I fly.
My right hip has been out of wack for over a year and I figured, maybe it's the shoes... So I did a mile after running 4 miles in my shoes. It felt pretty good, but now my ankle on my left side hurts... I'm assuming that either I did my run off kilter somehow or my ankle was due for an injury.
Anyway, I figure I'll try to do a BF mile after my "regular" run 2-3 times a week and build up from there. I do a lot of my miles on the boardwalk, so I won't ever be a true BF runner, but I figured I'd join this group and say hello... so hello!
Bring it on.
It could be that you ran too far? Your muscles are not use to barefoot, so take it easy at first.
not bad for mile 25
Yeah, a mile seems like a lot if it's your first BF. I spent a year walking BF, then ramped up over the second year from a couple of hundred yards to around the block, finally to a mile and more. Best to be very cautious...it's worth the time spent.
my ankle was due for an injury.
heh, it seems that way sometimes.
Half Fanatic #846
+1 and welcome, Jill!
Weekly mileage with shoes doesn't translate to being able to safely start running X number of miles barefoot for most of us, even if it's "just 1". I started with quarter mile increments last summer - so be careful! (Seems to me like it's possible your ankle was saying "too much too soon!".)
...and, you are too a true barefoot runner - I think boardwalks would be hard to run on, especially with boards, gaps, and uneven surfaces to deal with. Keep us posted!
"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!
Petco Run/Walk/Wag 5k
+2 on the welcome and 1mi bf for first run being a bit long. I did .3 mi runs a few times before increasing to to.5. Took a good 8 or 9 weeks to get to 1mi. The first time was painfule as muscles got used to operating differently. Then I realized that I got a lot of bf like stressing on my feet and legs when wearing my Tom's shoes which are very thin and flat. So I kept wearing them as a way to strengthen my feet and legs and it seemed to help. I know my feet and calves ached when I first wore them most of the time. I moved recently and haven't dared try real bf running in this new neighborhood. To many rocks and construction debrie in the roads. Have been using VFF's that DW bought me as a moving present.
As others have said - slow and easy is the way to go.
bob e v 2014 goals: keep on running! Is there anything more than that?
Complete the last 3 races in the Austin Distance Challenge, Rogue 30k, 3M Half, Austin Full
Break the 1000 mi barrier!
History: blessed heart attack 3/15/2008; c25k july 2008 first 5k 10/26/2008 on 62nd birthday.
I would suggest walking barefoot as much as possible. This allowed me to start running 1 mile within a couple weeks. YMMV.
Well, I've done a mile a day for the past 3 days. I know you all say to build up to it, but I am barefoot a lot during the day (I'm a SAHM and I never wear shoes in the summer except flip flops and sneakers to run), so I'm thinking I'll be okay. My ankle didn't really bother me after the first day, so that's good. I've only run on the sidewalk near my house, but I'm wondering about the treadmill - tomorrow is a treadmill day for me, will my gym kick me out if I take off my sneakers for the last mile? Today I had a young girl on a bike say to her grandma "She's barefoot" as I ran by. That was cool.
Today I had a young girl on a bike say to her grandma "She's barefoot" as I ran by. That was cool.
I get that all the time, sometimes directly to me. It is kinda fun. I generally reply with something dumb like "It's fun," or "Feels good," but it's hard to adequately expound on the joys and hazards of BF running as you're running past them.
, but I am barefoot a lot during the day (I'm a SAHM and I never wear shoes in the summer except flip flops and sneakers to run), so I'm thinking I'll be okay.
An observation. My DW always wears flat sandals and flat shoes as well as flip flops. She thought Tom's shows felt very comfortable when she first tried them on, as did I, and she convinced me to buy a pair and she did as well. When I first wore them my feet and calves ached like I had been running bf. It puzzled me as to why they bothered me and not her. My conclusion is that the shoes she wore were very minimal and had already strengthened her feet and legs so the Tom's did not cause her any issue at all. When I realized that I wore my Tom's more frequently until the foot and calf ache was gone. I think that the shoes many, if not most, women wear are so minimal that they are training for bf running without knowing it. I think that wearing the Tom's allowed me to run longer distances in my VFFs and Huaraches than I would have been able to do otherwise.
Just a thought from an experiment of one.
Killer of Beers
It shows you have beach runs in your training log. If it's soft sand, do your barefoot running at the beach. I've had a few missteps over the last few months with shoes and without, but now that I'm right by the beach, I've been running 2 miles every other night barefoot with no problems. Eventually, I'll start running on sidewalks in my VFFs or straight barefoot, but I'm going to stick to beach runs for a while. The sand really helps cushion every foot fall.