Nice to meet you all !
Well, here a little introduction to my journey into barefoot running. Last year i started training for a hiking holiday in Scotland (west highland way) which i would walk with a friend of mine. He already was into minimal running and hiking with Altra shoes. After I discovered there existed something like "barefoot" shoes I immediately bought them. Walking barefoot without being looked at as a bum, awesome.
With some vivobarefoot shoes on my foot I started walking, first a 5k then a 10k to max. 15k. It dawned on me, with if I take my shoes of completely ??? It was...it was..awesome, a sense of freedom and i could feel everything, feeling, feels are my fuel, no brakes on the feel train XD So with 3 months of totally barefoot walking under my belt, I discovered that the transition time needed a lot more time to be able to fully walk 35k on barefoot shoes (fully barefoot on the trail in Scotland looked insane to me) so a bought a pair of altra's for my hiking trip. It was my last pair of cushioned shoes. Continued walking barefoot till the winter came, foremost with commuting. From home to train, from the train to my work place where i wore barefoot shoes, daily a 6 to 10k.
On this holiday in Scotland my friend told me about the book born to run and barefoot running (still haven't read it). Once home, back in Holland, I started barefoot running, the OG barefoot, totally barefoot. After a couple of times I did get pain in my ancle, broke my ancle 5 year ago, including ripping the tendons in my ancle. Because of this my right ancle is a bit stiffer and less mobile. As the famous dutch football player Johan Cruijff once said, every advantage has its disadvantage and every disadvantage has its advantage. Because of my ancle I discovered that mobility is extremely important before I could develop any other injury. So... I started with ground living and flexing everything, if you can squat (as a rest position) you can run. After sometime I started running again. Never having any running experience, I started barefoot running from the beginning, also with only nasal breathing. I believe running is the only thing in my life I started doing it right from the beginning
Nowadays I have 3 months of experience and last month I began to mix it up with some runs in my vivobarefoot shoes. Beginning with 3k with now 5k runs. The nasal breathing was frustrating in the beginning but now it is all coming together. I don't wear a watch, I don't wear headphones, I don't track my runs with any app. I practice as some would call it "caveman running". I practice running on feels, if it feels allright it's good, if i feel pain I'm doing something wrong. I already experienced the calve pain with walking in barefoot shoes....
With the looks of a caveman or viking (blond long hair and a beard and the opposite of the "typical" slender marathon physique), running most of the time barefoot, I am the visual spectacle of my hometown. I guess more people here are experiencing weird looks. But man, despite the weird looks and sometimes negative remarks, it's almost a godly experience. I experience it like a spiritual thing. Going into a playful state like a child, feeling like a toddler, including the smile and the joy of a toddler Looking forward to increase my mileage, start trail running on some trails close by, and buying some barefoot running sandals instead of barefoot shoes. I don't have any races in the future, I don't experience a competitive urge, I'm just curious where my feet will bring me on this wonderfull journey.
Well, here a little introduction to my journey into barefoot running. Last year i started training for a hiking holiday in Scotland (west highland way) which i would walk with a friend of mine. He already was into minimal running and hiking with Altra shoes. After I discovered there existed something like "barefoot" shoes I immediately bought them. Walking barefoot without being looked at as a bum, awesome.
With some vivobarefoot shoes on my foot I started walking, first a 5k then a 10k to max. 15k. It dawned on me, with if I take my shoes of completely ??? It was...it was..awesome, a sense of freedom and i could feel everything, feeling, feels are my fuel, no brakes on the feel train XD So with 3 months of totally barefoot walking under my belt, I discovered that the transition time needed a lot more time to be able to fully walk 35k on barefoot shoes (fully barefoot on the trail in Scotland looked insane to me) so a bought a pair of altra's for my hiking trip. It was my last pair of cushioned shoes. Continued walking barefoot till the winter came, foremost with commuting. From home to train, from the train to my work place where i wore barefoot shoes, daily a 6 to 10k.
On this holiday in Scotland my friend told me about the book born to run and barefoot running (still haven't read it). Once home, back in Holland, I started barefoot running, the OG barefoot, totally barefoot. After a couple of times I did get pain in my ancle, broke my ancle 5 year ago, including ripping the tendons in my ancle. Because of this my right ancle is a bit stiffer and less mobile. As the famous dutch football player Johan Cruijff once said, every advantage has its disadvantage and every disadvantage has its advantage. Because of my ancle I discovered that mobility is extremely important before I could develop any other injury. So... I started with ground living and flexing everything, if you can squat (as a rest position) you can run. After sometime I started running again. Never having any running experience, I started barefoot running from the beginning, also with only nasal breathing. I believe running is the only thing in my life I started doing it right from the beginning
Nowadays I have 3 months of experience and last month I began to mix it up with some runs in my vivobarefoot shoes. Beginning with 3k with now 5k runs. The nasal breathing was frustrating in the beginning but now it is all coming together. I don't wear a watch, I don't wear headphones, I don't track my runs with any app. I practice as some would call it "caveman running". I practice running on feels, if it feels allright it's good, if i feel pain I'm doing something wrong. I already experienced the calve pain with walking in barefoot shoes....With the looks of a caveman or viking (blond long hair and a beard and the opposite of the "typical" slender marathon physique), running most of the time barefoot, I am the visual spectacle of my hometown. I guess more people here are experiencing weird looks. But man, despite the weird looks and sometimes negative remarks, it's almost a godly experience. I experience it like a spiritual thing. Going into a playful state like a child, feeling like a toddler, including the smile and the joy of a toddler
Looking forward to increase my mileage, start trail running on some trails close by, and buying some barefoot running sandals instead of barefoot shoes. I don't have any races in the future, I don't experience a competitive urge, I'm just curious where my feet will bring me on this wonderfull journey.
Ha!
