I’m back from Saudi but within a day we’re straight off on a short break in Berlin, to take in some sights and meet up with a local friend who’s visiting at the same time.
Compared to the Middle East October seems very cold, very wet but a welcome change. I wanted to get one run in while we are out here so I went out to the Tiergarten, the big park in the middle of the city, this morning.
A few miles in, I take off my shoes to do some barefooting. It’s going pretty well for a while, a bit gritty in places, cobbles in others, but fine. Except the ground is cold, very cold.
After another mile or so I think the soles of my feet are going numb, which doesn’t bother me too much, but I’m lacking the feedback I need to judge how lightly I tread, what surfaces cause me trouble and what damage I might be doing to my feet. Earlier than I intended I give up and put my shoes back on – something’s not right.
Back at the hotel my feet have warmed up but the pads feel swollen – not blistered, but swollen.
Naively I have never thought about how the cold may impact barefoot running, or require me to put on some kind of foot covering. I’m thinking about it now…
Leave a Reply