I started off with my regular, back up shoes:
The backup series 10 Brooks Beast motion control shoes
Then, I stopped and took my shoes off. I figured today was as good a day as any to test out the whole running barefoot thing, right? So, off I went, on trail, without shoes.
Running barefoot in Purgatory Creek Park
It was an interesting experience. I could feel my stride was completely different, as was how my feet were striking the ground. The other thing that I noticed, was how much better my knees and my hips felt running without the shoes on.
Running barefoot in Purgatory Creek Park
The things that sucked the most were:
- The rocks. Every so often, there was a rock that I had not accounted for. Whenever I stepped on this rock, I would feel it everywhere.
- My fear of stepping on something really sharp. Purgatory Creek Park, is after all, in the middle of a college town. I was afraid that I would step on a shard of glass or something like that the whole time I was sans shoes.
- The post-run pain. While I was out there, I felt great. Right when I was done, I put my shoes back on, and felt re-energized. Right now though, I have a sharp pain in the right heel. I think that’s where I stepped on the rock that I mentioned above, but I honestly don’t remember.
Here’s a list of what I enjoyed the most:
- The sense of freedom. I’m not sure how to describe it, but running without shoes made me feel like a kid again.
- How the dirt felt. The dirt felt amazing, the rocks not so much, but the dirt felt really good under my feet.
- That other people on trail, gave me thumbs up signs and seemed to think I was doing something pioneering by being out there without shoes. Even if they only saw me for a few seconds.
Overall, despite the pain, I feel really happy about my experience. I was completely comfortable when I was running without shoes on. I’ll need to look at some minimalist shoes, like some Vibrams or something along those lines. I don’t think that I can ever feel comfortable running in big, heavy, motion control shoes again.
Have you seen the VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Trail?
http://ow.ly/6XACi
It’s an awesome barefoot trail shoe. We ran the Eden Project Half Marathon in them last weekend – http://ow.ly/6XAKg
I had not seen them, they look pretty cool though. I’m definitely leaning towards a minimalist shoe, I just need to decide which one.
I love my VFFs – I am also looking at running barefoot – I have tried it once for a short distance (while walking laps in the new parking lot across the street). There’s a great book – Barefoot Running Step by Step (amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Running-Step-Shoeless-Technique/dp/1592334652 ). According to it, you just have to make sure that you are running ‘barefoot style’ while in minimalist shoes. There is also a place online where you can buy Tarahumara-style huaraches ( http://www.invisibleshoe.com/ ) and there are instructions on youtube for making your own. If you do, I would use the invisible shoe videos; some of the others are dubious.
I am excited to see someone else trying this out for the first time and I look forward to seeing how you progress!
Thank you Astabeth!
Glad you had the courage to try running barefoot. Our Sockwa G2 is actually the closest thing to barefoot. We use a BASF polymer that’s only 1.2 mm thick. It feels great on pebbles and allows your toes to be where they want, not where the shoe maker decides. Try em out. You’ll love them.
Thanks David, interesting concept on the shoes!