First run with no shoes. What does the location of my hot spots mean about my form?

[Jonny00GT]

I was REAAAAAALLY looking forward to running in the rain this morning! Supposed to rain all weekend, BUT I live in Texas, so...nuf said. The grass was still wet and there was the occasional puddle, I could tromp through. All in all, it was great! I ran about half of my 5K run without shoes and then threw on my VFFs. It wasn't till I put on the VFFs that I noticed the hotspots. I don't see any "missing skin", but at first I thought I'd gotten blisters, but then didn't see any. Both big toes and the blades of both feet starting at the bottom of the pinky toe knuckle and going back about 2in.



Am I doning something wrong, or that what has to get tough first???



Thanks guys!



So lovin the site!!!



-Jonny

 

[Barefooting Bob]

It sounds like you are

It sounds like you are dragging a little bit on the ground. I am no expert but I am assuming you are still swinging a little bit with your stride. You will notice this a little more with the wet conditions because the soles of your feet are softened with the moisture which also creates a little more friction (this is my opinion only from my experiences). On wet days your form is critical, to ensure you lift your feet and do not swing.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Dragging or pushing off. 

Dragging or pushing off. What he said. At least your wearage is even!

 

[Jonny00GT]

Oh, ok...that makes sense.  I

Oh, ok...that makes sense. I was trying not to "slide them down" on my landing or push off, or twist them and come straight down, but it takes a lot of concentration! I was surprised how different my form was compared to in my VFFs!! Nothing was tired or sore and it felt really good running this way! I can see why they recomend running barefoot first and minimalist after. Can't wait to run without holding my Vibrams!



Maybe a mile and a half is a little much on concrete for my first BFR. What would y'all suggest for my next run, distance wise?? I have a bad habbit of TMTS! I wanted to run again tonight, but in my VFFs. I think some healing is in order though....



Is a totally barefoot 5k by June 4th too agressive??



Thanks!

-Jonny

 

[Barefooting Bob]

I am probably the last one to

I am probably the last one to ask, because I am the definition of TMTS. I went from 0 to a half marathon in about 3 weeks bare. Luckily I have had no issues like some others have.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Some could do it, some

Some could do it, some can't. You have to really know what you are capable of. Think it over hard. For your next run, I would say go for 1-1/2 again, then build up gradually, 10% per week, as long as you are running perhaps 3 days a week.

 

[Jonny00GT]

Thanks for the feedback!  I

Thanks for the feedback!

I ran my normal 5K rout backwards today in my VFFs(more like swam as humid as it was today!!) and I think the blister on the blade side of my left foot is because of the camber of the sidewalk in a few places. How do you handle hills, camber or both, in barefeet without "pushing off"? ...or should I just seek out the flat in my rout?

I did end up puncturing the blister on the left foot and draining it last night and it didn't feel so bad today. Man, that's a thick piece of skin to get a blister under!!! I'm going to wait till my Tuesday run to go barefoot again...give me a little time to heal, but maybe if it's still a little sore, I'll be able to feel what I'm doing wrong and correct it??

Any sort of a healing ointment or lotion that y'all recomend I use in my down time??



-Jonny

 

[Gkikas]

I use Vaseline Intensive Care

I use Vaseline Intensive Care nightly on my soles before bed and that's been beneficial to keeping soft, pliable and callus free feet.

If you're wondering if something is too aggressive, it probably is.

 

[JosephTree]

Ditto the "if you are

Ditto the "if you are wondering..."

Ditto the advice to run the same thing a few times to see how your body handles it. If you can run 2 with confidence in the next couple weeks, then 3's no big stretch. Wean yourself off the Vibrams unless you know yo're going to be on some nasty surfaces...at least until it gets cold again, which might be never in south Texas.

I've been doing this BF thing more than a year now and I still have to be hypervigilant when I run on wet pavement. Natural trails are not the same at all. They're fine for me with water or mud.