Comments for Running Press

Comment on Week 25 by RTP

RTP — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:15:42 +0000

Great result Dai, looks like you made the right choice.
Glad to see that the niggles are settling.

Comment on Week 24 by Dai

Dai — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:14:22 +0000

Thanks Graham! I’m leaning towards the Luna sandals at the moment, they’re pretty much the only footwear I have that will make sure my feet stay cool and dry (unless it rains!). I read somewhere recently that moist feet are the worst for blisters, very wet or very dry feet are fine. I think that since I’m barefoot pretty much all the time at home, my feet are used to being cold/cool. That means that when I run in my Mocs, they get warm enough to make them sweat, hence the blisters. That’s the theory anyway! Will let you know what happens in my next post on Monday. I’m in my 2 day taper now, so staying off my feet to give the blisters as much of a chance as possible to heal!

Comment on Week 24 by RTP

RTP — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:10:37 +0000

Good luck with the 10k Dai, be cautious with your footwear choice, sounds like they need a bit of cosseting.
Graham

Comment on Week 20 16.4.12 by RTP

RTP — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:32:20 +0000

Good to have you back, Dai. You make a very valid point about intensity: sometimes, very short duration efforts can have catastrophic effects. This is as true for the barefoot runner as it is for the 100m sprinter.

Comment on The Barefoot Running Experiment by Soul Man

Soul Man — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:32:56 +0000

Hi Nick, it’s always great to hear about enthusiastic runners discovering the joys of barefoot, but I would also urge caution. I know from my own efforts that the adjustments your body has to make to your muscles, tendons and ligaments take months – even though it may feel like a breeze at first.

Have fun!

Comment on Barefoot Running Survey – some interesting figures emerging by Blair

Blair — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:25:41 +0000

I started barefoot running last summer with no education about how to properly run and found myself with some sore achilles tendons. Everything has healed and I have learned how to run with no problems.

Comment on Cold feet? by Soul Man

Soul Man — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:33:44 +0000

Yes, freakiness and cold are the two of the greatest challenges in barefoot running for me too, and I find both depend on the time of year.

I have been shouted at once for running barefoot and it’s not a pleasant experience – the combination of tight lycra and barefoot really upsets people. So, if I ‘normalise’ some of the other aspects of my appearance I think it helps. To that end, when I am running around the city centre I often wear loose track suit/training bottoms and not everyone notices the bare feet below.

Something else that helps with both appearance and the cold is socks. I bought a load of navy blue sports sock multi-packs, which were in a bargain bucket, and sometimes wear those if it’s cold or wet. They’re so cheap that it doesn’t matter if they wear out, but they give you a small degree of insulation, stop sharp, wet grit adhering to your soles, and normalise your appearance for those not really paying attention (especially when you have feet as large and pale as I do).

At the end of the day though, you will have to toughen up one way or the other – a challenge that faces all barefoot runners. Good luck!

Comment on Cold feet? by Blind Boy

Blind Boy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:53:33 +0000

This thread should give you an idea of what’s possible in terms of barefoot running in the cold: http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/barefoot-winter-challenge-2012

For me personally 800 meters is nowhere near enough for my feet to regain enough sensation for running, it usually takes 2-3 km and by that time I’ll pull off my hat and gloves too if I even bother bringing them. This holds true down to about -5C, if it’s colder than that I’ll wear shoes. I think your best bet would be to wear shoes until you can run long enough to allow your feet to warm up during the run. I can’t really see the benefit of running barefoot if you can’t feel what you’re doing, especially in the beginning when you can’t really trust your form without the feedback from your feet.

I’ll second what RTP said, check out the Barefoot Runners Society, it really is the best place to find out more about these things.

Comment on Cold feet? by RTP

RTP — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:59:14 +0000

Matt,
You might like to check out Barefoot Runners Society, in particular the forum there. I’ve invited some comments from them so more info should follow.
For the record, I’ve found that running in rain and on wet roads is ok (and nice), and need not restrict barefoot running too much, but do monitor the feet on the run as the wet will soften the skin. The cold is somewhat different and can mask damage to the feet due to numbness; as always, easy does it. As for keeping the feet warm, mine are sizzling after I’ve been out in the snow!

Comment on An Almost Barefoot Year #4 by RTP

RTP — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:57:36 +0000

A great update, Soul Man, and a welcome surprise to see you back.
It seems that whether running completely barefoot or in minimalist shoes, the learning curve is extremely long; sometimes it’s sharp and sometimes it’s almost imperceptibly smooth. Like running itself, the journey is full of surprises.
Good luck to you, enjoy that beautiful contryside and do drop in again from time to time, your words are always worth reading.