Horrible run last night

mikee002

Barefooters
Jun 26, 2010
22
0
0
Well, I am only a couple weeks into the running stage of transitioning and last night was a disaster. I don't know exactly what I did wrong (in hind site maybe I do), but my feet are tore up! No actual blisters, but the balls of my feet are so sore (just after the end of the toes). I also must have been landing on the side of my foot because I have sore spots the size of a dime where the pinky bones meet the bones of my foot. To top it all off I also have a little pain on the top of my foot. Just a note here... I'm only up to about 6 minutes of jogging.



I'm assuming that everyone probably has stories similar to this during the beginning? I hope I have the patience to stick this out because I'm really missing runs longer than 5-6 minutes...
 
mikee02--What a frustrating

mikee02--What a frustrating run! I'm sorry! Hope you'll let your feet have a break before your next run; sounds like they need some healing time!

I'm a beginner too. I was finding it hard to stop "pushing off." "Lifting your feet" can be harder than it sounds. To me it has helped to follow Barefoot Ken Bob's advice and really keep my knees bent. It makes the foot lifting more natural, and my soles feel better after the run. I'll tell you that the bent knees felt very unnatural at first, and my calves have been sore ever since I started really focusing on bending them (a week ago). But today the form was feeling a lot more natural, and my calves handled it better, so it's doable, just takes some time to adjust!
 
We've all been there Mikee,

We've all been there Mikee, just take the good with the bad. They've all got something to teach us, give your feet some rest and get back out there in a day or two. More importantly, you're listening to your body, it's when you start to ignore it, that's when problems occur. Hang in there :)
 
It's a long learning process,

It's a long learning process, and hopefully a fun one as well. Even after 3 years, I'm still a long ways from perfecting my form. You'll get there, though.
 
I had a run I will never

I had a run I will never forget... It seemed like everything sharp in my way I was sure to step on. I did more cursing during that run than I ever have in any other run. I couldn't figure out what the crap was going on. I just kept stepping on everything. I was getting so mad. I went out a couple of days later, and had one of the best runs of my life.
 
Some days I hate barefoot

Some days I hate barefoot running. I keep coming back though because most days it's the most amazing fitness experience I could imagine.

I have had all of your described afflictions on one run or another...and on the same run. It will come together if you keep at it.
 
 Thanks for the advice and

Thanks for the advice and kind words. I can see that this process is going to test all the patience that I have, both from dealing with these events as they come and also from not being to be able to get out there and run XX miles/week. I can say though, that last week I did have a quick outing that felt great and makes me look forward to the future!
 
Running barefoot is

Running barefoot is liberating. You'll have more good runs than bad ones, and the good ones will make up for the bad ones. Once your plantar skin thickens, it will be even easier, and you won't have to think about the small stuff as much.
 
Was it a different surface

Was it a different surface than normal? I had an awful run last night on an asphalt "chip and seal" trail and I normally run on concrete and brick. I am pretty experienced with distances BF (7 miles total last week) and this run KILLED me.

BTW, it's funny there are two Mikee's on the forum!
 
Nah... it was normal

Nah... it was normal blacktop, the same that I've been running on since I started (only 3 or so weeks). I think I know that I was doing wrong... I'll give my feet another day rest and give it another go tomorrow!

Ha... I didn't see the other Mikee yet!



jschwab said:
Was it a different surface than normal? I had an awful run last night on an asphalt "chip and seal" trail and I normally run on concrete and brick. I am pretty experienced with distances BF (7 miles total last week) and this run KILLED me.

BTW, it's funny there are two Mikee's on the forum!
 
It's Capmikee - my husband.

It's Capmikee - my husband. He lived in England in high school and there was a hit record where the singer said I'm Mikee, M-I-K-DoubleE and it stuck with his school friends. Maybe you were going a little faster than you have been? I think that was a big factor in my trouble last night. I am a 12mm easy run kind of lady and we were doing 10:30's.
 
Greetings, other Mikee! The

Greetings, other Mikee!



The song was "(I wanna give you) Devotion" by Nomad featuring MC Mikee Freedom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x45BtoJpoks

Just in case you were wondering.



I had a miraculously trouble-free transition. I'm not sure why, but it could be because:



I already went barefoot in the house year-round.

I walk a lot (don't own a car).

I had just started running in shoes and it hurt like hell. I would have taken ANY alternative.
 
jschwab, I have been noticing

jschwab, I have been noticing the same thing about pace. If I go too fast, something tends to hurt! Since I'm so new at this, I'm finding I need to keep my pace well over 12 so that I can focus enough on form and stay relaxed. Looking forward to this all being more "natural" so I can pick up the pace a bit. (Cooler weather will of course help with pace too!0
 
Stick with it, you guys.  It

Stick with it, you guys. It will get better.
 
I thought of one other thing

I thought of one other thing that may have helped my transition. My skin has been much more resilient since I went on the Paleo diet. If I remember correctly, Vitamin A and Vitamin B12 are both really good for your skin, and I get a lot of them from beef liver, egg yolks and shellfish.

I also eat a lot of stock and some bones, which have good stuff for joints and connective tissue. Inflammatory foods like grains, dairy and nightshades can harm the joints, and I've stopped eating them completely.
 
 I can totally identify with

I can totally identify with wanting to do more than a few minutes at a time. I did absolutley no research or anything when I started out barefoot. I had this horrible 5th mile knee pain when I was running shod. It was this wall I just couldn't get past. A friend recommended trying out barefooting so I just took off my shoes and ran. I did 2 miles the first time and couldn't walk the next day! My feet felt fine but every muscle from the knee down was on fire! So I took a couple days rest and googled barefoot running! Sounds like your approach has been a little bit more 'informed' than mine! Good to take it slow! When I find that I've run the skin off in places I just put a little of that white fabric medical tape on the spot that is hurting. It works for me. It's been almost a year and I'm doing 7-10 miles with no problems now. Well past that 5 mile wall!

I read a thing on blisters the other day that said the clear blisters are actually good for building up the skin thickness. They are filled with plasma that promotes rapid development of new cells. ((so don't drain them!)) I'm not the least bit medically inclined but I'm thinking maybe a few blisters here and there might be a good thing.



Anyway... stick with it Dude! The pleasure you get from those good runs... it's worth a little work and a little pain!

//Sam