Week 3 – 15th – 21st January
Total distance: 15km
Barefoot distance: 800m
Outlook: positive, although developed a bit of a pain in right calf.
It was cold last week. Went out early on Sunday morning after a freezing night, it was beautifully clear and the common was covered in frost. The ground was frozen and the patches of mud that are usually slippery in smooth soled minimalist shoes were hard and crunchy underfoot. Took my shoes off for a bit and ran on the horseride, and a bit of rough tarmac. The cold ground numbed my feet pretty quickly and meant I couldn’t feel the ground properly – despite the numbness, everything felt rougher than I’d expected and actually quite painful. A few other runners and dog walkers looked at me as if I was crazy, and began to think they might have a point. I couldn’t tell if I was trashing my feet or of it was just cold. After about 800m I put my shoes back on and my feet warmed up quite quickly. When I got home, I checked my feet and they seemed fine, so think it was just the cold.
It warmed up later in the week, and after recovering from a stomach bug, I went for a trot at lunchtime with some friends from work. Running with colleagues meant I wasn’t inclined to take my shoes off, partly because it was raining and although not too cold I worried about my soles getting wet and blistering, but being honest it was really not to look weird in front of people I work with. I reckon that as I get more confident barefoot I’ll be less shy about it, at the moment it would just look odd to take my shoes off just so I could run slower for 800m, and then put my shoes back on. Running and chatting meant I wasn’t so focussed on my form, and probably sped up a bit as a result, either way I was relaxed and enjoyed the run (apart from what I fear is a slight strain in my right calf, which came on towards the end – perhaps because I was going a bit faster and not focussed on my form).
I’d be interested to hear from more experienced barefooters what limits you find – how cold, how wet, does it have to be for you to keep your shoes on (or not go out)? Does this change as you get more experience/confidence? And what tips do you have for keeping feet warm?
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!
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.
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!