5 years

Barefoot Gentile

Barefooters
Apr 5, 2010
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Fairfield, CT
5 years ago today I took a 1/2 mile barefoot run out of pure curiosity. I went home got my 3 day old $140 pair of Asic Kayano's and any older pair of running shoes I had, put them in a bag and threw them in a Goodwill bin. After 15+ years as shod runner, i was ready to start running over again, but barefoot. I will never forget the comfort and the excitement I got from that half mile barefoot run. I didn't want any shoes to fall back on during my transition, I even skipped the whole minimal thing. Close to 5000 barefoot miles and still going strong:)
 
Congratulations!
So, you never put on minimal shoes, such as Moc3's or sandals for rough conditions? Just curious. I have found it interesting that my two younger daughters seem to have a much higher tolerance for both rough surfaces and cold temperatures than I do. I still try to gradually adapt, leaving off any footwear as long and as much as possible, but I am uncomfortable before they are bothered at all. Maybe it is because they did go barefoot more as children than I did, plus then I did wear something outside most of my adult life (I'm 53 and only began short distance barefoot running and lifestyle about 4 years ago), which years they have barely entered. I am still struggling some with the idea of what do to about this first marathon, as I expect a fair amount of chip seal and I don't think I can handle it for very long and run that distance.
 
Congratulations!
I am still struggling some with the idea of what do to about this first marathon, as I expect a fair amount of chip seal and I don't think I can handle it for very long and run that distance.
I think you are going to surprise yourself mightily! :)
 
Congratulations!
So, you never put on minimal shoes, such as Moc3's or sandals for rough conditions? Just curious. I have found it interesting that my two younger daughters seem to have a much higher tolerance for both rough surfaces and cold temperatures than I do. I still try to gradually adapt, leaving off any footwear as long and as much as possible, but I am uncomfortable before they are bothered at all. Maybe it is because they did go barefoot more as children than I did, plus then I did wear something outside most of my adult life (I'm 53 and only began short distance barefoot running and lifestyle about 4 years ago), which years they have barely entered. I am still struggling some with the idea of what do to about this first marathon, as I expect a fair amount of chip seal and I don't think I can handle it for very long and run that distance.


I run mostly on concrete roads, so I never wear footwear. BUT I do and have put on footwear on trails, unfortunately I don't live near some nice trails so it's mostly road running for me. If you think there is a lot of chip-n-seal I would start training on those surfaces. But as Chris said you will surprise yourself!
 
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Wow, seems like only yesterday, doesn't it? Congrats, Adam! :barefoot:
 
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I run mostly on concrete roads, so I never wear footwear. BUT I do and have put on footwear on trails, unfortunately I don't live near some nice trails so it's mostly road running for me. If you think there is a lot of chip-n-seal I would start training on those surfaces. But as Chris said you will surprise yourself!

Yeah, I have been training on them as much as my feet can handle it. Thanks for the explanation and happy road running!
 
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I have found it interesting that my two younger daughters seem to have a much higher tolerance for both rough surfaces and cold temperatures than I do.

Makes sense. At their age they still have much thicker protective padding on their feet = higher tolerance for rough surfaces.

"By age 50, a normally active person will have walked or run about 75,000 miles, and will have lost as much as half of the fat pad protection on his or her feet."
http://www.ipfh.org/foot-care-essentials/fat-pads-what-you-need-to-know/
 
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Makes sense. At their age they still have much more protective padding on their feet = higher tolerance for rough surfaces.

"By age 50, a normally active person will have walked or run about 75,000 miles, and will have lost as much as half of the fat pad protection on his or her feet."
http://www.ipfh.org/foot-care-essentials/fat-pads-what-you-need-to-know/
I wonder if that applies mainly to shod populations who have allowed their feet to atrophy. I know for muscle mass and bone density, a lot of the loss associated with aging can be drastically slowed by resistance/strength training. Unfortunately, few people lift much past 30-40 years of age. Perhaps similarly, going barefoot reduces the rate of of age-related pad loss?

Opps, btw, congrats BG! I hope you've been awarded appropriately with a fat veteran contract.
 
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An interesting discussion on that topic:
http://www.podiatry-arena.com/podiatry-forum/showthread.php?t=55545
(Sorry for a little thread hijack :shy:)

Congratulations on the fifth anniversary Adam !
I dunno, I didn't get much out of it, other than to be reminded that participants on that forum are closed-minded pricks who don't keep up-to-date on medical research and think barefoot runners are a bunch of ideological loonies. I admire Collden's patience with them. He seems to be onto something.

I wonder if Ahcuah has looked into this?

Apologies once again Adam, but you probably like being hijacked, as a sort of indirect commemoration of your accomplishment and longevity on this site, it seems fitting.
 
Man Adam, you rock so hard that you make Metallica look like Justin Bieber!

I'm not sure what my mileage total is. Or even how long I've been running BF, but I think your ahead of me on both fronts.

Keep kicking ass buddy!!!
 
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Thanks all! To be honest I stopped counting mileage about 6 months ago, and I have been off the garmin for 5 months! I think I am fully recovered from electronic running:) ha! Anyways I know I'm around that mileage. My running has dramatically slowed down. With the birth of our third child in April life has gotten very busy. I think my marathon days are over as well, the long distance running is not appealing to me anymore, but that can all change. Packing 5 marathons, and a 50K in 5 years was more of proving a point than enjoyment when I think about it now, but it was fun. I'm happy with my short little runs now. I do like the 1/2 marathon distance and will continue to do one or two a year.
 
With the birth of our third child in April life has gotten very busy. I think my marathon days are over as well, the long distance running is not appealing to me anymore, but that can all change. Packing 5 marathons, and a 50K in 5 years was more of proving a point than enjoyment when I think about it now, but it was fun. I'm happy with my short little runs now. I do like the 1/2 marathon distance and will continue to do one or two a year.


I'm also in ( post-marathon, 3 kid juggling, happy tackling 13.1 miles and enjoying the rest of my day ) mode.

Mazel Tov!
 
I'm happy with my short little runs now. I do like the 1/2 marathon distance and will continue to do one or two a year.

I seem to be drifting the same way, good to hear I am not alone. :)