Right now, I’m a poseur. I don’t actually run barefoot. My first marathon is in two weeks and as you’ll see below, I don’t know where I am in the shoe world-minimalist, full heeled normal shoe, vff, what? Once that is done I plan to transition to full on bare footedness so until then, here’s some info on me:
Name: Megan
Age: 26
Years running: Consistently: 1.5. Off and on: since I was 14 and did cross country in high school. Back then I only ran a couple months in the summer and cross country season. Long story short I was a slow and steady person, the type my coach hated. It made me hate running a while but once I got out and did it just for me, I learned to like it again.
Typical weekly mileage: 25-35 (at the end of marathon training now)
Terrain: road, and the occasional grass
Non running barefoot experience: In the summer I am in flip flops 99.9% of the time. Around the house it’s socks or bare feet, nothing more. At work I have to wear steel toe boots about 9-10 hours a day (someone needs to invent barefoot steel toes).
Pre-existing injuries: About 8 years ago I was running on a trail and took a step that ended up being lower than I expected. It really messed my hip up and for the next couple months I couldn’t run more than 3 miles without it hurting. Since I started running again I’ve been pretty lucky though and haven’t had anything pop up.
Usual footwear: Either steel toes, flip flops, or running shoes. Running shoes lately are water shoes that’re almost toast or VFFs. I got some Puma K Streets for my marathon in a couple weeks (yeah I know it’s stupid to switch this close but I don’t think I’m up to 26 minimalist miles yet)
Foot strike: I think I’m a heel striker.
Why I’m running barefoot: Part of it is the common sense I see in it. As one guy at work said, “Well we aren’t born with shoes on”. And people in other countries go without them and you don’t see them wheeling around in wheel chairs or limping in pain. The other thing is, I hate having “stuff”. Anything I can do to get less stuff is fine with me. In this case, it’s less shoes I have around the house. Plus it’s cheaper.
Expertise: Absolutely none relevant to the running world. I’m a mechanical engineer at a casting plant so…I can tell you how to make something from molten aluminum and sand.
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