Mileage for newbie????

andreblor

Barefooters
Sep 14, 2010
5
0
0
#1
Hi all,

Let me start by introducing myself, I am a 40 yo guy from Ireland, up until feb this year I was a 20-a-day smoker who could not run to save my life.



Anyway, I decided to turn my unhealthy lifestyle around and I'm currently training for my 1st marathon, dublin 25 october 2010, i'm pretty obsessive about my training, i'm doing about 40-50 miles a week, running 5-6 times a week and oh i stopped smoking and dropped 40 lbs too!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I am currently shod, running in nikes, but i really want to get rid of my shoes, i feel as if i'm fit enough to run forever, but it's always the pain that makes things difficult for me, so i cant wait to liberate my feet, just the thought of my feet being free excites me. My question is this; Can i still maintain my current mileage, with a view to doing the marathon or must i drop all my shod running as i re-learn how to run barefoot???



I really do not want to reduce my mileage, but i really want to get started with BFR, I cannot even contemplate not running the marathon as it's been the focus of my training, and i'd feel as if i'd be betraying myself if i did not complete it at this stage, it is the reason I have turned my lazy ass life around!!!



How can I get in some BFR whilst still keeping up the mileage??????



please help!!!!!!!!



Thanks,



A
 
#2
There have been others that

There have been others that have transitioned slowly. Here are a couple of warnings. They are completely different and unless you have impecable running form with your nikes it will be difficult for the two to mesh. You will begin to dread wearing shoes. Chances are with a race looming ahead you will do too much too soon and hurt yourself.

My recomendation would be to start going barefoot when you are not running now. Run shod and once you are done with your marathon get rid of your shoes and then start barefoot running. Also learn to like cross training to keep your fitness up.

However I'm a borderline purist, someone else will chime in with better ideas soon.
 
#4
I was in a similar boat as

I was in a similar boat as you - I wasn't putting in as much mileage when I made the switch, but it was hard to cut back. For me, an injury limited my ability to go very far when I first started anyway.

When I started out, I switched to a shoe with a lower heel, and did part of my runs barefoot at the end. Ultimately this caused me more problems so I switched to Vibram Five Fingers (which I had been wearing around as everyday shoes for awhile already) and barefoot, which kept my Achilles tendons lengthening instead of being confused by shoes. ;-)

I've been transitioning for nearly six months now and I still cannot run a full three miles barefoot - but I have finally figured out my stride and don't have pain from running anymore (meaning Achilles pain - when I run too far barefoot I get raw spots on occasion).

Being a relative newbie myself, I would agree with Abide and say that you are better off waiting until after your marathon to start running barefoot - BUT that doesn't mean that you can't go barefoot otherwise and start toughening up your feet and getting your muscles and tendons used to it a little bit!
 
#5
I would say concentrate on

I would say concentrate on getting your marathon goal over with and out of the way. THEN ditch the shoes, and go completely barefoot (if that is your goal--to be a barefoot runner, not minimalist; otherwise, the "rules" change slightly). At that point, starting all over and relearning how to run is the safest way to approach it. When you are ready for that and have questions, we'll be here.
 
#6
I agree with what has already

I agree with what has already been said, get the marathon out of the way then make your transition. That being said, there's really no reason why you couldn't get a 1/4 mile barefoot run in a couple days a week. Just tack it on the beginning or end of a normal run. Take it slow and concentrate on form. As long as you keep the 1/4 mile limit this won't be enough to get in "too much too soon" trouble, you can start to feel some of the benefits and you won't disturb your marathon training.

Welcome! and good luck!
 
#7
Barefoot running a bit can

Barefoot running a bit can actually be helpful when your doing a lot of mileage, because it teaches you how you're supposed to run with pain. I was having a lot of knee trouble with the roughly 50 miles a week I was doing over the summer, and I was able to transfer a tiny bit of my barefoot knowledge over to shod running in order to save my knees. You won't get much past the messing around stage while your still logging serious mileage in shoes though. Its not impossible, just highly unlikely. What I did starting out was just go for a short 1/4 mile run barefoot some nights, when I wouldn't have been running in shoes anyways. Really you should start out just walking around the block, and if you get blisters, you know you have to change your form. Don't focus at all on toughening up your feet at all, they don't really need to be that tough, and they can do it by themselves while you focus on your form. I'll agree with everyone else and say you should finish the marathon, and then ditch the shoes, assuming thats what you want to do. Even if you want to just run in Vibrams or other minimal shoes, its best to start out completely bare in order to avoid the dreaded TOFP (top of foot pain).

As for mileage, it's going to be painfully low. Lots of cross-training, like swimming and/or cycling will help you to; A. Not feel like a bum, and B. Not kill your feet because you need to run further than you can. I was doing a 10 mile just about everyday, sometimes twice a day before I went bare, and now I'd be extremely happy to be able to run a 5 without stopping all the time. I'm getting maybe like 7-10 mpw, but really thats not whats important at the begining. Your form is the only important thing, and mileage/speed will come as a result of good form, never the other way around. I'm not even really trying to count miles at all, I just go run, play with my form, and come back home when my feet say they've had enough.
 
#8
 Thank you all for the

Thank you all for the advice, it's as i expected get the shod marathon out of the way and then start on bfr,

i really am looking forward to it, and it will be interesting to compare my shod marathon this year to my barefoot one next year, not just time, but effort, pain etc.

I'll let you all know how i get on in 5 weeks and keep in touch

cheers

A
 
#9
 Hi Guys, Well just a quick

Hi Guys,



Well just a quick line to let you know how i got on with my first marathon. dublin, ireland, 25 oct 2010, bib no. 12781

I finished it in 4hrs 14mins 37secs, not too bad i suppose, just 15 mins slower than i wanted to be, but the best bit, i ran the last 13 miles barefoot!!!!!!!

I had been doing a little bfr training, maybe up to 1 mile, but i got a knee injury 7 weeks prior to the marathon and had to stop running, I only managed 1 long run in the last month before the marathon and that was 9 days before, i did 19 miles, after 15 miles my feet really hurt so i took off my shoes and began to walk a little, i immediately felt better so i ran/walked the last 4 miles of my training run.

Come marathon day and at half way at 1 hr 52 mins my feet began to ache again and i decided to ditch the nikes. Best thing ever, immediate relief, i ran the last 13 miles barefoot, started to cramp up about 19 miles or so, but that was down to the lack of proper long runs in the last 6 weeks, my feet were a bit painful about mile 23 or so but at that stage i'd have runn over razor blades to finish!!!! Soles of feet were a bit sore with two mofo blisters on the balls of my feet, but strangely not too bad, i drained them and no problems since.

2 days on and i feel great, all my friends think i'm nuts, i hadn't told anyone about the bfr training.

going to rest the body for another day or two, might try 8 miles over the weekend barefoot of course, i'll let you all know how i get on

pics to follow

Cheers

A

P~S

Next years target 3hrs 30mins barefoot
 
#12
I just want to know what you

I just want to know what you did with the Nikes?!

Congrats!
 
#13
Wowza!Your story sounds like

Wowza!

Your story sounds like Barefoot Ken Bob's story...shoes hurting your feet, much?

Great job! Hope you have an easy recovery post-marathon. Lots of couch time ahead of you I'm sure. It's the best part of running a marathon (well...not really :)
 
#14
Wow, I think thats probably

Wow, I think thats probably the farthest anyone has ever gone that early on. My recomendation, even though you've already run that 13 miler, is that its probably best to cut your runs down to around 5 miles or less. You can get away with a run like that once, or maybe twice, but if you keep it up without ever really building up to it, it will probably lead to injury. Barefoot running is a completely different animal than shod running, so no matter what kind of shape you were in before, you have to start over, and everyone basically has the same transition. Some people just learn faster than others. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I don't want to see you getting hurt from TMTS. When you get back out, try doing 3-5 miles every other day, and focus on your form a lot. If after a week of that you feel like you can do more without hurting, feel free to do so, but get a least a week in there before you go crazy, so you know how your body will handle consistent barefoot runs.
 
#15
 Point well made Danjo,i

Point well made Danjo,

i guess i was probably swept along by the euphoria of the marathon, i'll keep it circa 5 miles for the next week or 2

TJ, i ran into a gas station and asked if i could leave them there to collect later, a somewhat confused attendant said ok and i collected them later that afternoon!!



A
 
#16
You should have just left

You should have just left them there. ;-)
 
#17
Wow, Nice! I agree with TJ,

Wow, Nice! I agree with TJ, should have left them there. Or given them away to someone who wanted them, because NOW, there is no going back!

Welcome!
 
#18
 took a little run this

took a little run this pm



4 miles............................................shod................................................sorry



bfr this saturday 6 miles..................................................................... promise



J
 
#19
Just giving you a hard time. 

Just giving you a hard time. It's all in fun.
 
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