Tender Feet in the A.M.

jlaugh87

Barefooters
Jun 8, 2011
32
0
0
#1
So I started BF commuting today instead of cycling. This is my first straight out of bed, A.M, run and I noticed that my feet were more tender than my ater work runs.

Does anyone else have experience? Does walking around at work in my office shoes "loosen" up my feet?

I've been doing 5-8 miles (late afternoon) BF with little problem. My commute is almost 3 miles and it was hurting.
 
#2
The longer the time between

The longer the time between BF runs or longer walks the more the soles 'repaired'. So if you did run in the afternoon then the next morning is much less time away than the next afternoon.

Over time the intervals of needed repair get shorter, at least for me
 
#3
That would make sense... I

That would make sense... I took a few days off to let one small spot heal. The nerves in the foot are amazing in regards to how sensitive they are!



Hopefully tomorrow's commute with be better.
 
#4
jlaugh87 wrote:So I started

jlaugh87 said:
So I started BF commuting today instead of cycling. This is my first straight out of bed, A.M, run and I noticed that my feet were more tender than my ater work runs.

Does anyone else have experience? Does walking around at work in my office shoes "loosen" up my feet?

I've been doing 5-8 miles (late afternoon) BF with little problem. My commute is almost 3 miles and it was hurting.
Click to expand...



I just noticed this on Tuesday morning as well; glad it's not just me. I used to run first thing in the morning for several years in shods; it's my preferred time for running. This was my first BF run this early (I was on the ground by 0605) in the morning. It's always a little more sensitive than if I were to do it later in the day but this time was hell. Something was rather wrong. The route I took was mostly sidewalk but a portion of it is a trail. The trail hurt like hell and I have no idea why. Normally, I'll do three loops on that trail (it's pretty short) before heading back the way I came. I couldn't do a full loop without stopping for a moment, more than once; it was so bad. My feet ache so much now and the forefeet are extremely senstive to pressure. I've had to have run that route at least 3-4 times previous, once mid morning one time. I dunno, maybe I was pounding too hard or something; things didn't see all that off until I got to that trail and the way back.



It's bad enough that I have to wear my keens for extra padding for my feet so I can heel strike walk as I once did. Whew, feels like I won't be able to jog barefoot till at least Friday or saturday. Wish I knew what happened, maybe it's just noob BFR foot having a bad day but doing that route first thing when I get up certainly seemed to make things make more sensitive to pressure more than anything. It was odd.
 
#5
This is odd.  I've not heard

This is odd. I've not heard of this before. Do you sleep with your feet under the covers, maybe sweating some? But then if you're wearing shoes all day, that would make your plantar skin soft too. Try to go barefoot as much possible, no socks or anything, to see if that helps. I'm curious to know if you guys figure this out.
 
#6
My feet are definitely more

My feet are definitely more sensitive in the morning, jlaugh. Going over the same gravel patch will hurt more in the morning than in the afternoon. I have no idea why. But since I've learned to expect it it doesn't bother me that much.
 
#7
I find that if I wiggle my

I find that if I wiggle my toes, flex my feet, roll my ankles around, etc before I get out of the bed, then after dressing, "walk low", continue to move my feet around, work up to small jogging in place steps, I'm ready to run and my feet feel good.

-Jonny
 
#8
Is I a sore feet problem or a

Is I a sore feet problem or a tender skin problem? I'm a little confused.

If it's sore feet right out of bed, I have that a lot (I also get it when seated for longer than a half hour) and I have found that doing a couple short foot exercises tend to "wake up" my feet. I got them from Michael Sandler's book and do them with a "Rubz" ball I got at our local running store.

1. With heel on the ground and the ball under you toes, roll the ball side to side with your toes wrapped down and around the ball. Go back and forth 5 times.

2. Roll the ball to a spot just below the ball of your foot and do the same thing, but with your toes lifted up.

3. Roll the ball to your heel, and with your toes on the ground roll the ball side to side 5 times with your heel, being careful not to use your knee to do it.

4. Last, roll the ball back to your toes and grab it with your toes, holding the ball for a few seconds, releasing, and repeating a few times.

Doing these usually help my feet when they get sore at any time of day, but were a life saver this winter while training for my marathon when I "had" to run. Even if I woke up pretty sore, walking around the house for a couple minutes followed by these exercises would usually do the trick. Hope it helps!
 
#9
In the run I mentioned it was

In the run I mentioned it was both hyper-sensitivity in the skin (but that went away the longer I ran) and sensitivity to pressure, more so than normal. It mainly happens in my left foot more the right and I'm not yet convinced that there is something "wrong" with my foot. I think I'm just not consistently gentle enough in some of my runs, particularly in the morning. Doesn't help that I jammed my big toe on that foot and it's felt funny since then. What bothers me the most is the very dull ache I experience at the left forefoot. It's very uncomfortable to walk on hard surfaces, almost like there is very little padding between the bottom metatarsal heads and the ground. It's happened before and it'll go away in a few days but during the recovery time, going barefoot can be difficult.



It's one thing to have this happen every so often as part of the transition; but I'm concerned why this happens, seemingly at random. Was I pounding too hard that run? Is there something up with the padding in my foot that protects the metatarsal heads? At times, if i just go for run despite the issue and just be mindful of my steps it doesn't seem to get any worse and in fact the next day seems fine. I have no idea what is happening. This time around though, it was bad enough I've had to wear my keens for extra padding. I guess I should be any ways to give my toe more stability to heal properly. sigh
 
#10
Do you think you are slapping

Do you think you are slapping your feet when you run, Mega?
 
#12
What Stomper said.  My feet

What Stomper said. My feet are always more tender in the AM too.

Commuting BF: Style points! Respect.
 
#13
I appreciate the comments and

I appreciate the comments and shared experience. It's a relief that I'm not the only one. I believe I am getting labeled as "the weird guy" here. I run in BF and leave BF. I also have been modding my desk so that I can stand more instead of sitting...

To say the least I get a lot of head turns.
 
#14
I missed it?  What do you do

I missed it? What do you do JL?
 
#15
Barefoot TJ wrote:Do you

Barefoot TJ said:
Do you think you are slapping your feet when you run, Mega?
Click to expand...



I think that run my legs were straighter than they should have been and I was pushing more. But that still doesn't explain why they were so sensitive to pressure. That was tuesday morning and my left forefoot is still some what sensitive. I'm gonna try again tomorrow but I'm gonna have to be REEEAL careful this time. For now, I'm going to attribute these random instances of foot discomfort to "BFR growing pains" and hope it won't be issue much longer. It doesn't happen every run but even on runs; I don't have enough information yet to make a proper determination. I just hope it's not something more serious but it wouldn't surprise me.
 
#16
I guess I have been

I guess I have been responding to the skin sensitivity, not the musculoskeletal tenderness. Sorry. Perhaps this next run should be a short one, so you can reassess afterwards, like the next day, how you did and how you feel.
 
#17
I'm another person who has

I'm another person who has sensitive plantar skin in the morning. I do some of the same things as you, JonnyooGT. I spend most of my day barefoot (mostly indoors), but on running days, when I go out to run in the afternoon, it's still like the effect of bright light on your eyes when waking up in the morning. That is, it is a flood of stimulus from rough surfaces.

I usually walk 1/4 to 1/2 mile before running, and I try to walk on the roughest surfaces available as a sort of warm up for the plantar skin and my form.

I haven't run in the morning for many years (mainly because of blood sugar reasons), but I can only imagine how intense it might feel. My hat is off to you morning barefoot runners!
 
#18
I went for a 5 mile run this

I went for a 5 mile run this morning. About a half mile into my run, I decided to change routes because my soles were a little tender, and my planned route had a lot of gravel on it. Then, about a mile later, my feet felt fine, and I could handle whatever rocks I happened to step on.

I will be doing much more morning runs, so it will be interesting to see if my feet can "warm up" faster in the morning so I don't have this tenderness for the first mile or two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Support Your Club

Support Your Club! Get More Odd Looks!

Forum statistics

Threads
19,158
Messages
183,645
Members
8,705
Latest member
Raramuri7

Latest posts

Share this page

Share this page
Top Bottom
Back
Menu