Teetering on the edge

[deviantrunner]

I have been running barefoot for about 9 months now. I transitioned from shoes using the cold-turkey methodology. That was a bit challenging, but I worked up gradually and completed my first half-marathon ever on Sept. 5th.

My question is... Why do I always feel like I am teetering on the edge of not being able to run barefoot?

This question probably required some explaination. It always seems like there is something bothering me. Most days it is my (mild) morton's toe condition which seems to make my 2nd metatarsal head sensitive on/off. Other days it is my calves not loosening up after a run for 2-3 days. And recently, it feels like my hip joints aches whenever I begin to run. When I was in shoes... I could run everyday without a problem.

I have to say that I am McLovin' barefoot running and don't want to stop... however my wife is constantly questioning my decision by throwing my constant complaining in my face. (didn't realize I was doing that). She says... "is it worth it? " "You spend all this time running and then you complain that you hurt" (didn't realize I was making sound that bad).

Anyhow... I guess I feel like I am teetering on the edge. It is too late to go back to shoes. My feet have grown disproportionate to an average shoe so almost nothing is comfortable on my feet anymore.

Maybe I am just needing to ramble this off my chest. Thanks for reading. I am taking a couple weeks off running to see if my body just needs to catch up to me. :|



Steve

 

[Abide]

We're just getting old

We're just getting old man...

I feel achy too, but I felt worse with shoes. Are you pushing yourself harder or faster than you would with shoes? I like it when I am sore from a run, it makes me feel like I pushed a little harder and challenged myself.

Sorry not much help here. I feel for you, if that matters any?

 

[deviantrunner]

It matters. 

It matters. Thanks.



I probably am pushing myself a bit harder than I did when in shoes. I am running further but not faster. My furthest shod run was about 8 miles. I am inspired by Bourbonfeet's feats (LOL)... and at 37... am hoping that I can continue to advance my bodies capabilities with regard to running.

I guess I just need a rest. Thanks for responding... I always enjoy reading your posts. Do you really have all that hair and beard? Kind of like a Grizzley Adams look... NICE!

 

[saypay45]

Yeah, I get aches and pains

Yeah, I get aches and pains that I never got with shod running too. But I figure it's because I'm still developing those barefoot muscles. And I've been at this going on two years (minimalist then shod)! Remember it's a drastic change for a body that has been going around in shoes all the time. If you're doing Bourbonfeet distances, you're going to have aches and pains because that dude puts in a lot of mileage.

You'll get over these aches and pains, but you'll kick yourself every day if you go back to shoes. Oh...and shut up about it to your wife. That's not helping things because it seems like all she's doing is nagging you. I used to complain about my pains to my wife and she would be the same way. Since I hushed up about it, she hasn't said a word...and just accepts my barefoot running as the way it's going to be.

 

[stomper]

lownox wrote:Other days it is

Other days it is my calves not loosening up after a run for 2-3 days. And recently, it feels like my hip joints aches whenever I begin to run.

Hmm, I am wondering if these two symptoms are clues to what's going on. I myself noticed some more sensation in my hip joints after I started doing more time on pavement. So maybe a softer, lighter touch is required? Or more trail time and less pavement?

Also, I wouldn't expect your calves to be so tight after 9 months of doing this. Could you be pushing yourself too hard, like you're saying? Or maybe you are sort of leaping forward too much instead of lifting your feet?

Just guessing here, obviously, but the calf thing seems key to me.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 the heart of the issue is

the heart of the issue is muscular usage. whether you are going too hard, too fast, too far, etc is just part of the details. conventional shoes are designed to perform the strike and plant phase for you. They have thick rolled heels and lots of toe spring so the shoe rolls through the movement. All of that puts less effort and force on your feet and calves so you won't get as sore because you aren't working as much as without shoes.

the barefoot/and minimal runner will deal with more aches and pains in those areas but not typically because of injury. give your body time to rest and recover and you'll see the improvements you're looking for. i tell my clients to think of it like hitting the gym. you don't go in there pushing the same muscles everyday expecting them to improve and feel better. you hit them, then you rest them.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

There's more going on here

There's more going on here than meets the eye. You may be doing way too much than you are ready for. With shoes, there's a sense of security, although it is false. When we run barefoot, we are naturally more intune with what is going on. Perhaps the sensations that come from running barefoot are allowing you to "feel," whereas with shoes, those feelings were silenced. That is what is wonderful about running barefoot though; we get to experience the run more vividly.

In the end, it all depends on what you want to get out of running. If you do not enjoy the payoffs that come from running barefoot "as much as" what you can accomplish and how you feel when running shod, and you are not injured from running shod, then perhaps you should run shod. Running should be about running happy and injury free, and if you find that in shoes, then run in shoes. No harm, no foul, no shame.

 

[Abide]

lownox wrote:It matters. 

It matters. Thanks.



I probably am pushing myself a bit harder than I did when in shoes. I am running further but not faster. My furthest shod run was about 8 miles. I am inspired by Bourbonfeet's feats (LOL)... and at 37... am hoping that I can continue to advance my bodies capabilities with regard to running.

I guess I just need a rest. Thanks for responding... I always enjoy reading your posts. Do you really have all that hair and beard? Kind of like a Grizzley Adams look... NICE!

Ok so now I have some homework for you. Go watch the Big Lebowski. It's the best movie ever and you'll get my avatar. But actually yes I am currently bearded.

 

[twinkletoes]

Steve,OMG I so feel your

Steve,

OMG I so feel your pain- but not a half-marathon! (I did my last one in cheap flats) Just last week I responded somewhere on this forum about one thing or another hurting since I began this transition and wondering if it's worth it. Was my body so very messed up by shoes and orthotics and various surgeries or am I extremely impatient? Probably both. It's only been 3 months.

And hips, that is the current suffering for me: apparently, because the psoas and hip flexors were so tight, my hips have been uneven by an inch and it has caused all kinds of lower back, hip and glute pain for a month. It's getting better because I finally remembered the yoga I used to practice, but dang, it's slow going.

Hope the rest brings you recovery!

 

[stomper]

Abide wrote:Ok so now I have

Ok so now I have some homework for you. Go watch the Big Lebowski. It's the best movie ever and you'll get my avatar.

tip on this important assignment, lownox:

It is not immediately apparent that The Big Lebowski is the best movie ever. But like so many great works of art, it gets better EVERY SINGLE TIME you take it in. I am on, like, my 29th or so viewing and the upward trend has never deviated. And, in case your morton's is really bothering you, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock. :]

 

[dodgy]

A half marathon, wow! I am so

A half marathon, wow! I am so jealous...



I've been running the same length of time as you but am only up to 6 miles ggrrrr. Mine has been a form issue though, as my feet have been v sensitive after every run - but I think I've finally got that issue sussed at last now hopefully.



Maybe you're just doing a tad too much. Perhaps try cutting back by 10% & see if it feels better?

Edit

Or by 50% to make me feel better

 

[Danjo]

lownox wrote:This question

This question probably required some explaination. It always seems like there is something bothering me. Most days it is my (mild) morton's toe condition which seems to make my 2nd metatarsal head sensitive on/off. Other days it is my calves not loosening up after a run for 2-3 days. And recently, it feels like my hip joints aches whenever I begin to run. When I was in shoes... I could run everyday without a problem.

Personally, I'm gonna call BS on that, from personal experience. I have also though, "Man, I don't know if I can keep doing this, I could always go out every day and run without a problem when I was in shoes." But then when I actually thought about it, it was a total lie. In fact I had trouble every single time I went out for a run, with my knees hurting, my feet hurting when I pushed the mileage, my legs being sore, all my tendons being super tight, and just being exhausted all the time. But when I was in shoes, it was normal, because when you run in shoes its supposed to hurt, and your supposed to suffer through it, so it was no big deal. Now when I'm barefoot all the little stuff is a big deal because I'm actually listening to my body instead of just trying to block it out, even if I'm just going through maybe 10% of what I had before, it seems worse.

This may not have been your experience, and it probably wasn't if your pushing more now barefoot then you ever did in shoes, but I garuntee you had some problems in shoes, its just easier to push through them. Also, the trouble your having is probably your body telling you that you need to back off a little. You don't have to drop your goals and stuff entirely, and it certainly doesn't mean that you can never do as much or more than your doing now, you just need to approach it more slowly. Its like cutting the switchbacks while climbing a mountain, sure you'll get there faster, but you'll be a lot more sore and tired when you reach the top then if you'd had the patience to just follow the longer but far less steep path. So its not the goal itself thats difficult or impossible, but the method you choose to reach that goal. In the case of my analogy the elevation of the mountain would be the level of mileage or speed you are seeking to reach, and the length of the trail is the amount of time you spend reaching this goal. The slower and more patiently you approach a goal the easier it will be to achieve.

And also, don't tell your wife about it, haha. No one likes a whiner.

 

[deviantrunner]

THANKS to all of you for the

THANKS to all of you for the great responses. I really appreciate them. At this point I think I have been pushing too hard. I am, in fact, running further than I ever have before... even in shoes. So I can understand Danjo's point about BS... albeit unintentional.

I want to write more but I have to go help my wife. Then I may look up my homework movie on Netflix.



Steve

 

[jschwab]

I thought running was the

I thought running was the price we paid for the privilege of being able to grumble and moan and stuff nobody else cares about. Chafing anyone?

 

[twinkletoes]

Oh that's funny jschwab- we

Oh that's funny jschwab- we do sometimes wear our injuries like badges don't we? I forgot my Glide before I ran my first half-marathon in May. Not pretty, but I earned that thigh burn!