I am a new member. I'm 44 and have been running in "normal" shoes since I was 14. When I turned 30, I transitioned from 5K - 15K distance into 25K - marathon distance. I've done 12 marathons (3:30 - 4:00 times), and also a few half ironmans. This past summer, I started reading about barefoot running, and became interested because my marathon training often led to IT-band problems. I started going barefoot as much as possible this past summer, except in running. Then after my last marathon (end of Aug), I started my transition to minimalist shoes (Merrill Trail Glove). I started super slow (no more than a mile on a given day), and slowly worked my way up to 8 miles in these shoes.
Are there any members out there with a similar background? While my transition has gone pretty well overall, I wonder how things will go as the mileage increases. My feet do feel sore after the longer runs, especially in the forefoot. Is this normal? And while I use the roller on my calves before each run, my calves feel pretty tired by the end of a 6-8 mile run. Will I have cramping problems when I get to the marathon? And how does barefoot running impact the speed of my marathons? I'm hoping to do a 25K in my minimalist shoes in May, and 1 or 2 marathons this fall.
Being from Michigan (Grand Rapids), I haven't done much running completely barefoot yet. But hoping to give this a try this summer too. We have some good trails in the woods by our house.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Dave
Dave,
I've ran several marathons barefoot as have many others on this board. Here are my thoughts...
First, if I can run a marathon barefoot in less than a year, anyone can...
That being said...
I pushed it and, if I'm honest, I shouldn't have. I took 5 steps forward and 2 back every week it seemed. I HAD to run the miles on my plan during my first training cycle which was my mistake. I survived, but it could have been much better. Fortunately, it only took a Louisville Slugger to my forehead once for me to get it. It's been smooth sailing ever since.
It took me 3 months to run a 10K, 8 to run a 1/2 and 11 to run a full. I TOTALLY threw away the shoes and I haven't worn them since. (That's a bit of a lie, I wear VFFs ONCE every year to remind myself why I don't...)
LISTEN to your body. Sounds like you're an experienced runner, but where you can "run through" an injury and/or pain in shoes, you absolutely cannot when barefoot. If you have to start from zero to run barefoot, do so and don't look back. IMHO, if you're going to run barefoot, run barefoot ALL the time. If you feel true pain, STOP! Little niggles are okay and soreness is normal. Don't baby your feet, but don't seek out gravel either (that's a fine balance, but you'll understand after a couple of weeks).
Don't worry about speed in the beginning. Pace? Forget it. Learn how to run and listen to your body. Then a "poof" moment will happen and you'll be flying and not even realize it.
Most of all... HAVE FUN WITH IT!
Unless you're running for money, its all BS.
JMHO,
PILOTRUNNER