How was your barefoot running this Winter?
2011-2012 Winter Barefoot Challenge
By Barefoot YOW
One of the most common questions on BRS, in the late Fall, is "What footwear do you wear in the Winter?" Our answer is NONE. (or at least sometimes none)
Running barefoot in the winter poses unique challenges and opportunities. You need not be chained to a treadmill for the winter nor resign to wearing footwear. We choose barefoot for the exact reason that we do so in the summer -- sensory feedback. Through group discussion and a lot of trial and error, each participant ventures into the frozen world. We explore weather/road conditions to find new limits, and often pushing ourselves into unknown running territory. This is a summary of the BRS Barefoot Winter Challenge 2011-2012, and the lessons learned by those adventurous enough to run winter conditions, in bare feet.
Background:
The challenge started in the fall of 2010, out of Canadian pride. I was sitting at my computer seeing BRS members post their mileage and glorious runs, while looking out my window at 20 cm or 8 inches of fresh snow. I'll admit it, we Canadians have a bit of a inferiority complex living next door to a world superpower. Yet, we do take pride in our resiliency to the cold. I may not be able to run as far or often barefoot, but I could try to run in the cold. Besides, Barefoot Rick has been doing it for years. The challenge was born. In the winter of 2010-2011, we ran 94 times for 784 km with 11 participants. In the end it was Smelph, from Michigan with 25 runs, who won the inaugural challenge. My Canadian ego was dashed again, but many congrats to Smelph.
2010 results:
2011 Version:
The 2nd annual Barefoot Winter Challenge ran from Oct 2011 to April 1, 2012. A very appropriate day for we barefoot fools. We had 52 hardy soles, 26 members, participate in our challenge. The criteria for a qualifying run was a minimum of 1 km at less than 5°C or 41°F. We increased the temperature range this year because running barefoot in wet near freezing conditions is definitely worthy, if not the most difficult. The group ran a total of 337 runs for a grand total of 2,306.6 km or 1433 mi. To give you some perspective, this is the same as running half way across North America. Not bad at all, for feet on frozen ground! Participants were from five countries: Norway (1), France (1), Germany (2), Canada (10), and USA (12). If you live in North America, you are surely aware that we had a milder winter. Milder winter equals more opportunity to try running barefoot, and run we did. Here are some stats from the challenge:
Group Stats:
97% of the distance covered between 5°C to -10°C (41 to 14°F)
94% of runs carried out between 5°C to -10°C (41 to 14°F)
Most runs by Country: Canada = 193 (59% of total)
Most distance by County: Canada = 1324 km (57% of total)
Notice that the average distances run match well for the temperature ranges. 5° to -5C and -5° to -15°C. We seemed to run either 7 or 5 km. Check out the following graphs. You can see the runs per country and per temperature. Again, it clearly shows that the sweet spot for barefoot winter running is between 5°C and -5°C (41°F to 23°F). Running at lower temperatures is more of a quick dash by the crazier ones of the group. (guilty
)
Individual Stats:
Most distance: Run Barefoot (Lou) = 403 km or 250 mi
Most runs: Barefoot YOW (Rod) = 55
Top female: moominmamma (Miranda); 4th overall (and she only ran for half the winter!)
Most miles in socks: Pbarker (Paul) (valiant attempt to change the rules of the challenge)
We had some impressive individual accomplishments:
·Smelph and YOW doubled mileage from last year
·Miranda went from 4 to 210 km, year over year
·Rickwhitelaw made a fantastic comeback from frostbite to make it into the top 5
·BarefootingBob ran a winter marathon
·Run Barefoot ran a winter half
·Pbarker became a sock advocate
·Barfuß Chelsea had the coldest European run
Here are the individual stats:
Lessons learned:
#1 Running in the cold is possible. Most participants were surprised at how well they adapted to running in the cold, especially those who participated in the 2010 challenge. Initially, most were tentative and with a little trial and error each found their comfort zone. Some experimented with cold weather running and never came to enjoy it out of concern for frostbite. In the end, those that did rack up the mileage did so by acclimatizing gradually, and choosing the conditions that best suited them. Miranda, Rick Whitelaw, and Horseman42 (Paul) were great examples of new challengers that put up some impressive miles.
#2 Less snow means improved running conditions. Dry roads are the key to barefoot winter running. The lack of snow resulted in two direct benefits. Firstly, heat loss with wet feet is much faster than dry. Second, less snow means less salt on the roads. Not only is salt the winter gravel but it also burns the skin. Our mild winter provided ample opportunity to run outdoors sans salt.
#3 Experience is key. The experienced winter runners (Troy, Lou, Bob, and Rod) found that they got into their groove much easier this year. This was possible due to two key points; trusting that your feet WOULD warm up during the run, and knowing the conditions that suit barefoot running. I was surprised that running in wet cold conditions was not as uncomfortable as last year. I could run 6k in wet -5°C conditions, whereas last year I had to avoid wet days. Both Lou and Bob had long runs (half and full marathon respectively) in wet near freezing temperatures.
#4 Frostbite is still the enemy. We had one soldier down this winter. Rick got one of the worst cases of frostbite I've seen.
It did put him out of commission for about a month, but he came roaring back with lots of miles in the last month of winter. (and he is still going) This is the number one warning for all runners in the winter, shod or not. Rick wrote up a post on BRS. I encourage all to read it. Here's the link http://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/1st-bf-injury-frostbite.3919/. The lesson here is that only 4% of the participants got frostbite. So yes, be aware of the dangers of frostbite, but the probability of getting frostbite is statistically low. Run smart, and run with backup footwear (even if it is socks)
#5 Call for backup. Many of us carried minimalist footwear in case our feet became too cold. Your confidence to run barefoot is solid when all you have to do is quickly throw on a protective layer. My only suggestion is that your backup footwear not be VFFs. They can be difficult to put on when your toes are cold and stiff. The best indicator that things are just getting too cold is feedback. There are two sensory indicators. Numb feet is the first, and surprisingly sensitive feet is the second. Sensitive feet is indicative of feeling every grain of sand. It is uncomfortable. As Ken Bob says ... don't run through pain. Stop and put on some footwear. Numb feet means that you're running blind. You will end up with damaged skin, because you are unaware of the damage occurring with each step. Throw on the minimalist shoes and on with your run. Miranda had a great suggestion. She likes running in her footwear to warm up her feet then go barefoot. She then throws on the footwear when cold and continues with the run. Backup is always at hand.
#6 Make gravel your friend. As winter wanes the amount of crap on the road grows exponentially. I'd rather run dirt trails covered in mud, twigs, and rocks than run roads with winter residue. The secret is learning to relax. Tense up and you feel everything. Relax your feet, knees, and shoulders and you will be able to run comfortably. You may want to invest in some tweezers to pull out any embedded nuggets. Incorporating some gravel bucket running is a great primer for late winter running.
In conclusion, The challenge is a personal one. It is not a matter of who ran the most or furthest. It is about getting out and feeling your run. Put the journey ahead of the finish line. Running in the cold enriches your running experience. You can wear it as a badge of honour, for few people in our sheltered urban lives know the feeling of cold pavement, ice, or snow. Most co-workers, friends, and family think I'm crazy for running barefoot. Why not go all the way and run in the winter too. I take pride attempting that which others think impossible. Running barefoot in the winter is safe and exhilarating. I want to thank all the participants of this years' challenge. My toque is off to each and everyone of you.
See you next winter,
Barefoot YOW
