When will my soles be tough enough?

Agnesd

Agnesd

Barefooters
Jan 24, 2012
144
150
43
Lake Stevens, WA
#1
I read lots of talk on here about when you feet will be less tender, but I want to know how long it takes till you have to stop worrying about things getting embedded/cutting into your feet?

I went for a run on a new route around my neighborhood the other day and I ended up with a small wound in the pad of my foot, right at the base of the toes. I didn't notice any particular pain there until I was already headed back home, and when I stopped to check that's what I found. There was no rock or glass to be found, just a small wound. The area I was running had plant debris along the side of the road (fir and pine needles), and there could have been something hiding in there, but I tried to avoid any broken glass patches.

My question is this - will this always be a problem? The area where I got injured has pretty thick skin, so I was surprised that this is where I got cut. Do I just keep hoping they'll toughen up more? I feel like I'm pretty aware and stay away from patches of glass, so what else can I do?
 
#2
so what else can I do?
Click to expand...

Worry less and relax more? The small nicks heal very quickly. Just make sure to clean your feet well after the run. I've had many of these scratches and only a couple have been deep enough to need even one application of Bacitracin.

Enjoy your running!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Darkand, happysongbird and Barefoot Fresca
#3
DNEchris said:
Worry less and relax more? The small nicks heal very quickly. Just make sure to clean your feet well after the run. I've had many of these scratches and only a couple have been deep enough to need even one application of Bacitracin.

Enjoy your running!
Click to expand...

What he said. Because if you think about it, theoretically, there will always be something out there that can injure your feet. You know..machetes, landmines, punji sticks, that sort of thing. As for the smaller stuff, I think for me the turning point was about 4 mos or so, then again, YMMV depending on how much you run, the surface you run on, genetics etc...

So again, relax and clean your feet after you run - you do shower after you run, right? Because if not...well...ick... :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Darkand and Bare Lee
#5
Yah, it's all part of the barefooting experience. I got hookworm once in Africa and on another occasion cut off a good chunk of my big toe stepping on a cut piece of bamboo while hiking in Sulawesi. Otherwise, just your standard scraps, minor punctures from time to time, and a little bruising, but you have to keep it in perspective: if you do something with your hands, like cabinetmaking, you'll also get the occasional puncture wound or bruised finger. Sh!t happens when you get out of bed and do active stuff. Just be glad you don't have to deal with land mines like RP. Ken Bob might suggest that's good barefoot training, but I'm just not that hardcore.
 
  • Like
Reactions: happysongbird
#6
This is my third season as a barefoot runner. The first year I inspected my feet very carefully after each run. If I found ANYthing I was so diligent about fixing it right then and there -- pulling splinters out, washing wounds, etc...

I don't know when or how it happened, but somehow I got lazy and stopped checking immediately afterward. I guess it was after a long period of nothing happening.

Then, earlier this year, I accidentally went out on burning hot sidewalks. My soles felt sore afterward, but I didn't look at them. For a couple of weeks they felt a bit sore and sensitive while I was out there running, but I would just think, "oh that's just that spot where I accidentally burnt my foot."

Well, I finally looked at it after a few weeks and there was this giant white blister, covering a good portion of the sole of my foot. I was in shock that I had not really realized it was there. In my first year I would have freaked out about something like that.

What am I trying to say? Well, it made me laugh to think I had something like that on my foot and I just kept running and I wasn't concerned about it. Something had changed -- somehow some-when -- and I realized I had reached a great time of my barefoot running life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: happysongbird and Bare Lee
#7
Just to clarify, YES, I do shower after a run. =p

I'm not really worried about the wound, I usually do heal quickly. I just really want to start increasing my mileage, and it seems every time I do I end up with some annoying little wound on my foot. It didn't really bleed so I'm not at all worried about getting infected or anything, but it's two days later now and it's still quite tender, even though it didn't hurt at all during the run. I checked to make sure there was nothing embedded several times and I couldn't find anything. I don't usually get to run everyday anyway, but it's annoying when I'm feeling great and thinking, "I'm gonna squeeze in another run tomorrow!" and then my plans are changed for me.

I'm glad to hear it's pretty normal though, so I'll just keep running. =)
 
  • Like
Reactions: happysongbird, Bare Lee and DNEchris
#8
Agnesd said:
I read lots of talk on here about when you feet will be less tender, but I want to know how long it takes till you have to stop worrying about things getting embedded/cutting into your feet?

I went for a run on a new route around my neighborhood the other day and I ended up with a small wound in the pad of my foot, right at the base of the toes. I didn't notice any particular pain there until I was already headed back home, and when I stopped to check that's what I found. There was no rock or glass to be found, just a small wound.
Click to expand...

One time this summer I had a weird feeling in a pinky toe for about 1.5 miles, figured it was bad form and blistering from toe pushing; turned out I had a small stone completely embedded in my plantar skin, a little bloody but not bad. Healed in about a day. Felt pretty hard core that I could run like that and not even feel much.

Stuff gets stuck in feet. My pet peeve is stopping to take stuff out of my feet, especially plant/berry/seed debris, which tends to stick to the skin harder.
 
  • Like
Reactions: happysongbird and Bare Lee
#9
The toughening up is both literal and metaphysical. You gradually get to where you both don't feel the little stuff and more and more slides over into "little stuff" category in your mind.

That said, there is a fine line between not being bothered by the little stuff and getting so blasee that you forget to watch for the rattlesnakes, broken bottles and really sharp rocks that actually do come along now and then. A little paranoia isn't entirely out of place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: johan131, Darkand, Bare Lee and 1 other person
#10
If the cut is right where your toe joint meets the pad of your foot I don't think that area of the foot never touches the ground...in my case.
 
#11
This is my third attempt at barefooting. I am now two months into this attempt. Blood blisters and stubbed toes have stopped me in the past. After talking to Ken Bob about the stubbed toes he said, "Well, you do have to lift your feet." I tried that on a 1.5 mile run and was ecstatic. A few days ago I ran 5 miles on rather smooth asphalt (bike path). No problems. Two days later I attempted the same run. Blood blister on the bottom of the right first metatarsal and tip of second toe.

On reading this thread I am thinking I am not relaxing enough or bending my knees enough. Perhaps I am lifting the feet too high and coming down to hard. Pushing off? Help!
 
#12
Wayne Whiting said:
This is my third attempt at barefooting. I am now two months into this attempt. Blood blisters and stubbed toes have stopped me in the past. After talking to Ken Bob about the stubbed toes he said, "Well, you do have to lift your feet." I tried that on a 1.5 mile run and was ecstatic. A few days ago I ran 5 miles on rather smooth asphalt (bike path). No problems. Two days later I attempted the same run. Blood blister on the bottom of the right first metatarsal and tip of second toe.

On reading this thread I am thinking I am not relaxing enough or bending my knees enough. Perhaps I am lifting the feet too high and coming down to hard. Pushing off? Help!
Click to expand...
Following up on the Ken Bobisms - Relax, relax and then relax some more!
Take it easy and don't be in a rush. It will take a while to change previous habits and you need to let your body tell you what it wants to be doing.

When I started out I spent weeks telling myself to "lift" on every stride.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Barefoot Dama
#15
For me when I trantioned my mantra was to relax, relax, realx. Mu focus wasn't on lifting my feet it was more on upper body posture and this is how it went
Shoulders over hips...check
Head over shoulders...check
Wrists nice and relaxed...check
The books(imaginary books of course) on top of my head are still there...check.
I firmly beleive that if you keep your upper body with good posture the lower body body follows.
After I checked body posture my mantra was just to relax, relax and more relax. It was very important for me to pay even more attention to body posture when fatigue.
God luck!
 
#16
Wayne Whiting said:
This is my third attempt at barefooting. I am now two months into this attempt. Blood blisters and stubbed toes have stopped me in the past. After talking to Ken Bob about the stubbed toes he said, "Well, you do have to lift your feet." I tried that on a 1.5 mile run and was ecstatic. A few days ago I ran 5 miles on rather smooth asphalt (bike path). No problems. Two days later I attempted the same run. Blood blister on the bottom of the right first metatarsal and tip of second toe.

On reading this thread I am thinking I am not relaxing enough or bending my knees enough. Perhaps I am lifting the feet too high and coming down to hard. Pushing off? Help!
Click to expand...
Try a little of everything and see what works for you. I tend towards Dama's approach. A good, relaxed posture and bare feet are about all I need. But it depends on your athletic background, history of injuries, etc. For some, some of the form cues like lifting your feet or bending your knees and so on will help. I only think about lifting my feet when I'm fatigued, cause that's when I sometimes rake or stub a toe. But for the most part I avoid running while fatigued. Once my legs tell me to stop, I usually do and stop to stretch or walk the rest of the way home. Speaking of which, walking barefoot is an excellent way to build up your sole callus. Finally, one thing to be aware if you're using form cues or adopting a high cadence is that these things may mess with your running economy. If possible, try to let your own body's proprioception guide you to the best form, it might also be the most efficient. Finally also, try running fast for short distances, this will force the body to adopt better form in order to minimize energy requirements. Then, the theory goes, you will be able to subconsciously translate the feeling of good form to slower, more sustainable paces.
 
  • Like
Reactions: johan131 and Barefoot Dama
#18
Chris summed it perfectly: Relax. There is nothing hard or magical about running barefoot, but the MOST important thing to do is relaxing. That is why I recommend doing some barefoot running in the dark, because you can't see what's on the ground, therefore you will not tense up. I guaranteed you will run more relaxed at night than you would during the day. I suggest finding some nice side roads that are safe and give it a go. Everything from the knee to the bottom of the foot should be totally relaxed. Imagine not having anything below the knees, and guide your cadence and forward motion with the knees.

The more you worry about what's on the road, the less progress you will gain running barefoot. Your feet will touch everything and anything at some point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rickwhitelaw
#19
Wayne,

i believe blood blisters comes from too much pressure. you mention it yourself that you may be slamming your feet down. only lift your feet high enough to clear objects. don't try to look like your marching in place!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Support Your Club

Luna Sandals

Forum statistics

Threads
19,158
Messages
183,626
Members
8,702
Latest member
wleffert-test

Latest posts

Share this page

Share this page
Top Bottom
Back
Menu