Over the past few days I’ve had few opportunities for a barefoot run. Much of my running this time of year is done in the dark, and the state of the roads due to recent weather has meant that even during the day it’s been less than inviting.
Despite this, there have been times when I’ve thought about ditching the shoes and chosen not to. This is because I am still rather concerned about my Achilles tendon. It is slow to heal so I’ve decided to look after it for a while and that means running in shoes.
It is a shame, I was really enjoying running barefoot; I am quite sure it has improved my running action and it has certainly reduced my foot pain caused by plantar fasciitis.
I will summarise my experience so far on a separate post and plan to pick up again when the heel heals fully.
Thanks Andrew and Jason,
I will allow it to rest (it’s snowing here right now so it’s not a difficult decision), and will get back to it as soon as the bump and tenderness has gone; the benefits of some barefoot running seem too great to ignore.
Keep up the barefooting. The tenderness in the achilles is normal, you achilles soleus and calf aren’t used to running on a flat surface, they are shortened by years of walking and running on a wedge. Try and bend your knees more when running barefoot and it should help. The tenderness will diminish as you learn to relax and the achilles lengthen adn strengthen.
Graham,
It’s a good idea to shut the barefoot running down for a bit. It can take considerable time for Achilles injuries to heal. It’s one of the more common problems experienced by new barefoot runners. Hope you heal fast and are able to get back to barefoot running soon!
-Jason Robillard