Hello from Michigan!

[Mayka]

Hello,

I'm actually not a runner, but I'm joining here because I do like barefooting in general, including barefoot walks around the neighborhood, and barefoot hiking.

I first started wearing shoes less often last fall, when I found out that going barefoot could potentially cure the athlete's foot I've had since I was seven (for 16 years). Once I started going barefoot outside though, shoes started to feel more and more constraining; all that sensory input truly is addicting!

Although I'm still a bit of a tenderfoot on most rough surfaces, I'm not really into barefoot shoes, because all the ones I tried felt way too thick to me. For me, shoes are not something I need for protection, but something I wear to be socially acceptable.

I look forward to getting to know all of you! Although I might not currently be a runner, I hope you all will let me lurk around here anyway!

-Mayka

 

[Longboard]

Welcome Mayka!
And be sure to join the Michigan Chapter of the BRS.
I am the new MI chapter president, and we have some big things planned, ESPECIALLY for International Barefoot Runners Day May 5 2013 in Ann Arbor.
You don't have to be a runner to enjoy, I was a barefoot walker, hiker, liver, and skateboarder when I found these guys back at their former online barefoot running forums home. Slowly I started adding running to my life with their encouragment, and now I'm not only a state chapter president but also an internationaly famous barefoot runner!
Where in Michigan are you?

 

[Phil Hart]

Welcome to the crew, Mayka. Check out the Gear forum where you'll find a good number of minimal shoe options for most any need or situation. Most have been thoroughly reviewed by fellow barefoot/minimal folks. Be careful, though, or you may end up a runner as well like our own venerable Longboard. It's addictively fun and rewarding!

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Welcome Mayka!
Cute kitty.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I LOVE your kitty! So pretty! Oh, and welcome!

 

[Mayka]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I'm sure I'll enjoy lurking here.

I LOVE your kitty! So pretty! Oh, and welcome!

I wish it were my kitty! It's actually just a picture I found online, but it's one of my favorite cat breeds (ragdolls). I love cats and hope to have a few of my own someday!

 

[halfhazzard]

Did it cure your athlete's foot?

Welcome!

 

[Longboard]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I'm sure I'll enjoy lurking here.

Lurking? What you callin' lurking! You've already posted some really good stuff in the WSJ thread!

 

[Mayka]

Did it cure your athlete's foot?

Welcome!

Sadly, not completely. But it took away all the itching! It always itched terribly, and now it doesn't itch at all, though it's still all over the soles of my feet, making them a bit dry and scaly. Considering I've had athlete's foot for 16 years, it's not surprising that my case is a bit more stubborn to clear up than most. Also, moccasin athlete's foot lives deep within the skin of the soles of your feet, and because the skin is so thick there, it's great at keeping pathogens out but this also locks the fungus in and makes it difficult to get topical medicine to penetrate deep enough into the skin to actually have any effect on the fungus.

Also, I should add a caveat. I started this in September, and soon after it started to get cold out, so I did have to wear some closed shoes for warmth, maybe about 14 hours a week (2 hours a day). If I had been 100% barefoot or in very open shoes like huaraches or flipflops, it might have been cured completely.

Also, I found an interesting article about athlete's foot that was written in the mid 1950's. I would like to know if any more studies were done to test its validity, but it basically found that athlete's foot isn't really very contagious at all, and it actually lives on our skin most of the time and is only able to infect us when our immune resistance goes down (and only THEN if the conditions are right [moist, warm environment]): http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1128591/

Lurking? What you callin' lurking! You've already posted some really good stuff in the WSJ thread!

Well, I actually meant lurking in the threads about running, since I don't really have much to contribute at this time.

 

[Longboard]

When I discovered the old forum I wasn't running, but learned alot about running and barefoot running by participating. In return I posted a lot about barefoot life and how to handle some of the discrimination issues. This isn't a judgmental site like the SBL, we welcome everybody that is interested in the concept of barefoot & minimalist running regardless of whether they are running or not, or barefoot or not for that matter.
Even if your only goal is to clear up the fungal infection, you are no lurker, you are a BRSer.