early in transition. trying to land soft but feet slap ground on indoor track (basketball court)

shawshank

Barefooters
Jun 8, 2011
39
1
0
I am starting WEEK 5 of my transition to BFR.

I am working hard on the patience part of the transition & reading & learning a lot from more experienced members of this forum.

I'm running on an indoor track one or two times a week so I can practice my form on a flat & smooth surface. I don't have any major issues w/ blistering & I am trying to concentrate on my form. But when I run my feet "slap" the ground. It is not very loud, but I am making noise when I hit the ground. I am trying to land lightly (& this is still a work in progress), but I was wondering if others have had the same experience.

I will continue to try to land softly & will (hopefully) make less noise when running on this indoor track (which is made of the same material as an indoor basketball court). So I'm not sure if it's the surface or if the sound that I'm making when running is a clear indication that my BFR form is flawed in some way.

tx. s/s.
 
it's indoor so noise is going

it's indoor so noise is going to be amplified. I'm not sure I would consider this area a good test of your ability to run well. I also wouldn't base your opinion of your form on the noise you make when you run. You're going to make noise when you run...that's just the way it works, especially when you're on a surface like a basketball court indoors. Go off of the stuff you mentioned that told me what I would want to know as a coach. You said you don't get blisters and the noise isn't very loud. Based on that I say try enjoying the run more and worry less.
 
I noticed the slap sound

[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]I noticed the slap sound being nosier the first time I did my speed workouts on the track. Some of the sound has to do with the smooth surface, and some with your form. A light, quiet landing is very gentle on your soles, and will allow you to run on any surface for extended periods. I find that trail running (especially with rocks) strengthens the lift muscles in your feet and legs. These muscles will allow your feet to float over the surface, minimizing sound. I sometimes like to run in stealth mode as I sneak up behind someone, but definitively feel more muscles at work when I do this. If your long runs are cut short by sensitive soles, then you still need to work on your form, and [/font]develop those leg lifting muscles.
 
Do your feet hurt during or

Do your feet hurt during or after your runs? If not, I wouldn't worry about the noise so much. Now that you have an indication that the noise could be due to the interior surface, try listening to your feet outside on concrete or aspahlt, and ask yourself if you still hear your feet slapping. I'm sure with more time and experience, the slapping will subside.
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:Do your

Barefoot TJ said:
Do your feet hurt during or after your runs? If not, I wouldn't worry about the noise so much. Now that you have an indication that the noise could be due to the interior surface, try listening to your feet outside on concrete or aspahlt, and ask yourself if you still hear your feet slapping. I'm sure with more time and experience, the slapping will subside.

I'm getting a "hot spot" on one of my feet (after a 17 min BFR on a cross-country course) so I got some nu-skin to put over it before I go for a 7 min BFR tonight on sidewalk. It makes the forefoot feel "tender" so i don't want to compensate when I'm doing a very short run tonight. My feet don't hurt after running on the interior surface, but I know I should be lighter & not make as much sound so figured that I would see what the consensus was from more experienced runners (like yourself).

tx! s/s.
 
As long as you are not

As long as you are not feeling pain during or after your runs, I don't think it's an issue at this time. I think with more experience, you will step more lightly. I run through tunnels where I live, and I can't ever hear myself. I run up behind a woman who was pounding the ground in her shoes through the tunnel and the echo was insane.

I'm sure you are bending your knees just enough?

What sort of surface is this XC course? I don't think the Nu-Skin is going to last on concrete or asphalt for very long, as it will wear down and away in no time. Concentrate on lifting your feet and not shearing when you set them down. The hot spots are a direct indication of your pushing off or digging in. Those too will subside though as your skin starts to thicken.
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:I'm sure

Barefoot TJ said:
I'm sure you are bending your knees just enough?

What sort of surface is this XC course? I don't think the Nu-Skin is going to last on concrete or asphalt for very long, as it will wear down and away in no time. Concentrate on lifting your feet and not shearing when you set them down. The hot spots are a direct indication of your pushing off or digging in. Those too will subside though as your skin starts to thicken.

TJ,

(1) I'm not sure if I'm bending my knees enough. I am doing this based on feel --> if my knees don't hurt & my feet don't hurt then I assume I am doing it right. I can bend them more & I know that I can work on that. I've got more bend in my knees...I'm running such short distances that I've got plenty of "spring".

(2) the surface of the XC course is hard packed dirt under a thin layer of grass. It's not springy like running on a football field or grass from someone's yard. It is hilly, uneven (so you need to make sure you "plant" your foot & be prepared to make adjustments mid-stride w/ your ankles/feet), & not as soft as you would think. I don't get the direct feedback I get from running on hard surfaces like the sidewalk, but it's nice to be w/ other BFR & run up & down those hills. **yipee**



(3) I am trying to concentrate on lifting my feet but I will dedicate more mental energy to it if you think it's a good idea. I hope I am just a newbie tenderfoot & this will pass. I put some nu-skin on & went out for 7 mins tonight (as scheduled) & it was fine. I don't have blisters...just a tender hot spot.

I am hoping to incorporate more BFR on different surfaces to toughen up my feet, but I'm sticking w/ what I'm doing until I can finish a 5K BFR (which I should be able to do in 4-5 weeks..fingers/toes crossed!)

tx for the help TJ! s/s.
 
Good deal.  Do what works for

Good deal. Do what works for you. If you feel you have a good, solid form going, then lots of varying surfaces are nice to enjoy. How long is this stretch of grass over packed dirt? Long enough, I hope.
 
very long.  it's the

very long. it's the cross-country course for Indiana University. (I live in Bloomington.) There's a 5K loop & you can run on that course all day. (They have marked loops for up to 15K.)

have a great weekend. s/s.
 
Very nice.  I bet that feels

Very nice. I bet that feels amazing!
 
my initial thought is i think

my initial thought is i think you should run on pavement. a super smooth flat surface is going to give your feet less feedback(also feel this way about grass). A nice old pavement road will give you PLENTY of feedback and you will know if you are doing anything wrong pretty quick :)



thats the only way i check my stride is nekked on old pavement. if you can do it correct there, youre golden elsewhere. this is just my opinion, and it makes sense and works for me.



Hope this helps!

AA
 
AABarefoot wrote:thats the

AABarefoot said:
thats the only way i check my stride is nekked on old pavement. if you can do it correct there, youre golden elsewhere. this is just my opinion, and it makes sense and works for me.



Hope this helps!

AA



AA, I'm BFR on sidewalks 2x a week & building the long run on the cross-country course (because it gives me more of a chance to interact w/ other BFR).

TBH, my feet have been a bit tender after running on the cross-country course. This tenderness (....in my right foot so save the sarcastic comments! ;) ) has carried over to my BFR on the sidewalk 2 days later. I used nu-skin to protect the "hot spot", which is technically not a blister & looks more like a burn from abrasion from running on the undulating cross-country course.

Trying to correct for this problem for my scheduled BFR @ the cross-country course this Fri by bending my knees more & slowing down. I find that I have trouble slowing down because I have so much stored energy in my legs because I have cut back my mileage so dramatically to start from scratch & learn the technique of BFR.

Any other suggestions?

I also have a stupid question (so forgive my "newbie-ness"). When you say "old pavement" are you talking about running on an asphalt road? My feet are still fairly tender and I am 5 weeks into this. I was planning on adding new surfaces to toughen my feet up, but I could use some guidance on: (1) specific types of surfaces; and (2) # of runs per week given my "newbie-ness" & tendency toward tenderness (...in my right foot.) :)

tx in advance. s/s.
 
Some people have used gravel

Some people have used gravel bucket training successfully to condition their soles. Read about Todd Ragsdale on the home page (http://thebarefootrunners.org/threads/102-mile-barefoot-ultra-no-simple-feat.5549/) who set the Guiness World Record for the longest barefoot race at 102.65 miles and how he managed to do so with gravel bucket training in a very, very short amount of time.