Let your sole guide your soul
By Tim • Feb 17th, 2009 • Category: Random •
When you start running barefoot the sole of your foot seems to get tender very quickly and for me it has meant a reduction in training miles. I thought this was one of the disadvantages of running barefoot and have taken to five fingers and other minimal shoes to help overcome this ‘weakness’. But if you have a read some of the online running message boards you will hear of people injuring themselves running in minimal shoes. Usually achilles are the culprit. I have a feeling it is simply a case of too much too soon. As we change our footwear but try to maintain our weekly training.
Then one day running barefoot along a grassy path it became clear. The soles of my feet are not the weak link. They are my canary in the coal mine. My feet will get tender before the rest of my body starts to succumb to injury. When they are tender it is time to have an easy day. It is that simple. To run injury free listen to your body and when you have no shoes on, your feet you can clearly hear what the ground is saying to you.
So take off your shoes and let your feet feel their way. Slowly build up those bare miles. Take care of yourself from the bottom of your feet up. Listen to your feet and never silence them with shoes. For they are your sole. And without them you will not travel far.
Tim is
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Not sure if it is OK to leave a question here, if not feel free to delete or move.
What I am really curious about is the “toughening” of the sole. Barefoot runners often point our how the sole of the foot is very sensitive and about using this to allow a better connection to what you are running on. Then I see videos where someone is putting out cigerattes or grinding glass into the ground with their foot. How do you have both? Or do you?
Thanks for your time and consideration,
Joe
I have been barefooting for only about 10 weeks. But within a week, I was able to walk and run—mostly on pavement and concrete sidewalks in Nashville, TN—with only minimal tenderness on the soles of my feet.
Feet are very complex—-hundreds of bones, tendons and muscles and millions of nerve ending—-and truly are tough and sensitive at the same time.
If I step on a tiny piece of gravel, I feel it, but my feet do not hurt after a 90 minute run/walk around my urban neighborhood. For me, trails and parks are tougher on the feet, because they are usually covered with small rocks, roots, twigs, sticks. But i think when I spend more time on trails, my feet will grow accustomed to those obstacles.
The big news is that my whole body feels better barefoot. There seems to be an automatic correcting of posture and form when walking and running barefoot. My achilles tendons, ankles, knees, hips and back have never felt better. I have been running for 37 years.
Obviously, I am happy with going barefoot. If you are curious, simply give it a try. Walk around the block barefoot. If you’re nervous, carry some shoes or sandals with you. That’s what I did on a recent work trip to London. I took off each morning barefoot, carrying some lightweight sandals. Whenever I needed to go into a coffee shop or go into work, I slipped on my sandals. At some point, I would wash my feet in the bathroom—London streets turn your feet black quickly!
Good luck.
@Joe: The soles of our feet are designed to provide us with sensory information. It’s our body’s way of advising us if we’re running to fast, too long or more importantly landing incorrectly (read sloppy).
The soles of your feet will ‘tougher’ over time, but this isn’t the most important element. The soles will not become hard or callused, rather more leathery and thick.
@Will: Thanks for your contribution, you’ve hit the mark. Starting slow is key and NOT ‘avoiding’ obstacles or a variety of surfaces is important as well. Dig your music btw!
I recently decided to pick up barefooting. I was reading the book “born to run” in which barefoot ken bob is mentioned. Anyways, long story short it sounded like a great idea because I hate running shoes. The issue is, I can remember the last time I had any prolonged barefoot experience with a concrete or asphalt surface the pads of all my toes were bleeding (I was at a water park, running around and such on the concrete with no shoes on). Then I remember the last time I was barefoot running on a grass surface (chasing a volleyball that got hit out of the court) and I stepped on a stick while going balls out (pun intended) which pretty much ruined my foot for two weeks after that. But anyways, I’m kind of an idiot so against the pleas of my girlfriend I went barefooting around my town. Normally I’ll run about 15 miles so I figured I would run 2 or 3 just to get a feel for it. 1/2 mile down the road my feet were hurting, but I figured I was alright. A mile later 3 of my toes suddenly started hurting (like I had a cut and someone was grinding dirt into it). I reached down and wiped my hand on the bottom of my foot to see if I was bleeding and lo and behold my hand came back drenched in red. Spent the next hour shambling back home. I guess I should note that I was having a great time the whole time I was barefoot running except of course when I started leaking fluids all over the road.
Since then I’ve been running in 7 dollar aqua shoes. Hopefully my feet toughen up so I can barefoot more.
And of course I looked into the five fingers as a cooler-looking alternative. After all this marketing about “expensive running shoes” being more likely to cause injury and stuff like that I look at the price for the five finger and it’s *barely under 100 dollars*. What exactly constitutes an ‘expensive running shoe?’ Certainly you can buy a pair for over 150 dollars if you’re really looking for it (and also stupid) but most of us just get shoes for around 100 bucks (my last pair cost me $75). Granted I never saw an ad that said five fingers are less expensive than running shoes but they make the obvious connection that if *expensive running shoes* are bad for you, then five fingers must be both *good* for you and *cheap* otherwise they would fall into the category of expensive running shoes even if they’re of a different structural design.
Basically, I haven’t bought a pair of five fingers (even though they look like they would be great) because it seems basically like a young nike. They’re trying to usurp the major player a little bit but the truth is they’re just as greedy. I’ll end this rant by noting that the large majority of the top selling running shoes on amazon.com are *far* less expensive than the five fingers (the top one is like $55 versus 75-85 for the five finger). Fail.
I have a pair of Soft Star Moccasins that I look forward to using in colder weather. I have been barefoot running now all over Nashville, London, and in a few other cities. I take my water shoes with me, and have taken the mocs, too, but have yet to feel the need for them (except for one hot day on an Interstate service road in Evansville, Indiana—wore the water shoes and they were ok). In London, I got the most interesting looks while running barefoot. I run mostly on pavement and sidewalk. I look forward to a good barefoot trail hike this Friday. Cheers.
Well, I had my first real barefoot run today. Up until now, I had only run a couple hundred yards. But, today, I decided to run alongside my wife as she pulled our girls in our bike trailer. It wasn’t bad. It was a total of about two miles - one to pick up our oldest from preschool, and one back. The only real issues I seem to have is that I have two blisters on each foot. And, they’re in the same spot on both feet. I know they’ll soon callous. If that’s the worst of it, I think I’m well on my way to longer distances.
@Ruben : You’ve just got newbie barefooting blisters. Congrats! Now it’s time to take it slow, don’t increase your mileage too fast and focus on landing gently and lifting your feet quickly. Have fun and enjoy!
I did my first barefoot mile. Felt wonderful. 3 blood blisters appeared on my toes when I inspected my feet at home. Is this normal?
@Josh
Blisters are somewhat normal. But, they shouldn’t be chronic. I’m sure my blisters were a result of pushing off with each step. Rather, I should have been lifting my feet, which is what I do now. I haven’t had any blisters since.
@John / Ruben
I’ve just started barefoot running (but with socks on) on a running machine at the gym (4% incline), solves the problems of road junk. Still got blisters at the back of my big toe though. I think it’s the socks rubbing, and I can feel a definate ’squirm’ as I push off. I’ll leave the socks off next time.
Apart from that feels absolutely great, free and enjoyable. I get a real rush from it.
Rob.
I am all confused now… So the Fivefingers are not good? I got the part of the sensitivity of the sole but what about winter? Or what about strengthening the muscles first? What would be the best way to start w/o reducing millage a lot? And finally, any comments on the Nike Lunarracers? I really like them and help me do Chi-Running a lot better than the NB 800s. Thanks!
@ Alejandro
Reducing mileage while barefoot is key. One needs to allow the feet to strengthen gradually. Years of running in cushioned shoes will require months of conditioning to regain what has been lost (or asleep). Certainly, barefoot running isn’t always possible (winter for instance) but should be introduced as soon as possible. Try running on a treadmill short distances to re-train your body’s gait and landing pattern. Good luck!
The gym has stopped me barefoot treadmill running due to “health and safety”. Which I appreciate, as who knows who’s got varucas. Anyhow, i was amazed at how HOT the treadmill rubber got - 15 mins and it was burning! Will stick to outside from now on. It’s winter now in England, but thankfully a mild one so far, so running in the parks is possible… for now.
David
I find the treadmill awful for barefoot running as it seems to adjust my gait and my feet got so hot from the rubber….never again!
Its cold in the uk now so I am back in the five fingers
Funny I was thinking about jogging in the snow and was wondering how it would feel like doing that in barefoot. I doubt though I will, but running has been important part of my life since I don’t live an active daily life. It helps my heart start pumping a little faster for every time. and if I noticed if I include interval training in between running it strengthens my calf muscles.
I love to run on the track at my gym or outdoors (hate the treadmill) but have been unable to do so because I’ve been carrying around a plantar fasciitis problem for months now and can’t seem to shake it. If I do break down and run anyway despite the pain I set myself up for days of discomfort. Will barefoot running help me finally shake my problem? Could my shoes be causing the problem? I wear Asics and have liked them up until this problem cropped up. I miss running and would really like to find a way to get back into it more regularly, without having to hobble around for days afterwards.
I’ve been battling shoes my whole life. I don’t think I’ve ever found any that didn’t hurt. I want to try barefoot running since it seems like I’m out of options. I’m a little nervous about hot pavement in the summer though. I once tried walking on it barefoot because my shoes hurt and I came home with the bottoms of my feet badly burned with huge leaky blisters. How do you barefoot pavement runners avoid that problem?
@Stephanie Stell : Great question. Sizzling pavements are a constant challenge indeed. The best way to avoid them is to run in the morning or evening. If running mid-day, then look for tree lined shady streets or wear a pair of minimal shoes. Few options for now include Soft Star mocs, VFFs or Feelmax.
I am interested in barefoot running, as I used to do this as a kid. I have the vibram 5 fingers and look forward to weaning myself into them when the warmer weather hits. However, until my feet get toughened up, is there a shoe alternative to use in between these runs? I was thinking of XC shoes? Perhaps something for winter/spring conditions where the roads are wet/stony and cold? I would like to use this as an alternative shoe prior to going barefoot all the time. Any suggestions?
Can someone please describe how to walk barefoot. trying to hit forefoot first, like when running, feels very awkward, and landing heel-first is jarring. Thank you
@Marc, when I walk bare foot, I simply land lightly, with most of my weight of the balls of my feet, and the rest on my heels. When i run barefoot, i definitely have to land forefoot first. when i switched from heel striking (when i was still in shoes) it felt awkward, but now its completely natural, just concentrate on landing on the balls of your feet, and it will be come natural over time!
For now, I have been carrying my shoes with me, and then when me feet begin to get tender, i put them on and finish my run. i cant sacrifice mileage, so it has been working. Has anyone else tried this?
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I am going to be a junior in highschool. I’ve been running in five fingers for about a year and a half, so foot strength is not a problem. Does anyone know how long it would take for my soles to be able to handle 50 miles per week of fairly fast running (5:40 pace on tempo runs) on rubberized tracks, pavement, and silt?????? Are there any foods i can eat to accelerate skin growth?
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@Marc: If you are still looking for a form to base your walking off of, take a look at FoxWalking
http://tobyspeople.com/anthropik/2007/06/learning-to-walk/ (the first picture in the article. it looks like a cover of a magazine with the title “The Stalker”)
You have to adopt from it, but it is very good and light motion, and very quiet. Just remember to relax.
In response to the chap who said London streets were dirty. That stuff doesn’t come cheap you know! There’s a lot of expensive chemicals and colourants in there to get that dirt that black! My suggestion is to find a hotel with a nice white carpet and test your barefoot sprint through the reception.
On a more serious note. I have started barefooting more recently and find that you control your distance by your feet and calves. As soon as I feel the calves, I walk it out for a bit, work a bit on the grass and then return to the “sidewalk”. I feel great running barefoot and obviously you feel everything we enables you to make adjustments, slow down or stop when your body tells you. As MacDougall said recently “Shoes are like morphine: a sedative that deadens the pain”. Listen to your body and your body will look after itself.
Happy barefooting!
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