With winter upon us I figure it's about time to get the winter running thread started for all the new barefoot runners who will be wanting to know how to deal with the cold weather.
My personal experience with winter running comes from just 1 full Delaware winter. Delaware is normally considered mild as far as winter goes, but we do have our share of harsh weather. Last winter we had a total snow fall of something like 1.5-2 feet. Temps probably average around low 30's through low mid 50's.
I found that as long as I timed my runs for early evening after the sun had been on the roads for the day there was no problem with the cold, once you get warmed up you'll be fine, I ran in temps down to 25 deg with no problem. Surprisingly, I found that even if there were wet spots on the roads I didn't have problems, remember running in cold, wet shoes? Painful. Your feet are waterproof so a little dampness isn't a problem.
As far as ice and snow goes, if the roads are covered I wear VFF's (twice last year) but as long as there are more dry spots then wet spots barefoot is fine. I was able to get over some small distances (20-50 yards) of ice covered roads. It's does hurt a little initially, but as soon as you're off the ice your feet warm right back up.
What are your winter barefoot experiences or questions?
My personal experience with winter running comes from just 1 full Delaware winter. Delaware is normally considered mild as far as winter goes, but we do have our share of harsh weather. Last winter we had a total snow fall of something like 1.5-2 feet. Temps probably average around low 30's through low mid 50's.
I found that as long as I timed my runs for early evening after the sun had been on the roads for the day there was no problem with the cold, once you get warmed up you'll be fine, I ran in temps down to 25 deg with no problem. Surprisingly, I found that even if there were wet spots on the roads I didn't have problems, remember running in cold, wet shoes? Painful. Your feet are waterproof so a little dampness isn't a problem.
As far as ice and snow goes, if the roads are covered I wear VFF's (twice last year) but as long as there are more dry spots then wet spots barefoot is fine. I was able to get over some small distances (20-50 yards) of ice covered roads. It's does hurt a little initially, but as soon as you're off the ice your feet warm right back up.
What are your winter barefoot experiences or questions?