Will my feet get used to the cold?

[C. Beth Run.]

I ran this morning, and it was 57 degrees. That's by far the coldest barefoot run I've done of any length. I was barefoot for about 3 miles. And you know what? The sidewalk felt pretty cold to me! I'm a slow runner, so my feet even felt just a smidge numb, which I felt slightly compromised my form.

It's gonna get a LOT colder. Even though I'm not in a really cold area, I remember last winter (when I was shod) that it was sometimes in the 30s when I was running. I probably won't try to go barefoot on those colder days; I grew up in Arizona and am just not that used to cold weather! But I'd like to keep my feet bare on some of the warmer winter days.

So my question is, will my feet get used to the cold? Or am I just a baby?

 

[SillyC]

Wear another layer up top,

Wear another layer up top, and your feet will warm up.

 

[Blind Boy]

I've found that it takes 2-3

I've found that it takes 2-3 miles to get my feet warmed up and I usually experience some numbness during that time. This goes for running at around 50, I haven't had the opporunity to run in anyhing colder yet. I think your feet will adjust though, just as you can adjust to heat.

 

[twinkletoes]

Been thinking along the same

Been thinking along the same lines C. Beth. In the high desert we're in the 90's during the day but it cools off to the 40's at night already- cold is coming.

My foot doc told me I have Reynaud's- the symptoms of which mean my toes and fingers turn white and go numb when I get chilled and always when I finish running even when wearing double layer gloves. It's awful. So I've been wondering too how I'm going to manage BF when there is frost on the ground or it's 30 degrees.

I'm very curious, is there a possiblility that all that BF nerve stimulation could improve circulation generally?

 

[bfr_dave]

Yes I've lived in FL all my

Yes I've lived in FL all my life and also am wondering if I will be able to stand the cold. Even with global warming, last winter here was freeezing cold.

But it's been so freakin hot here this summer, I am ready for some cooler temps.

And that sounds like good advice sillyc. Especially the head right? Where most of the body heat escapes?

Oh and yes cbeth, you're a babe errrr baby. Right. :O

 

[Abide]

I don't have much experience

I don't have much experience with the cold barefoot, but your body definitely changes in the heat, and I would assume in the cold as well. I never had a problem last year when it was in the 30s unless it was wet and dark. I can handle some pretty high temps now, so I think you adapt.

Someone else here has Reynauds, Wendy maybe? I think she wears somethig once it gets below 50f though.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

SillyC has it right, make

SillyC has it right, make sure the core is warm. But everyone will be different. 57 is very warm to me. I ran a few times barefoot in the teens last winter, max 4 miles and was fine. I do experience snow and winter, I live in the east coast.

Not sure where you live but do not but anything on your feet this winter, when at home. Go outside in the driveway for a bit at very cold temps just to get a feel of it. I remember last year I would walk out in the snow barefoot to put the garbage in the front for pickup, the snow hurts! lol!

 

[Danjo]

Dave, that idea that most of

Dave, that idea that most of your body heat escapes from your head isn't true. It was just something the army made up. The same amount of heat comes off of pretty much everywhere on your body. Obviously a hat still helps, because you still lose heat from your head, but your not going to get away with wearing a really warm hat and then walking around naked in a blizzard.

Beth, if your feet are going numb, then its probably best not to run on them. You could try just walking around for short periods to get you feet used to the cold (well, not used to being cold, but to make them figure out how to not be cold). As far as I understand its pretty much the same as heat acclimation. Also you might have to wear a bit more on the rest of your body than you're used to, because the warmer your core and limbs are the warmer the blood will be going to your feet. This is going to be a pain for me, because I pretty much run just in shorts and a t-shirt all winter after I warm up. Another suggestion I have would be to actually do some warm ups before you go for your run. They're called "Warm Ups" for a reason. Just get your blood pumping before you go outside so your feet are already warm.

Twinkletoes, I have a friend with a similar problem, not the turning white, but her hands are always freezing cold, and I'd be very interested to know if that works, if anyone here knows for sure. If I had to guess I'd say theres a pretty good chance that it could work, because that is pretty much how it works even for people with normal circulation. Once your body figures out your feet are cold it increases the amount of blood flowing through them until they get back to a normal temperature. Getting used to the cold is really just re-teaching our body how to keep itself warm. I think being used to heat could work the same way, your body sending blood to your feet in order to pick up the heat and lose it somewhere else in the body.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Thanks, everyone!Silly C,

Thanks, everyone!

Silly C, that makes sense. I was in shorts today (though I did have a light jacket on top.) I'll try wearing pants next time it's in the 50s and see if that helps.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

This is very important for

This is very important for Twinkle. Twinkle, it's possible that with your condition you shouldn't even be considering running through extreme cold barefoot. If you have a circulatory problem, you will be more likely to experience frostbite and possible loss of toes much quicker than I would. There's nothing wrong with putting on a pair of good minimalist footwear to run on those days when the weather is just too cold otherwise. There's no shame in it at all. It's better to have toes than no toes at all, right? ;-)

Wendy actually has RA (rheumatoid arthritis), which barefoot running actually helps her condition.

I was able to run down to 27 degrees F barefoot last year. The 30s were more comfortable after a few miles of running. If the ground was wet, I could run in temps as low as the 40s. If the ground was wet, anything below that, forget it. I don't layer up in the winter. I overheat easily, so you can find me wearing short sleeve shirts too.

Also, if you can't warm up within a couple of miles, and your feet are still numb, then you probably shouldn't be running barefoot at that time. Not only could you be facing frostbite, but if your form is suffering, you will get injured.

 

[bfr_dave]

I always wondered, if for no

I always wondered, if for no other reason than the surface area of the top of your head is just not that big, if that was true or not...

 

[JosephTree]

Maybe you could do like with

Maybe you could do like with the gravel buckets but with ice water - condition your feet to cold? I have to admit that I nearly choked when you called 57 degrees cold! That's still summer morning temperature here in PA - if we're lucky!

 

[Danjo]

Hmm, thats actual not a bad

Hmm, thats actual not a bad idea! You wouldn't need to march in it, unless you really wanted to, but theres no reason you couldn't just use a bucket of ice water to get your feet used to dealing with cold. I guess it would be harder to tell when your feet had had enough, but you could just go for like 5 minutes or something, and then you could have some warm water ready for when you got done. I might just try that!

 

[SillyC]

This one can't be said enough

This one can't be said enough - DON'T RUN ON NUMB FEET!

Those of us that are running BF successfully in winter are NOT running on numb feet.

So, what happened to me when I started running in the cold is that I got runner's itch on my feet. Have you heard of that? It's from wimpy capillaries breaking as they expand. Those capillaries might be replaced by beefier ones that are more ready to handle expanding in the cold.

Typically, in winter, I do the first 5 minutes in socks. Then my feet get HOT HOT HOT and I have to take the socks off.

I suspect everyone is going to be different in how adaptable they are, though. It seems that most people that don't have Reynauds can handle the upper 30s. My lower limit is around 25 if it is dry, but around 36 in very wet weather.

Adam G - I get so cold in the house when I'm not moving that I have to put on fuzzy slippers.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

SillyC wrote: Those of us

Those of us that are running BF successfully in winter are NOT running on numb feet.



Agree!




Adam G - I get so cold in the house when I'm not moving that I have to put on fuzzy slippers.

Slippers are awesome, I wear them as well from time to time. We get conservative with our heat, and the place can be an ice box.

 

[Barefoot Larry]

I usually have to put on the

I usually have to put on the VFFs on temperatures below freezing. It helps a lot if the sun is up as the pavement stays warmer. You will get used to it, you just have to go through a transition period. I go through this every year when it gets cold in January.

 

[miqie]

Wear a hat and wear gloves. 

Wear a hat and wear gloves. You can lose a lot of heat through your hands. In fact, when I was running shod, the last few winters, when I would start to get too hot, I would just take off my gloves and that would cool me down enough.

 

[swedishpimple]

Although I don't doubt that

Although I don't doubt that the head heat loss myth is just that in terms of raw surface area and thermal exchange... I still have to say that I just feel warmer with something on my head.

Maybe my body is just happier with warm ears and a cozy skull? It is also one of the easiest layers to add or strip as conditions dictate.

It's funny how we adapt to temp changes as we go through the seasons. This morning I was chilly at 49 F... Yet in a couple of months that is going to feel like beach weather.

S. Pimp.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I wish it was 57 degrees F

I wish it was 57 degrees F running weather all year long. That would fit me perfectly.

Rick tried acclimating his feet to the cold with ice buckets of water in the beginning, so he told me, then said forget this and just started running barefoot. He also would stay by a heater to get his feet really warm before he headed out, that way by the time they would have warmed up, they were warm already. -- I wish he could post here about this, but he's having problems with the drop-down menus covering the BRS login field, been going on a while now. We've recommended several "fixes" and "patches" for him to try, but he can't make them on his work PC, and at home, I haven't heard if they work for him there. Has anyone else had this problem of the drop-down menus blocking the login to the BRS?

 

[The Ramzev]

 In the winter I run in town

In the winter I run in town where there are lights, so I do what Rick does. I blast the heat on my feet on the way there so they are warm . My theory is that if your core is warm your blood is warn that is circulating through your feet helping to keep them warm. I have been successful with temps below 20 deg. Even a puddle or 2 isn't too bad, your feet are waterproof and they normally dry fairly quickly.