Howdy all! Well, I didn't run for 25 years (at least not on purpose). Then I started again at close to 300lbs. I fairly quickly became a shoe tester for that NB shoe company (not a lot of fat runners out there!), and just sort of lived with all of the ankle, knee, hip, back pain as just being old and fat. Then I followed a friend wearing those VFF toe shoes on this nasty, rooty, muddy trail, and watched how his feet were just prancing along and "self-adjusting" to the terrain, while I slipped and clomped and barreled down the trail. So, I decided to give it a shot. I definitely pushed myself too hard, too fast, and I paid! I have calves like hams, and thought I could take it. I could have been the poster boy for the importance of that "6-10 week" period. Since then, though, things have been fairly smooth, with just a couple of calf pulls in, wow, thousands of miles now. I currently run about 12mi with 1,000 feet of elevation a week. I've also lost close to 10 inches around my waist - no kidding! I am a 100% paleo-foot (!) convert, and absolutely put 3.9 billion years of evolution before 40 years of sneaker marketing. I'm here to get a little help with a few things, maybe find some camaraderie, and lend some support to others - particularly the larger among us - who want to make the shift. My goals for 2016 are a sub-30 5k, and perhaps to shed the shoes completely.
Welcome, PTT! We're glad you've joined us, many of us with similar stories of difficulty, followed by discovery, followed by overdoing it, followed by injury, followed by starting again more slowly and succeeding wildly. Glad to have you with us. You're in good company here.
Howdy back! Welcome to haunts of the few, the proud, and the mostly quietly and somewhat smugly superior. We welcome you enthusiastically! We are also quite jealous of your congenial climate. Bring on your questions or observations. This time of year is low ebb for many of us. The weather disinvigorates. All the same, we will do our best for you. Peace!
Hello everyone from Madrid, Spain. I'm happy to join this community as well as eager to have some people to share my experiences with. See you in the forums. Cheers!
Hi everyone. Been minimalist for about 4 years. Like running in lunar sandals but last year my hard skin on one foot started splitting all summer so I now run in vibram 5 fingers. Mileage varies from 10 to 30 miles a week. All slow and this year I have started running to my hr which when I take my age from 180 leaves me at 12 min miles. Nice and relaxed. I live in SE U. K. And don't see anyone else minimalist around here.
You take age from 180, or from 220? I'm sufficiently old now that if I used 180 as my base, I'd probably never move! (I can't find an old woman emoticon, so apparently I now have a beard...)
Not sure. It was just behind the ball of my foot. The skin had gone hard and split easily on some runs.
Seems like an odd place for the skin to split. Be sure to join the UK Chapter if you haven't already.
Hi there!!! I just started barefoot running myself around 3 weeks ago. I was close to 300 pounds myself, so I'm in the exact same boat that you were in. I've had the pains of starting out, so I've been taking little baby steps to get there. I developed shin spurs, so I ride an exercise bike in lieu of running until all of this hopefully heels. I still walk barefoot 20 minutes a day to keep my feet acclimated to going without shoes. In spite of the growing pains, I've noticed my endurance slowly getting better. I've even lost around 8 pounds so far. Hopefully, I'll be able to run marathons eventually too. I just have to start out in first gear to get up to speed. I'm just enjoying the journey. Congratulations on your accomplishments!
As of now, I've been barefoot running for 3 months now. I've lost a total of 20 pounds. I'm up to approximately 4 miles a day. My shin spurs are gone and my legs look strong and freaking awesome!!! I ran about half of the 4 miles during the spring weather, but I had to cut it back to running a quarter of the time when it's 95 degrees or hotter. You have to be careful in the extreme Texas heat! My soles are acclimated to the hot concrete and gravel, but I step into the grass if my feet get too toasty. It can be a fun game to bet how many people comment on my lack of footwear. I'm really enjoying it and I'm feeling a whole lot better. Things are going in the right direction so far.
