No callouses building on toes - is this normal?

[hmduey]

Hello everyone -

I've got a strange question for all of you. I've been barefoot most of the summer (read: most of the time, all summer) and my feet are building up nicely. I don't have problems walking on general things in the yard (grass, acorns, sticks, etc) or running on sidewalks or pavement unless I go too far.

But my toes are still just as tender as they were when I wore shoes all the time. Actually, I have two toes (the middle and "ring" toes on my left foot) that are building up, but the rest are completely soft. The only place I'm getting any toughness is under the pad of my big toes.

I haven't had problems with blisters on my toes from pushing off, although I know I sometimes push off with my left foot. I can tell this because it gets skinned up sometimes, like very mild road rash, when I do it. I also get blisters on the ball of that foot sometimes and I know it's my form.

But really, is this normal? I assume this means my toes are not touching the pavement much, if at all. I don't have any TOFP or anything, so whatever I'm doing seems to be mostly working for me, but I just thought it was strange. Anybody else notice this on their own feet? Should I worry about this?

 

[Blind Boy]

I'd say it's nothing to worry

I'd say it's nothing to worry about, your toes shouldn't be involved in your running anyway. That they're not building thicker skin is most likely evidence of this.

 

[miker]

Heather, I agree w/BB. For

Heather, I agree w/BB. For example, most bf runners arches never get tough skin. Simply because they don't spend time on the ground. Increased muscle, yes. Toughened skin, no. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Cheers!

 

[saypay45]

You probably lift your toes a

You probably lift your toes a bit before your footstrike duey. That's actually the preferred technique to keep your toes out of harms way. If it becomes necessary to have skin built up in that location, then your feet will respond appropriately.

 

[hmduey]

Thanks guys, it just seemed

Thanks guys, it just seemed weird to me; I always thought toes hit the ground whenever one was walking around but obviously not.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I think the toes are supposed

I think the toes are supposed to come into play when running, especially for balancing. (Never push off though.) But if yours aren't touching, and you aren't suffering injury from it, then I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as lifting the toes, there's a fine line between lifting them to keep them from harm and lifting them so much that you start to experience TOFP. Again, that's something we need to individually "feel" our way through to figure out what's right for us, where that line is exactly.

 

[DavidP]

Heather, It sounds as if you

Heather,

It sounds as if you are doing a lot right. Callouses & blisters are a response to abrasion and pressure points. BF Ken Bob and Jason both talk about how BF runners typically have surprisingly soft feet. If you are lifting your foot quickly it your toes will not drag and you won't get callouses or blisters. The big callous you mention on the ball is probably your point of greatest pressure with each footfall.

I have a problem with pushing off too much and I will get a blister on my 3rd toes like clockwork if I don't pay attention. I have Morton's toe and have long time callouses on the tip of my 2nd toes due to shoe pressure. After 9 months of BF running I have no callous on the pad of the same toes.

Quoted from BFKB on his site "This ain’t about building calluses – those are caused by bad running technique, and unnecessary rubbing of the skin on a surface (either the inside of a shoe, or the earth). Let your feet teach you, instead, not to rub, to eliminate friction, to go limp, when it hurts, rather than tensing up. Blisters are intermediate calluses. If you are getting blisters, it is the same cause, and should be avoided. Let the blisters, also, teach you, what not to do." ...http://therunningbarefoot.com/?page_id=525

Here is a good thread on callouses... http://www.barefootrunners.org/build2/forum-topic/interesting-article-calluses

Run on!

"Grumpy" David...(Jealously reading about running while I'm sidelined by a sprained ankle)

 

[Barefoot Mary]

It's so crazy you posted this

It's so crazy you posted this now! Yesterday I noticed my toes are still very soft even after many barefoot 5Ks!

I've had no problems either, but I totally lift the lil piggies just prior to impact when I'm running.

 

[Danjo]

Theres really not even enough

Theres really not even enough room on toes to tell if they're getting thicker skin or not. Your skin shouldn't really be getting any harder, mostly just thicker than it was before. And if its not causing a problem at all, don't worry about it. Are your toes still dirty after you go running? (If you run on roads you will know that every part of your foot that touches the ground at all gets turned black). My toes kinda do a grabby thing while I'm running, not way bad, but they of course stretch out while my feet are in the air, and then they flex just enough to dig into a soft surface whenever I need a little extra traction (which doesn't happen that often) I'm pretty sure this is the natural motion for toes though, it feels right to me anyways. Thats basically how all this works, if it feels right do it, and if it doesn't, change it, and don't worry about anything else.

 

[hmduey]

TJ, I would agree, a very

TJ, I would agree, a very fine line between keeping them from harm and causing pain.

David, thanks so much for that information, I am checking Ken Bob's site now!

Danjo: Mostly my feet are thicker skinned and not really calloused except in the places I know cause me problems. But there is an obvious lack of it on my toes. My toes are definitely dirty after a run though.

Mary, glad to know I'm not the only one!

The really funny thing is that when I run in sand, my toes do leave prints, so I know they are actually touching somewhere along the line - or maybe it's the nature of the sand.

I guess I am just very lightly touching them down but as David pointed out perhaps that's the part I'm doing right ;-)

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That's just the nature of the

That's just the nature of the sand.