Did my first .3 miles barefoot on Sunday, then 1 mile today (.7 grass, .3 hard surface). It wasn't bad at all! I think if I did much further on the hard surface my tender feet might have started to bark, but overall, no aches or pains. I was going to get some Five Fingers before I took the plunge, but since I don't have the money right now, I figured I'd give the all-bare a whirl and see how it went. Glad I tried it.
Only bummer is that with Michigan winter looming, I'm not sure how many more times this year I'll get to feel my bare feet on the earth...
Thanks for starting this forum and providing motivation!
November in Michigan is feeling a little too good these days isn't it? I keep expecting snow...
I think I'll continue to barefoot it until it gets to be about 40. Past that point, I'm not sure how I'll feel.
I can't say I have a clear winter running plan yet. I'm still looking for a winter solution. It looks like it may be the VFF flow, or perhaps just a long pair of wool socks.
Either way, glad you enjoy your first couple runs. Taking it easy is definitely the key to continuing to enjoy.
Creator of RunForth | @robraux | shodless.com
Yes, this weather has been perfect! I thought I'd have to wait until next year to try some barefootin', but with this warm spell I figured, why not?
I don't plan on doing more than a 1-1.5 miles/week barefoot until the snow flies, just to keep something new in my routine. Then I'll take a barefoot break until spring. I'm probably not buying VFFs until the KSO Trek for women comes out in March/April, and I just can't imagine running here in Jan/Feb in just a pair of socks, no matter how thick and warm they are. If you try it, please report back !
I will be trying quite a few things most likely to figure out what works best for me, here's the tentative list, I'll let ya know ;-)
Should be an interesting winter, although it's hard to think of it today.
Queen of 3rd Place
Ex runner
Socks? How many miles can you really put on socks??
Not sure, there are various methods of coating the bottoms, or gluing on a thing layer of a leather type fabric. So really, I don't know, but hopefully I can tell you in the future ;-)
Half Fanatic #846
"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!
Bacon Party!
Congratulations Susan!
I've yet to take that first barefoot running step... But, I've ditched the shoes (and socks) around the house and moved to more minimalistic shoes for running.
I hope you'll keep us posted on your experiences.
Rob - I'm enjoying checking out your blog.
Liz
pace sera, sera