Barefoot running remains a hot topic, and with any hot topic comes strong opinion — often ill-founded. One of the greatest claims of the barefoot running revolution has been that running barefoot reduces injury risk for distance runners. I must admit, I sit very firmly on the fence here. I came to barefoot running with long term plantar fasciitis and also tendency to suffer with runners knee (patellofemoral
Week 7
- Total weekly miles
1.7 miles.
- Number of running sessions
3.
- Total weekly barefoot miles
1.7 mile.
- Number of barefoot running sessions
3.
- Running terrain
Flat circuit outside my house on pavement.
- Ground surface of barefoot runs
A mix of smooth and rough pavement and road.
- Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.
None.
- Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)
Two dry runs, one a bit damp with puddles.
- Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters
Good. Again, on the wet run my shorter strides seem to make sure that there’s no pain when running. My big toe on my left foot (the one I stubbed a couple of weeks ago) was a little sore, but no sign of any damage once I finished
Week 6
- Total weekly miles
1 mile.
- Number of running sessions
3.
- Total weekly barefoot miles
1 mile.
- Number of barefoot running sessions
3.
- Running terrain
Flat circuit outside my house on pavement.
- Ground surface of barefoot runs
A mix of smooth and rough pavement and road.
- Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.
None.
- Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)
One dry, two wet. Some puddles on wet runs.
- Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters
Good. All the dead skin I reported before seems to have gone, probably as a result of running with no shoes. My skin is fine, the biggest change I’ve noticed with my feet over the last few weeks is that they seem to have become a lot
Week 5
Again, no running this last week. However, my toe has healed up remarkably well. I was afraid I was going to lose a big chunk of skin, but after 2 weeks of using superglue around the edges of the cut and binding my toe up using mircopore tape, most of the skin that was hanging off immediately after the accident seems to have re-attached quite nicely. I’ll be going out running again this
Week 4
A quick one this week. No running at all.
Why? Well, while I was camping on holiday I managed to stub my toe. “So what?” you might ask. Well, at the time, I was barefoot, it was the middle of the night, and I stubbed it very hard against a very rough, very solid brick. My big toe basically looked like it had exploded, there was a very thick flap of skin a couple of centimeters
Week 3
- Total weekly miles
1.25 miles.
- Number of running sessions
3.
- Total weekly barefoot miles
1.25 miles.
- Number of barefoot running sessions
3.
- Running terrain
Flat circuit outside my house on pavement, and sandy trail beside the beach on holiday.
- Ground surface of barefoot runs
A mix of smooth and rough pavement, and one run on sandy trails.
- Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.
None.
- Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)
Fine weather again for all runs.
- Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters
Still quite good, although my feet seem to have started to shed. Lots of dry dead skin coming off at the moment, from my heels and the balls of my feet. However, I’m not sure