Went out Sunday for a 1/2 mile run. Overall it felt fantastic. To be clear: My goal is not to run barefoot 100% of the time. I’m highly focused on learning the Pose Method of running – and I see barefooting as a way to build my foot strength as well as give me feedback on my form.
There were two significant improvements in this run compared to previous ones. First, the hot spots I was getting on my 4th toes (each foot) did not happen. (When I ran on a track one “hot spot” became a torn-off blister, literally, before I realized it.) I must be doing a better job of picking up my feet and not trying to grab the ground with my toes. Second, I realized the urge to push off (with my foot) is much more deeply ingrained than I thought. I caught myself a few times – because I didn’t have shoes and I could really feel the friction between my foot and the ground. While a minimalist shoe is better in this regard than a cushioned shoe, I can see how barefoot is even better than the minimalist shoe. My feet (I’m recovering from Plantar Fasciitis) felt fine during the run, however I did have a bit of post-run pain. This is what is holding me back from doing more.
I’ve added another activity into my barefoot activities: I started going for walks barefoot on the chip-sealed road that is in front of my house. If you’re not familiar with chip-seal it’s an inexpensive (and common) method for resurfacing roads. After a thorough cleaning a layer of tar is placed on the road surface, then the road is carpeted with small sharp gravel, then the gravel is rolled/pressed into the tar. One of the benefits of this surface is “skid resistance”. To a barefooter that translates into “really rough”. 🙂 My hope is that by just walking on that type of surface I’ll get much better foot stimulation than I am by walking on my nice smooth wood floors and wake up those foot muscles even more.
Jim
Not a big distance Jim, but it sounds like lots learned from it! Great job