Just a short hello!

[Lara_Hastings]

Well I'm new here, might as well introduce myself.



I'm from Finland, 20 something years old. And I'm new to barefoot running Though I'm not new to walking barefoot, last summer I did not wear any shoes at all, maybe a few times on occassions were it would have been offensive to not wear any...

This summer I plan to do the same, so the soles of my feet are already hardy and are looking good. I plan to buy a pair of vibrams so that I can run even on roads that have too much gravel or other types of stuff I would not want to have sticking unto my feet.



Yeah, what else..., I should mention that I'm not an athlete, just a regular sunday jogger. But now that I have read about barefoot running I have stumbled across a very interesting field of information, like pose-running and all that.

I have never put any thought about HOW I run until now, so it is quite exciting to actually spend some time on improving my running technique, which also gives me more motivation to run, though I have had some problems with the small amounts of barefoot running, but I think I will be able to fix these problems - getting tired calfs at the moment.



I could also mention that I'm vegan and my absolute favorite activity is going to rave parties and spending time in nature - or both!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Welcome, Lara!  You'll do

Welcome, Lara! You'll do fine.

 

[Neil_D]

Hi Lara,I don't think many

Hi Lara,

I don't think many of us consider how to run. In a majority of the running magazines and books all you will find is pages and pages of how to train for a marathon or half marathon or 10km, they all go off the assumption that everyone can just run.

It's like going off the same assumption that everyone can play tennis or everyone can play golf but no one sees it that way.

Learning from scratch, as you are not a full time runner, will be easier as you will have the patience to work on your form. I do believe now that (I didn't in the beginning) that you should go barefoot before buying any kind of minimal shoes as it puts an automatic brake on the amount of training you can do.

Sore feet are good, they are saying, "I've had enough for now" and you should listen. As soon as you put shoes on you will probably end up injured and frustrated.

Good luck



Neil

 

[Phil Hart]

Lara:Great advice from

Lara:

Great advice from Neil. I had the same experience, resulting in a broken bone in my foot. Go slow, go barefoot first, and use the VFFs only as tools when you absolutely need foot protection. They're great for hiking, but I have much learned to prefer running truly barefoot, as it just feels much better and more free.

I love Finland and have several friends there. I went to visit them about 10 years ago and got to see a couple of their workplaces while there (Nokia Corporate Offices, Fazer Chocolate Factory and Honka Log Homes). Helsinki was nice, but the countryside farther out was absolutely beautiful! I also lived several years in Stuttgart, Germany, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

Happy running!