Welcome, Jake. We lived in
Welcome, Jake. We lived in Stuttgart in the mid-90's for 3 years and loved every minute. In fact, I'm looking at the possibility of going back to Germany if I can get a job there.
I'm with the "more runs, less distance/time, with healing time (8-12 hours ideally for me) between sessions to allow the soles of your feet to thicken and acclimate to direct contact. The ideal course of foot development from my experience would be to go for a 0.5- to 1-mile barefoot run each morning and evening for several weeks, not adding distance until you get comfortable with your feet.
In the meantime, any runs for which you feel compelled to go longer, run in VFFs, but be careful not to push the pace faster than you would be able to maintain without shoes. I like the VFFs for the protection they provide, but they do encourage and allow you to get a little sloppy on your form without any real negative consequences. Keeping actively aware of that fact has helped them become a valuable tool for me, although I know others here would burn every pair in a huge bonfire if they could.
You'll eventually figure out what works best for you, so try different tools and methods and advice until you're in your own BFR sweet spot, being careful not to hurt yourself along the way.
Welcome, Jake. We lived in Stuttgart in the mid-90's for 3 years and loved every minute. In fact, I'm looking at the possibility of going back to Germany if I can get a job there.
I'm with the "more runs, less distance/time, with healing time (8-12 hours ideally for me) between sessions to allow the soles of your feet to thicken and acclimate to direct contact. The ideal course of foot development from my experience would be to go for a 0.5- to 1-mile barefoot run each morning and evening for several weeks, not adding distance until you get comfortable with your feet.
In the meantime, any runs for which you feel compelled to go longer, run in VFFs, but be careful not to push the pace faster than you would be able to maintain without shoes. I like the VFFs for the protection they provide, but they do encourage and allow you to get a little sloppy on your form without any real negative consequences. Keeping actively aware of that fact has helped them become a valuable tool for me, although I know others here would burn every pair in a huge bonfire if they could.
You'll eventually figure out what works best for you, so try different tools and methods and advice until you're in your own BFR sweet spot, being careful not to hurt yourself along the way.