How many minimalist runners do we have at BRS?

I'm with Nate on this one,

I'm with Nate on this one, you run barefoot with your heart...whether you have something minimal on your feet or bare soles to the Earth! There's a time and place for everything, keep an open mind and stay honest whichever route you decide to take. Sometimes it's hard to do that with too much shoe on.
 
I'm a mixer as well.  I don't

I'm a mixer as well. I don't live near any nice roads, so I run what I can barefoot and make up the rest as I go. That means huaraches or VFF, depending on my mood. But I'm happiest when I do the routes that allow me to be all bare
smile.png
 
Did you try to drag and drop

Did you try to drag and drop your smiley? If so, that feature doesn't work (yet - low priority). Instead, hover your mouse over the smiley you want to insert to get the code, then type that code into your text. Play with it a while.
 
I mix it up, too.  I try to

I mix it up, too. I try to run as much as possible bare because I'm still learning proper form- a rant I could go on and on about as I still can't seem to get it down quite right apparently. I even do all of my speed work bare. I've found that the track is just rough enough to keep my cadence quick and my stride short! ;)



Mokie- Good Luck this weekend. I did the Muddy Buddy with my husband in May and it was surprisingly VERY difficult. I definitely should have put myself on a bike before the race. Next year... I'd say shoes are a must for that one! :)
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:Did you

Barefoot TJ said:
Did you try to drag and drop your smiley? If so, that feature doesn't work (yet - low priority). Instead, hover your mouse over the smiley you want to insert to get the code, then type that code into your text. Play with it a while.



Whoa...I never would've figured that out! Thanks for the tutorial!
 
louiewendell wrote:Mokie-

louiewendell said:
Mokie- Good Luck this weekend. I did the Muddy Buddy with my husband in May and it was surprisingly VERY difficult. I definitely should have put myself on a bike before the race. Next year... I'd say shoes are a must for that one! :)



Thanks!

I'm going with VFF Kso's, I rode a few miles with them and I can get by for sure, the rules say you have to wear shoes for the mud pit also. The race here is on mountain bike trails...should be be fun!
 
I'm a mixer as well. I'd love

I'm a mixer as well. I'd love to go barefoot all the time but with temperatures dropping way below freezing half of the year it just ain't happening. Unless it's freezing though I'll try anything barefoot while running, I'd rather go slowly barefoot and learn how to deal with it than float across in my KSOs. The KSOs are my everyday shoes for walking though, when I go to the grocery store and the like I just don't want to have to pay attention to where I step.
 
I run barefoot, but I think

I run barefoot, but I think at heart I am a minimalist runner because I run to commute, shop, etc. Currently in beach shoes (the $6 kind). Example: hubby and me did a race where we had to take the train there. He stashed his shoes and I just ended up wearing them since I didn't know the terrain. I will choose the shoes more often - matter of whim really.
 
 As you can probably tell

As you can probably tell from my screen name, I wear VFFs. I have only done a little barefooting, just to play with my form. The season up here is so short that I doubt I could get a good base built up before having to switch back to VFFs or some protective shoe. (Apart from the cold, the dark is an issue much of the year, except for my weekend runs. Of course right now I'm spoiled with midnight sun.)

For me, the VFFs are a perfect solution. Compared to my ascics and adidas, it's a revelation . I have never enjoyed running more than I am now. And I never knew my feet had so much to share with me. I am so grateful to have learned about this possibility. I feel like I have added decades onto my running life.

Thanks all for the welcoming attitude to all us barefooters in spirit.
 
VFFn in AK, I believe you and

VFFn in AK, I believe you and I have pretty much the same conditions to deal with. I live about 100 miles south of the Arctic circle in northern Sweden and I've had very few problems with sole conditioning this year. My base from last year was about 5 runs per week for about two monts and I could start out by running 3-4 miles barefoot right when the snow disappeared from the roads I run on. I could probably have run longer without issue but since I hadn't done any running at all between September and March 3-4 miles was about the distance I could handle, endurance-wise. I've had only two blister this season, noe on each foot, and those appeared because I was trying to push my distance far beyond what it should have been on bad roads.
 
You're welcome, and happy

You're welcome, and happy solstice to you too.

I like finding my limits and seeing if I can move them when it comes to most things. In my case, barefooting kind of snuck up on me. I thought I'd just get a pair of VFFs to practice technique and build foot strength in. I made a big mistake though and that was trying to run bare before I got them. After that, I'll take any opportunity to run barefoot, there's no such thing as close enough in my book anymore. I wonder how low I can go, temperature-wise, this fall. :)

Either way, what would a forum be if we didn't share our experiences, right?
 
VFF runner but just did my

VFF runner but just did my first full 20 minute run full on barefoot today! 1.5 miles. Thought you guys would be proud. Hoping to run my first 5K in my birthday shoes by the end of summer.

Loving the barefoot. Even more so than VFFs.
 
I run on chipseal, uneven

I run on chipseal, uneven bricks, gravel, stealth rocks, broken glass, chicken bones, pop can tops, and the occasional razor blade. My VFF's are my friends!!
 
HopesMom wrote:I run on

HopesMom said:
I run on chipseal, uneven bricks, gravel, stealth rocks, broken glass, chicken bones, pop can tops, and the occasional razor blade. My VFF's are my friends!!

^ I recognize that world. I sometimes explain my VFFs to people as "letting me go barefoot without the ick-factor." But more seriously, I find them to be a great tool to let me enjoy a closer connection with the ground in a variety of conditions. My form has never been better.
 
Matt wrote:I'm cheap, so I

Matt said:
I'm cheap, so I stick to barefoot as much as possible.
Understandable, after I fully complete my bf transition, I will probably do the same. Right now I am mixing it up til I build my feet muscles and soles to a strong level. My soles are pretty much conditioned, it's just the muscles in the feet that I am not used to working that is taking so long, plus I am 38 yrs old, that doesn't help any lol!