Beginner here...would love input on my training/transition!

[C. Beth Run.]

I'm still so new at this BF thing and would love input on what I'm doing to transition.

Before deciding to transition to BF running, I was running in shoes. I'd gotten up to about 17 miles per week.

My first BF run was Sunday 7/4, a week and a half ago. That week I ran barefoot a few times, usually for about 10-15 minutes. I felt pretty good. (I spend a lot of time barefoot at my house; I'm a stay-at-home mom.) One day I did overdo it with a little more time barefoot while I pushed my son on the stroller. Form was bad, and I had a sore muscle on the outside part of the ball of my foot for a few days. I did my long weekend run entirely shod.

This Tuesday I set my shoes on my porch and went out BF. I did my warm-up walk and then a very slow run. I never came back to put my shoes on--I just really felt so good barefoot! The running portion was about 2 miles. I was nervous going that far because I've heard how important it is to make this a gradual transition, but I just felt good so I kept going.

For a few hours after the run, my soles were sensitive, but by later in the day they felt normal again. So my soles handled it well!

What brought me home at the end of the run was that I was getting a little ache in the muscle at & above my ankle--actually between my ankle and my shin bone, if that makes sense. (Surely someone knows the technical term?) It wasn't going away as I ran, so I headed home. When I got up this morning, that muscle was sore, and it's been sore all day. It's not awful; it just feels like it's going to take a couple of days for it to feel normal again.

So am I pushing too hard? I'm not too concerned about that muscle; the same muscle on the other leg hurt last week after my first or second BF run, and it was fine after a couple of days. I think it must be one of those muscles that I just use differently running BF than I do with shoes on.

I'm just trying to be cautious; I don't want to injure myself as I make this transition. But it's hard to be patient--it'll be so exciting when I can run 3-4 miles BF, and I am REALLY looking forward to doing long weekend runs BF.

At this point I am planning to just keep doing what feels good. TJ suggested in another thread that I ditch the shoes entirely, and I've been considering that, especially since I don't think the transition is going to take me too long. I loved ditching them entirely on Tuesday. I'm thinking about doing the same thing tomorrow. I haven't decided what I'm going to do Saturday, if I'm going to start BF then put shoes on, or just forego my long run and do only a BF short run.

So with my "ankle muscle thing" still a little sore, would it be okay to run BF tomorrow (one of my normal run days)? And am I taking this transition gradually enough? Was 2 miles pushing it too far when I've only been BF for a little over a week?

Thanks for any input you have!

 

[saypay45]

It doesn't sound like you are

It doesn't sound like you are doing to much C.Beth. The aches and pains that you are experiencing are pretty normal for a beginner. And you haven't had any of the dreaded top of the foot pain. I wouldn't worry about the distances you are running to much.

Some people just take to barefoot running better than others. I was running 6 miles within a week of my first barefoot run. We are all different. If you can run the distances you describe without pain, then I say go for it. You just need to monitor your body to make sure that you aren't running through any persistant pains. That, and anything more than moderate TOFP pain should cause you to take a day or two off from running altogether. With the pain you describe, I think you can run again today as long as pain and soreness don't persist through the run.

I do agree with TJs recommendation to ditch the shoes. If you're not training for anything that you plan to run shod, then running in shoes will just be junk miles. Your feet will likely recover faster, and your training will be much more enjoyable if you run barefoot. It seems like you really enjoy it, which is great!

 

[C. Beth Run.]

saypay--Thank you! I'm glad

saypay--Thank you! I'm glad to hear what a fast transition it was for you; it makes me realize that maybe I'm not just "talking myself into it" to get it to go faster!

I am actually training to do a half marathon, but I haven't even decided which one. Thankfully in my area there are plenty available in the fall and winter, so I have a lot of time to prepare. My longest run (last weekend) was 8.65 miles so I'm getting pretty close to being ready for a half. If I need to drop distance for a month or two I'll still have time to work back up to 13.1.

I've heard both pieces of advice--keep the shoes and gradually phase them out; or ditch them entirely. It seems like either can work, but my shoes are really frustrating me. I had a very achy IT band on Saturday after my run. That tends to be my biggest problem area. Thankfully it was okay by Sunday, but it just frustrated me--I was really trying to improve my form in shoes, and clearly it's just HARD to improve your form in normal running shoes. So while I thought I wanted to keep up my miles by using shoes, I'm now leaning toward just ditching them and working my mileage back up.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Barefoot Larry]

Hey, I'm with the group that

Hey, I'm with the group that says ditch the shoes. When I first started, I was forced to ditch the shoes because it felt weird running with shoes after trying barefoot!

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 throw the hushpuppies out

throw the hushpuppies out ;-)...and start on trails, with big nasty rocks, and lots of hills....your feet will get tougher in no time, and the road will feel like desert ;-)...

Ok...maybe not do that, it seems that only crazy guys do that....but, yes....I vote ditch the shoes.

 

[Barefoot Larry]

I did a trail run the other

I did a trail run the other day and stepped on a piece of cactus. We have some here in NC!

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 there's Cactus in

there's Cactus in NC...wild??? huh...that's really interesting...maybe someday it will be the cacti that fear our soles, and not the other way around :-D

 

[mokaman]

 We have a little bit of

We have a little bit of cactus here in hot humid north Georgia too, I see it when trail running usually growing in the cracks of large areas of natural bedrock.

The going barefoot only start up worked best for me, I tried to do the barefoot/shod mix but stayed injured as before when fully shod. I finally did the barefoot only for a whole summer before it all clicked together for me. If you have plenty of time to transition thats what I would advise as the best way.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Thanks, everyone--I

Thanks, everyone--I appreciate the input.

No trails near enough to be convenient for my regular runs, but I am doing a lot of my BF time on the asphalt in my neighborhood, which has plenty of little rocks & bits of debris. My soles are getting used to it....

I'll head out BF again in the morning and see how far my feet and legs are ready to take me!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I wouldn't just throw caution

I wouldn't just throw caution to the wind and run for as far as you feel like it, I mean conservatively speaking. Some have stated they have had success (yours truly) with not following a 10% rule game plan and running good mileage in the beginning, but many more have reported the opposite. "It just felt so good, I kept going." Then they're left with TOFP, tendonitis, and stress fractures. We are not resilient to injury anymore than a shod runner. Running barefoot brings on other challenges. Sometimes, our injuries are just a little different.

Yes, it's great to feel your way through finding your threshold (to pain, injury), and we must truly "listen" to our bodies for signals of when to stop. Sometimes those signals are delayed. Many injuries, shod and barefoot, don't show up right away; they can take a couple of days for you to know it's too late.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Thanks, TJ--I appreciate

Thanks, TJ--I appreciate hearing that advice...keeps my expectations realistic. As much as I don't want to be conservative with this, the other half of me knows being careful is important. I have gotten through 8 1/2 months of running without any serious injuries.... I'd like to keep it that way!

 

[nature runner]

I did too much too soon at

I did too much too soon at first and stressed out the bottom of my right foot. It has just went away about a month or little longer ago. My transition didn't go well like alot of people on here did. But I also had an un diagnosed breathing problem to boot that fatigued me quick and caused form issues. I finally am getting a hold on the breathing issues. Good luck and I hope everything works out good for you.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Thanks, nature runner. I went

Thanks, nature runner. I went out this morning and honestly it was harder than Tuesday with more little aches. I think I may be doing just a little too much. I think I was also going too fast today. I'll probably scale it back a bit Saturday and then see how it goes next week.

 

[saypay45]

Good luck on your future race

Good luck on your future race C.Beth. A half marathon is a very reasonable goal to have for your first year of barefoot running. And if you're already at the 9-ish mile mark in your training (albeit with shoes), you're very close to being ready from an endurance standpoint. The feet will catch up quickly.

May I suggest for your first half that you choice one with a flat course. It's hard enough to run a large distance, let alone one with a lot of hills. Also, I found that having my first long race in the fall was helpful so that hot and humid weather was not a factor.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

saypay--Thank you for the

saypay--Thank you for the racing advice. I need to check out the courses of the various races I've been considering to see which ones look easiest!

It hit me after I finished today, just how good my soles felt. Way better than Tuesday. I think they're really acclimating to running barefoot. My muscles are taking a little longer.

ETA--Oops, scratch that last paragraph. Suddenly I'm realizing I have some hot spots and even a couple of blisters. OOPS. I think my form kind of sucked today. Good thing I have tomorrow off. When I run on Saturday or Sunday I'm going back to a SUPER-slow pace so I can really make sure I'm not pushing off, etc.

Looking forward to when the form is second nature and I don't have to think so much!