Hi, from Indiana

mekelburg

Barefooters
Sep 20, 2014
5
7
3
36
Muncie, Indiana
Hi all! I'm new to barefoot running but have been running minimalist for about 3 years now. I was recently looking for a new pair of shoes when I came across some information about going completely barefoot. I initially thought it was crazy but the more I read about it the more I wanted to try it.

I have been running barefoot for about a month now and can say that I am addicted to it. I know I'm supposed to start slow but I can't help myself and have been running about a mile each time I go out. I can run around a track and be ok afterward but cement is another story. The paved path I use is not very smooth compared to a sidewalk and can get painful by the end of the run. I have been working on my form and have finally figured out how to kind of spring for lack of a better term on each stride.

I will end here so as to not bore you guys too much! I'm just glad I have a place to talk about my weird hobby and get advice.
 
Just curious, how minimal a shoe did you run in? If you ran in really minimal shoes, and didn't get injured, then I'd say you are doing pretty good and should be well on your way to running barefoot with ease. Getting the skin on the bottoms of your feet to adjust is easy. Running with proper form and ensuring both good biomechanics and strong foot structure is hard (things important to both barefoot and minimal shoe running). It will likely feel like a few steps backwards as you bridge over to true barefootedness, though.
 
Hey Mekelburg;
Welcome! Good to see another Hoosier around here! Looks like we've got a cold wet weekend going. :)

TTYL...

-Clint
 
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Just curious, how minimal a shoe did you run in?

I don't think they were that minimal. They were the New Balance Minimus but when I bought them they didn't have the zero drop option available yet. I don't buy shoes that often so I run in them almost until they fall apart. I got them for Christmas in 2012....I know I kept them way too long but am surprised they lasted that long.

Looks like we've got a cold wet weekend going. :)

I went for donuts this morning and the car thermometer said it was 41 degrees. I think I will go for a run to see how my feet are affected by the cold.
 
I went for donuts this morning and the car thermometer said it was 41 degrees. I think I will go for a run to see how my feet are affected by the cold.

The cold mostly makes my feet numb, which could be a problem for a new barefooter. Numbness could mask things. . .

One nice thing about minimalist shoes is that they last longer. They don't breakdown like regular shoes -- there just isn't that much to breakdown. And, as they breakdown they shouldn't throw your mechanics off much.
 
The cold mostly makes my feet numb, which could be a problem for a new barefooter. Numbness could mask things. . .

I decided to run on the track for this reason. I ended up stopping after a mile to check my feet before I decided to run another lap. Not any issues but the feet are completely black now. Socks never felt so soft and warm after running in the cold!

One nice thing about minimalist shoes is that they last longer. They don't breakdown like regular shoes -- there just isn't that much to breakdown. And, as they breakdown they shouldn't throw your mechanics off much.


Yea they have the vibram sole but the material on top was starting to peel where the shoe bends with my toes. I figure it's time to trade them in. I don't know if I want to get another pair for when it gets really cold or get vibrams instead. If we have another winter like last year I will have to buy shoes.
 
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If we have another winter like last year I will have to buy shoes.

I live in Illinois. I'm figuring more polar vortexes this year, lol. I just ordered some Altra One's and LEMS Primal 2 for the winter. The Altra's are on sale at 6pm.com. 40% off and free shipping! They should arrive today. 6pm.com is nice for us Midwestern folks, they ship from Louisville.
 
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Hey, you bunch o' midwesterners... Howdy!
Just finished two miles a few minutes ago. Vicious, cold wind out of the SSW. Was 45 degrees.
I'm guessing the wind chill could have been as low as abouut 34 degrees.
I made a note in my spreadsheet that my soles and toes turned yellowish, which means lack of circulation.
Do either of you run on 'chip and seal' pavement/roads? I just started to do that a month or so ago, and it was a rough transition.
Grass never felt so plush!
Enjoy your donuts! (I won a Krispy Kreme donut eating contest one time.) :)
 
I made a note in my spreadsheet that my soles and toes turned yellowish, which means lack of circulation.

When it gets cold out the body will shunt blood to the core, and away from the limbs, in an effort to keep vital organs healthy. It will periodically send some blood back to the limbs in a conservative effort to allow the limbs to keep moving. Blood supply won't completely shut off unless things are lower than freezing point. Then the cold can get the upper hand and start to freeze tissue. That frozen tissue loses its blood supply and becomes stunned. If efforts aren't made to restore circulation that tissue will die -- gangrene. The shift from stunned to gangrene can be pretty quick, not worth the risk! Keeping the core warm, with a vest, or something, will encourage the body to allow more blood to go back to the limbs. Also, the lack of circulation in those limbs while it is cold out means toxins, by products, and micro injuries hang out in your limbs longer. That is another reason to take it easier in the cold. Personally, I think I draw the line at 42-43 degrees, and put shoes on if it gets colder, or at least start in shoes, run a looped route, and ditch them a few miles in.

Do either of you run on 'chip and seal' pavement/roads? I just started to do that a month or so ago, and it was a rough transition.

I like the sidewalk (hardest), asphalt (less hard) and grass (softest) best. The areas I run in town are really clean, too (my neighborhood and the college campus, it's a big one! I try to avoid the hood, lol). There is a great state park a few miles away with awesome scenery and good roads. I have hit bigger rocks on occasion, and they hurt, but it's nothing compared to the chronic issues caused by poorly made running shoes. It's more like and OUCH, maybe a little residual tenderness and then nothing a few minutes later. I think the asphalt is tar and gravel. It is more porous than the sidewalk, but not too bad. I have noticed newer roads are smoother. The only time I avoid grass is when it is in the 40s and the grass is wet. That sucks.
 
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Welcome!
 
Do either of you run on 'chip and seal' pavement/roads? I just started to do that a month or so ago, and it was a rough transition. Grass never felt so plush!

I have a bike trail near my house that is chip and seal. It hurt a lot when I first started but it has been getting easier. There are not any sidewalks in my neighborhood so I choose to run on the paved trail because of the lack of little rocks from people's drive ways.

Enjoy your donuts! (I won a Krispy Kreme donut eating contest one time.) :)


Oh I enjoyed every artery clogging moment. If you are ever in Muncie you have to get some at Concannon's Pastry Shop. I could probably get to the 8th donut before I went into a sugary coma.
 
Welcome to the forum. I have the new balance 1010 trainers and wore them as transition shoes. They are minimal but as you say, the zero drop wasnt available. I keep them for if I need them (haven't needed them yet) I use five fingers or barefoot now.
When it gets cold out the body will shunt blood to the core, and away from the limbs, in an effort to keep vital organs healthy. It will periodically send some blood back to the limbs in a conservative effort to allow the limbs to keep moving. Blood supply won't completely shut off unless things are lower than freezing point. Then the cold can get the upper hand and start to freeze tissue. That frozen tissue loses its blood supply and becomes stunned. If efforts aren't made to restore circulation that tissue will die -- gangrene. The shift from stunned to gangrene can be pretty quick, not worth the risk! Keeping the core warm, with a vest, or something, will encourage the body to allow more blood to go back to the limbs. Also, the lack of circulation in those limbs while it is cold out means toxins, by products, and micro injuries hang out in your limbs longer. That is another reason to take it easier in the cold. Personally, I think I draw the line at 42-43 degrees, and put shoes on if it gets colder, or at least start in shoes, run a looped route, and ditch them a few miles in.



I like the sidewalk (hardest), asphalt (less hard) and grass (softest) best. The areas I run in town are really clean, too (my neighborhood and the college campus, it's a big one! I try to avoid the hood, lol). There is a great state park a few miles away with awesome scenery and good roads. I have hit bigger rocks on occasion, and they hurt, but it's nothing compared to the chronic issues caused by poorly made running shoes. It's more like and OUCH, maybe a little residual tenderness and then nothing a few minutes later. I think the asphalt is tar and gravel. It is more porous than the sidewalk, but not too bad. I have noticed newer roads are smoother. The only time I avoid grass is when it is in the 40s and the grass is wet. That sucks.
I didn't know that about heating the core! That's why my toes were *freezing* at parkrun this week. (Only had a running vest on and was shivering and then toes were extra cold, coldest they've been!)