When I was little, my grandmother used to read my fortune by examining how coffee grounds drip down the insides of an upside down teacup. I need that same kind of wisdom, though more empirically based, about my feet and my rate of progression in BFR.
In a nutshell, my story is like this. I'm in mostly decent physical shape, 37 years old and been running for one month barefoot. Prior to this, I'd hurt my knee overdoing it in shoes trying to prepare for a half. Took 5 weeks off and still pain. Discovered BFR and haven't worn shoes but for work since... knee pain is GONE, and I'm spiritually and physically awakened by my experience so far. I'm a convert, 100%, and will probably never wear shoes to run again.
So, I ask for your opinions about what my soles tell you about my pace/progress/form. I know that the general wisdom is to let my body be my guide, and I think I've done a decent enough job of this so far. The only thing that hurts after runs are the hot spots on the ball of my feet beneath my first and fifth metatarsals, and that pain is gone by the next day (abrasion type sensitivity.)
These pictures were taken right after a 2 mile morning run near the limit of my comfortable pace. Are these hot spots (and little blisters here and there) within an acceptable range of wear, in your opinion? I see very experienced barefoot runners and their soles appear, in photos, less 'abused' after a marathon than mine do after a 2mi run. Do my soles look on par for someone 'seasoning' his feet for the first time?
I definitely sense a running imbalance. I scraped my right foot's toe (pretty awesome MT) and then overcompensated, causing a really sore left Achilles, since I'm landing harder on the left foot (obviously more beat up than the right). I'm trying to relax both sides more, and I think the imbalance is improving, but still, I just want a sanity check. Thanks!
In a nutshell, my story is like this. I'm in mostly decent physical shape, 37 years old and been running for one month barefoot. Prior to this, I'd hurt my knee overdoing it in shoes trying to prepare for a half. Took 5 weeks off and still pain. Discovered BFR and haven't worn shoes but for work since... knee pain is GONE, and I'm spiritually and physically awakened by my experience so far. I'm a convert, 100%, and will probably never wear shoes to run again.
So, I ask for your opinions about what my soles tell you about my pace/progress/form. I know that the general wisdom is to let my body be my guide, and I think I've done a decent enough job of this so far. The only thing that hurts after runs are the hot spots on the ball of my feet beneath my first and fifth metatarsals, and that pain is gone by the next day (abrasion type sensitivity.)
These pictures were taken right after a 2 mile morning run near the limit of my comfortable pace. Are these hot spots (and little blisters here and there) within an acceptable range of wear, in your opinion? I see very experienced barefoot runners and their soles appear, in photos, less 'abused' after a marathon than mine do after a 2mi run. Do my soles look on par for someone 'seasoning' his feet for the first time?
I definitely sense a running imbalance. I scraped my right foot's toe (pretty awesome MT) and then overcompensated, causing a really sore left Achilles, since I'm landing harder on the left foot (obviously more beat up than the right). I'm trying to relax both sides more, and I think the imbalance is improving, but still, I just want a sanity check. Thanks!
