It's the approaching summer in Canada, so forgive me for bringing up winter. I'm very interested in barefoot running, but am wondering how realistic it is in Canada. Much like the Northern states, we have three or four months of snow (several feet of snow on the ground at a time) and ice, making me wonder if it's worth toughening up my newbie soles, just to have to wear shoes or something else in the winter. I don't typically run if the temperature is lower than 10C as it just hurts, but I have trouble imagining running barefoot in that weather.

 

Are there any barefooters or near-barefooters out there who have severe winter climates? Is it worth toughening up your feet just to lose it all in the winter? What are the options for winter?

 

cheers

mike

 There are quite a few of us barefooters in New England. 

 

I wear shoes when I have to.  Running barefoot in the summers is still completely worth it, because it doesn't just make you better at running barefoot, it also makes you better at running in shoes.  Last year my winter shoes were Teva Protons. 

 

Even in winter there are often days that are dry and sunny, so I take off my shoes for a little while, and put them back on when I get too cold.  I don't lose much ability over the winter, at most I've needed a few weeks of easier mileage in the spring to get used to being completely barefoot again.

 

I don't typically run if the temperature is lower than 10C as it just hurts, but I have trouble imagining running barefoot in that weather.

 

 

Really?  10 Celsius, 50 Fahrenheit?  That's my ideal running temperature.  At that temp I'm still barefoot and wearing shorts. I thought Canadians could take the cold. 

 

It's still early enough in the season to make a lot of progress before the snows come.  Go for it.