Winter Barefoot Running - Indoor Cold Acclimation?

[Phil H.]

Helloooo there from the Great White North (okay so southern Ontario isn't really that far up but hey, it's still Canada!). Long time lurker, first time poster. I had a crazy idea for cold acclimation and I was so curious about whether or not anyone else had thought of it or if it would even work... that I finally took the plunge and made an account.

I had just come home from my first mile long barefoot run in 4 months (injuries...), went to wash my feet, and then started thinking about how Todd Ragsdale's gravel training worked as acclimation for sole toughness. And that made me think, if you can do it with rocks indoors... couldn't you do it with temperature indoors as well?

So my idea was basically to shallowly fill a bathtub with the coldest water and just walk in it for a period of time. And do this daily in order to get the feet used to colder temperatures.

Now, I know people advocate the use of actually going outside and acclimating them the natural way (I am totally for it) but sometimes social situations, deadlines, etc. throw a wrench into things like that and I could see this coming in handy as a sort of substitution....

So... thoughts on the matter?

 

[Danjo]

I think this has actually

I think this has actually popped up a few times, though I don't really know what everyones thoughts on it are. I personally think its a pretty good idea, except that you wouldn't be raising your core temperature if you were inside, and thats mostly how you keep your feet warm. Not that you train your core temperature to be higher, but running brings it up, and then your body pumps more of the hot blood down to your feet to keep them warm. I guess someone would really just need to try it out and see how it works.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

As much as I have been icing

As much as I have been icing my feet lately, I should be acclimated and ready to go when the time comes. Actually, Barefoot Rick Roeber runs each year through harsh winter conditions into the single digits (Farenheit down here), and he first tried acclimating to the cold by putting his feet into a bucket. He then said (paraphrasing), "Forget this. I can be out running in the weather I am wanting to acclimate to instead of sitting around with my feet in a bucket."

Anywho, he will be writing an article for the BRS about winter barefoot running early next month.

Welcome, Phil! Thanks for coming out of the closet!

 

[The Ramzev]

I tihnk that cold water and

I tihnk that cold water and cold dry roads are completley different animals, I don't think this'll do any good. Also, as Danjo said, your not getting your core temp up.

 

[Phil H.]

Yeah, I realise this may be a

Yeah, I realise this may be a hyperspecific thing.

Problem is, I am only pretty much only able to start running again now, so I worry that starting at the bottom with low mileage isn't going to get me the acclimation I'll need if I'm only out for 8 minutes every other day. A mile is what it takes most people to warm up their feet and it is how much I am starting back at again... although taking into consideration weekly mileage increases of 10%, I should hopefully be at... 4k? by the end of December.

I could just wear clothes when doing the cold acclimation indoors in order to mimic a raised core temp (the mental image of myself hopping into the bathtub fully clothed just to condition my feet in cold water is cracking me up, too).

I don't see how this wouldn't help at all considering the issue of cold barefeet is essentially about getting bloodflow going to them when they are cold. Raising my core temp in the bathtub while my feet feel cold from the water technically should mimic that enough to get some acclimation in right?

It may not be enough to ape the real world conditions but couldn't I just add in gravel marching into that to deal with that problem as well? Especially considering how soft and sensitive soles can get in water...

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

I keep hearing about these

I keep hearing about these supplemtal training techniques, such as runing in place in a bucket of rocks, or doing some other ridiculous winter simulation indoors. I don't believe in that stuff, nor do I believe it works. People need to stop beating around the bush with barefoot running and just experience true conditions. The second choice is just put on footwear.

 

[Abide]

I think it would help. Cold

I think it would help. Cold acclimation results in a lower concentration of blood vessels close to the skin. This should work theoretically. At the very least it would help with any swelling.

 

[pbarker]

Life is one big experiment.

Life is one big experiment. Phil I think if there is one thing that is common among this group if wiliness to try new things. Barefoot Rick pushed it so far he got sever frost bite. Buckets full of gravel, ice, water. I wonder about the native population in winter. They did it with moccasins, still I bet they would be laughing at how soft we are. Try it, just call it quits if you can not feel your feet.

PB

 

[Phil H.]

I would just like to clarify

I would just like to clarify that this really isn't about avoiding running in the winter. I WANT to be able to run in the winter. You can't go from nonrunner to marathon runner overnight. Just like you can't go from having no cold acclimation to running barefoot in the winter all at once. I worry that my low mileage isn't going to be enough to build tolerance for it so I wondering if this will help in aiding (not replacing!) the acclimation process.

I am not going to sacrifice form by wearing footwear for warmth. I can't stand regular shoes anymore. I don't even feel comfortable in KSOs. I wear a pair of Dharmas to school everyday (and I'm pretty sure the wear and tear is going to get them before long :stare and I inadvertently wore them to an interview just a few days ago (it's gotten to the point where I put them on without thinking about it). Thank goodness the interviewer didn't notice because they did not go with my suit at all..

 

[Danjo]

It would probably work best

It would probably work best if you got some kind of aerobic exercise going on while your feet were in the water to best simulate running. I don't know exactly what extent your willing to go to here, but you should probably jog in place or dance or something. Maybe just blast some music and rock out really hard. And I'm being serious here. Clothes won't raise your core temp, well not that much, you need to really get your heart pumping.

Or, if dancing in a bathtub full of icewater is a bit too weird for you, you could just warm up a lot before you go out for a run. The dancing would probably work for that to. So really, the only solution to your problem here is dancing.

 

[pbarker]

 I know as a northerner will

I know as a northerner will I need to find opportunities to run barefoot in winter. Indoor tracks, treadmills, or the occasional sunny day

 

[The Ramzev]

Phil, I think that since

Phil, I think that since you're starting off slow and low milage anyway your feet will be OK just with the running. As you build miles your feet should acclimate themselves to the cold. There's probably no need to try acclimate your feet for more exposure then you'll actually be giving them.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Of course it will work. 

Of course it will work. Anything "natural" we do to condition our feet will work (as long as you stick with it and do it consistently and safely), but it probably won't be as effective as the "real" thing, the "real" conditions. Before seeing that Todd Ragsdale ran a 102.65 ultra (and set the world record for the longest barefoot run with Guinness) I would have said no, you're nuts, just acclimate to the conditions by exposing yourself to those conditions. But Todd was a new barefoot runner when he set that record; in under a year, he set that record, and within months of starting gravel bucket training, he set that record. So yes, it is possible.

For more on Todd, please visit our home page and search back for both his YouTube gravel bucket training video as well as our interview with him after he set the Guinness Record.

 

[Blind Boy]

I'm only speculating here but

I'm only speculating here but water should most likely be more effective at conditioning your feet than air at the same temperature. Look at the other end of the scale, it's way more painful to take a swim in boiling water than stepping into a sauna. because of this, be very careful if you do decide to try it. Then again, I agree with Ramzev, since you're just starting out your feet won't need to handle more than 10 minutes anyway so just let them get used to the cold along with the rest of your body.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 I think consistency is the

I think consistency is the key for winter acclimation....this will be my first winter as a 7/24/365 day barefooter, and one of the ways I "acclimate" is to shun any type of "foot warming"....meaning, I even sleep with nothing covering my feet, keeping them out of the blankets and sheets...if I do get cold, I put another layer on my chest...or put on a cap...but my feet stay bare...so far, the coldest it's been is high 30's at night, and I'm finding it quite acceptable to walk in such conditions without much trouble. The coldest "wet" run I've done so far is 42 degrees, and likewise, my feet were fine. I'm looking forward to more challenge. This coming weekend, my wife, her mom, and I are traveling (from PA) up to Buffalo, NY to visit my wife's sister and her husband, and I'm hoping it will be colder up there!! I think it will be. I think too, realizing the difference between "having cold feet" and "close to frostbite." One might just be uncomfortable, so suck it up, the other results in injury, so avoid it.

 

[Longboard]

Just be careful Nate!Below

Just be careful Nate!

Below freezing temps if the conditioning is not working properly and you lose circulation, frozen tissue (frostbite)

usualy results in permanent damage.

Even if we master fooling our bodies into keeping the circulation going to the extremities in sub-freezing weather,

that does'nt mean it won't revert back to "normal" without warning and come back to bite 'ya!

Playing around with the possibilities is fun at 32 degrees and above, but below that you may not end up with a free pass after failing the test.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 I hear ya Board!  I don't

I hear ya Board! I don't plan on being stupid with it ....impending numbness requires attention :-D. If it's really too cold for my toes, I will don my woolies Cody Lundin style!!

 

[Danjo]

Nate, you are crazy, haha,

Nate, you are crazy, haha, but good for you. I will be running barefoot only this winter, and probably sticking to flip-flops and huaraches for walking around, which don't offer any real warmth, but I won't be depriving my feet of heat when I can get it to them. I'm sure your feet will be much more hardcore than mine though.

 

[The Ramzev]

I'll be running barefoot but

I'll be running barefoot but the ret of the time my feet will be comfortably warm in socks and shoes. I HATE to be cold and once my feet are cold, I'm cold.

Last year I stayed bare for temps down to ~25 deg. The important thing for me is to run right after work @4o, this is the warmest part of the day and the road is as warm as it's going to get.

 

[Phil H.]

Tried to do another mile

Tried to do another mile today, streets were cold and wet from rain last night. I got to about 800 metres before I had to stop from the pain of the concrete on my numbed feet which also affected my form. I walked the rest of the way home.

Aside from acclimation, it seems to me that there are 2 ways that people actively try to keep their barefeet warm

- warmup right before the run (treadmill, danjo's dancing, etc.)

- just go into the run until properly warmed up from the initial miles

- a subset of this would probably be wearing socks/shoes and taking them off right before the run

My issue with the first is that I'm not sure if I can properly warm up enough without possibly hampering my leg. This isn't an issue of TMTS barefooting so to speak, but more of a if I do TMTS on a recovering knee, all my recovery is for naught and I'm back at square one.

My issue with the second is again the aforementioned shortened mileage I'm running. Since most people seem to say it takes at least a mile or two to properly warm up their feet... well... this isn't going to help, is it. There may be merit in artifically warming up my feet through socks before I run out but I think that's more of a bandaid solution until the blood starts aflowing.

I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say here. I suppose I'm just documenting thought processes. Common sense is telling me that warming up before a run is probably my best bet, I should technically be able to handle the stress on my leg, and yet... here I sit with a slightly throbbing knee after only a 800m jog.

I guess my question then is.. is there a way to warmup to get heat to the feet while still taking it easy on my legs before I go for a run? (man, this is a long-winded way to ask a question)