Hello everyone, I live in the San Tan Valley, just south of Queen Creek. I have been wearing minimalist shoes (mainly Vivo) for the past three years & love the way they make my back, knees, ankles, & feet feel. Lately (in the past five months), I have been trying to transition to barefoot but during this month the pavement has been a bit too hot for my pain tolerance levels for walks longer than 3 to 5 minutes. Does anyone have any schedules, hints, or tips for building up to barefoot running in Phoenix-area heat? Thank you!
One of my occasionally barefoot friends in Phoenix, runs barefoot at about 5AM (at least in the summer). He isn't part of this group though, I can forward your message to him. Pavement/ground is coolest just before sunrise, as it has had all night to release at least some of it's heat.
Welcome, Jason! You definitely have a challenge there with the Phoenix heat. I know it's just difficult sitting around in it in the summer months, let alone trying to run barefoot in it. I love that region of the country and have traveled there a few times. Let's hope some others from your area chime in.
Hi Jason, I also live in AZ Hi Jason, I also live in AZ. I run bare occasionally, but of course not in the middle of day in summer! A good way to fry your feet in mere seconds. Even wit five-fingers, I can't do more than a half mile or so before having to stop. But if you either go early or a couple of hours after sunset, it is manageable. By the way, it is safer to transition to minimalist starting with complete barefoot and moving to shoes, rather than the other way around.
