.

Basically what I do is keep my running top zipped up and my double-thick wool hat on for a few minutes even after most of my body has heated up. When I first feel the urge to unzip the top and take off the hat and stick it in my pocket, I force myself to wait maybe five minutes or so. My core does feel a bit too warm, but my feet become noticeably more comfortable. After I get the flush in my feet I unzip and remove the hat.

Of course all of this could be in my head. It's pretty subjective. But it seems to be working on cold dry days between 30-40F.

Harder in my opinion are wet grass and mud, which leave my feet feeling frozen even above 40F. If I get wet mud on my feet I try to find something to run on... some pavement, some pine needles, etc, to shake it off, otherwise i'm cold.