Hello from Louisville, Ky

[Nu2barefoot]

I suppose my username should be Nu2minimalist instead. I have had a terrible case pf for 3 years. I have seen podiatrists and orthopedics. I have worn night splints, taken drugs, gone through multiple orthotics and even had surgery. The only thing that I got was more pain. I am lost what do I do? I just went to the podiatrist and had an MRI. He informed me that my pf was torn and that I would have to have surgery. Well, I mentioned surgery earlier, that was to shave spurs off my big toe that prevented it from bending. That surgery ended with a staph infection that required a PICC (Peripherally inserted central catheter) and two months of pumping antibiotics. You can see why I wouldn't want to try surgery again.

I bought some vff after one of my friends said that running bf cured her foot woes. I wore the vff for 2 weeks and my pain was at least 90% less. I even put my crutches away. I would have to use them at night just to get around the house. I know pain is different for everyone, but I would gladly welcome another bout of kidney stones if my feet would stop hurting. After 4 weeks I finally went running, but I think I over did it. It felt so good, I ended up going 2.5 miles and my feet let me know it when I was done. Oh yeah, I am 45 lbs overweight. I put on that weight by not being able to run for 3 years. Now the foot pain that I have from running definitely feels like overuse and not pf issues. I plan on waiting 2 more days and running again, but this time keep it to about 1 mile.

I hope all goes well. I will keep posted.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I'd say go no more than 1/2

I'd say go no more than 1/2 mile. Don't push it. Seriously. Take it in baby steps, and you will get there. Jump into it doing too much too soon, and you won't get there.

If you find you are still having trouble running, any pain, any where, consider shedding the VFFs and give true barefoot a try. It might cure what ails you. You won't know though unless you try.

Good luck, and welcome!

 

[Nu2barefoot]

Thanks TJ,I am trying to get

Thanks TJ,

I am trying to get my feet to toughen up. Right now my feet are sensitive to just concrete. I can't stand and walk around very long at all on concrete. I am trying more barefoot meandering just to get rid of the sensitivity. I took me about 10 minutes just to walk about 500 feet down a gravel road. I have always worn shoes, so my feet are very, very sensitive. I took my son to camp and wore my vff’s and it took me a long time to traverse the gravel road that they had even with vff’s.

The good news is that my feet do not hurt any more from my run the other night. I was pretty sure that it was just post workout pain and not an injury, but I will dial it down to 1 mile or less for the next few runs and then just add ¼ to ½ mile per week to build mileage.

If I can lose some of the sensitivity, I will definitely try barefoot.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Just keep plugging away at it

Just keep plugging away at it little-by-little. Make it a point to traverse some terrain you consider difficult for about 10 minutes each day, walking. You'll get there.

And in VFFs or barefoot, your feet will rebel a little, so be prepared for that. You have muscles, lots of them, in your feet that haven't been worked in awhile.

Good plan on the mileage.

 

[FreeYourToes]

Deffinately try and ditch

Deffinately try and ditch those shoes as soon as possible. I remember when I first started running barefoot, or should I say walking, I could not walk more then 4 minutes before having to put on some flip flops. I would walk out as far as I could and then when I could not take it any more I put on my flip flops and walk home. The only way to get your feet used to being barefoot, is being barefoot. You feet will adapt faster then you think.



Welcome!

 

[Nu2barefoot]

Thanks for the advise. I am

Thanks for the advise. I am truly getting used to those muscles that are seldomly used or not used at all with shows. The tops of my feet and sides of my shins hurt a lot in the beginning. I was amazed at how many more muscles were used with vff's.

Also, I only started running about 6 years ago in order to shed weight. I lost 65 lbs and my feet went from a 12.5 to a 14. Looking back I should have known that my feet were trying to tell me something. I am looking forward to my arch building up and my pf going away. I am also looking to break my best 5k time of 20:30.

Thanks again.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

my feet went from a 12.5 to a

my feet went from a 12.5 to a 14

All I can say is wow!

 

[Nu2barefoot]

Well, I am 6'2", but it still

Well, I am 6'2", but it still made finding shoes difficult.

 

[Phil Hart]

Welcome to the best place in

Welcome to the best place in the world for BFR support and knowledge sharing. Enjoy, and don't do TMTS like most of us have done. It's a rite of passage that is completely unnecessary and avoidable, but seems to be a siren song to all new BFRers, including me (my worst was a stress fractured foot bone). Glad to have you here.

 

[Nu2barefoot]

My favorite time to run is at

My favorite time to run is at night. I like how it curbs my appetite and how the benefits last throughout the night while I rest (and there is no chance of someone seeing how bad I look, and trying to put me out of my misery). Does anyone else run at night, and if so, how do you avoid foot dangers like rocks and glass that you may not see because of the darkness?

Btw, I run on roads and sidewalks, no trails yet, with reflective gear of course.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I LOVE running at night,

I LOVE running at night, especially in the summer time when it's so hot. It can still be really hot even at midnight. I run through all the asphalt streets in my subdivision and the connecting subdivision, jumping onto grass now and again, since most of the people here hire lawn companies to take care of their lawns. (Put it this way. I know who takes great care of their lawn and who doesn't. I won't run on my lawn. Ha!) I can get a good five miles if I hit every cul-de-sac in both neighborhoods. I don't worry about the debris. I've never stepped on anything that ruined a run or injured me. I have noticed that during the spring and summer, when people mow their lawns that it's best to run in the middle of the road, since the mowers shoot all the debris from the yards onto the sides of the streets. Also, avoid the corners close to the sides, since the road wears more there where the tires turn into the road. Likewise, avoid those intersection corners where the car tires shoot debris into a patch. You can see this during the daytime, but since you can't see it at night, you need to be aware of it.