Hello from Mt. Morris Park (Harlem)!

[Barefoot Kamaʻāina]

Greetings BFS,

Since I've taken a BF moniker I thought it best that I dive right in and actually post something.

I'm fairly new to regular running (less than two years) but have done a couple of halves and a full. I decided to try running BF mostly out of curiosity. I want to run injury free for as long as possible and it seams like doing it BF is the best way.

I started slow. 3 minutes at the beginning and end of each regular run and then slowly added time. I've gone as far as 4 miles BF on a flat and smooth road. Up until recently I haven't had any problems. The last couple of runs have left my ankles (maybe Achilles?) feeling sore. Weak might be a better word. No calf problems, which seem to be common during transition. I'm guessing this is a result of TMTS? I'm not sure what the best strategy is for continuing my runs. I have VFFs but haven't ever really run in them. I went right to BF. I've been carrying my regular shoes during my BF warm up & cool down and running shod in between.

Anyway - I'm going to work through it because when things aren't sore running barefoot feels too good to every go back to shoes.

Thank for listening (or reading rather).

BK

 

[Barefoot TJ]

You don't say how long you've

You don't say how long you've been running barefoot, so I can't guess if it would be due to TMTS.



Take a couple days of rest, at least, and then try again. Reassess what you did that could have caused this.



Welcome!

 

[Barefoot Kamaʻāina]

Apologies. I started right at

Apologies. I started right at the beginning of 2012. Looking back it hasn't been that long.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

It's possible you did TMTS. 

It's possible you did TMTS. Four miles in a month. That could be nothing to some folks and a lot to others. You'll have to back off and figure out if you're ready for that distance.

It could be that your ankles are weak form wearing shoes (as they atrophy our feet and ankles), and you are putting stress on them. You might want to try strengthening your ankles on the side (not just during the run). Good luck!

 

[JosephTree]

Hi BK K, welcome!Yes, you're

Hi BK K, welcome!

Yes, you're going to hurt a bit if you try ramping up that quickly. I concur with the "back off some' recommendation. Like TJ said, some folks can leap to amazing levels, but not most. The folks in the gap get injuries. I think most people just don't understand how much change your muscle and bone goes through between the initial steps and fully developed BF state. I'm about 22 months into my running career having started BF from scratch and I'm still noticing changes. I think what aided my relatively unscathed record of freedom from injury is that I had very low expectaions, having had no runningto compare myself to in the past couple of decades.

So, cool your jets just a bit, keep reading, and pay real close attention to how your recovery from each run feels.

Also, track down DNEChris, who runs a bit in your neck of the woods. He's just an excellent guy to know and is probably the most experienced BF runner frequenting this board.

 

[DNEchris]

You're making me blush JT!  I

You're making me blush JT! I don't think I've got quite that level of experience.



Welcome BK. As Joseph says I run a bit and I'm not a million miles from you as I live on the Upper West Side. I get into Central Park most days and love the north end!



PM me if you would like some one-on-one advice/instruction though what you've received so far from JT and TJ is right on the money. Take it easy and don't try and run through pain.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Kama, join the New York

Kama, join the New York Chapter through the Chapters tab up top.

 

[Barefoot Kamaʻāina]

Done!

Done!

 

[DNEchris]

Done!

Done!

 

[Phil Hart]

Kama:Welcome to the crew,

Kama:

Welcome to the crew, and "what they said." The best thing you could possibly do would be to run BF with someone who can help coach you into good habits/form early in the process (DNE Chris fits the bill excellently). Enjoy!