Newbie ( three) six month tally

IHL · Oct 30, 2011

On 4th August 2011 I put my Mizune running shoes away.

Since then I have managed to clock up 305 km running. Roughly 100 km per month. This has been a mix of VFF running and totally barefoot. I started out with VFFs, but have ended up preferring barefoot. Weather does restrict me a bit though (wet and cold does not mix with an old non-freezing cold injury).

I have not broken anything. But I am sure I have made just about every other TooMuchTooSoon mistake described here and elsewhere. But more than that: I have had a lot of fun. And I continue to have fun. I hope to be able to say I have transitioned properly sometime next year. I know I am still a complete novice.

Today I could happily do an 11 mile run in 1 hour 29 minutes. Not a blistering speed, but not completely lame either. I could do it without feeling like a sock with a knot in it at the end. I could have carried on to to do a few more miles at the same pace as well. I can move about easily without any pain, and I am looking forward to a similar run om Tuesday.

Hopefully I will find a way of keeping it up through the winter. We easily get minus 10 to 20 centigrade here from December to March and a lot of snow and ice but I am sure I will find a way.

Oh, and by the way. I used to have a throbbing pain in my knees after every run. It has not been an issue since 4th August.

I enjoy my BF and minimalist running and look forward to carrying on. Thnx to all the great advise and stories on this website. It has really helped me keeping my own blisters in perspective.

All the best,

IHL

Barefoot TJ · Oct 30, 2011

Wonderful news, IHL! Even

Wonderful news, IHL! Even Ken Bob admits that many years later, he was still learning how to do it right, so you're in good company.

IHL · Jan 7, 2012

Final milage barefoot or

Final milage barefoot or minimal for 2011 was 521 kilometers. Of late I have ended up using huarache style sandals more than Vff's. Suspect that the VFFs will not be used that much this season. For outdoor running sandals and socks are warmer than any VFF. For treadmill running I have come to prefer the sandals as well. Socks will sometime do it, but the sandals are the easiest by far.. I am looking forward to learning more this year. All the best IHL

Barefoot TJ · Jan 7, 2012

Hi IHL, be sure to post your

Hi IHL, be sure to post your mileage in the 2011 Mile Club sticky at the top of this forum.

Congrats on the miles/kilometers!

IHL · Mar 16, 2012

9 months now since I threw away my Asics Gel shoes. 312 Km minimalist so far this year. When it was at its coldest I found that padding a gymsock (plastisock) with a woolsock kept frostbite at bay even below minus 10 degrees. They worked exceptionally well on hard packed snow and ice. The melting snow and residual gravel and salt has its own charms. I now mostly use a pair of Luna sandals until the tarmac heats up a bit. On Wednesday I took a sligtly longer route for my training run and ended up doing a 1/2 Marathon (21 km) in 1 hour 43 minutes wearing Lunas. I am very pleased with this time. A seven minute improvement on the test I did last autumn. No pain, no excessive tiredness, legs and feet super the next day. Still having fun. Looking forward to the warmer weather. IHL

Barefoot TJ · Mar 16, 2012

Good deal, IHL. Love these success stories!

IHL · Jun 16, 2012

Eleven month tally. I have just completed my first Marathon. It is called Nordmarka and is a Trail type event outside of Oslo Norway. Overcast and rain, lots of dirt and mud. Very steep route, up up down down and quite a challenge. .My Luna originals held up great, although I could see the point of something sturdier on the roughest parts. Nevertheless, I came in at 3.53 and I am very happy with that. I was the only one there in Sandals but responses were positive and friendly.
Other than that I am now getting comfortable doing 10-12 k (6+ miles) BF on Norwegian Tarmac roads. This is fun, for a while I through it would not happen.
Best regards to all and have a good BF summer. .