barefoot running... wow! page

[primal pete]

I've been running my whole life...but I've never considered myself a runner, per say. Got prescription orthodics when I was twelve, and struggled with on and off knee and hip pains for many years. My best 5k was about 19 minutes, pretty good, but not great.


I missed running, and after all this commotion about barefoot running and barefoot running technique, I decided to try it. I used my old racing flats, which are essentially a foot sock, and emulated the technique in various videos linked to in the primal community.


After the first day and four miles I was amazed how great I felt despite not having run in over a year. Other than slightly sore calves, no knee pain, no hip pain, no nothing! Yesterday I felt like a kangaroo just galloping along on my toes. I felt so good I decided to sprint up a hill five times that was on the way.


My only regret is not doing this sooner...

[dogjogger]

Would you mind providing the links to some of those videos or let me know where you found them?

[Timothy]

Pete, I'm totally with you! Shoes mess with our stride and promote heel-striking and joint pain. When I finally started jogging around barefoot and in VFFs, I was amazed at how my calf muscles turned into shock absorbers. They were awfully sore for the first couple of weeks, but they conditioned up fast, and now I too am springy like a kangaroo.

[Lolly]

i did 3.3 miles in V5s yesterday on the road which was a first for me, before then, just soft surfaces. it felt a million times better than in my nike frees which felt a million times better than my traditional cushioned running shoe. the less shoe i wear the less laborious my running is.

[iniQuity]

I have gorgeous calves thanks to minimalist running (I run on swim flats with the sole taken out, about half an inch from the floor) I do minimalist mostly because I hate landing on pebbles and because I feel less "scared" to sprint. There aren't many grassy areas where I'd feel comfortable sprinting barefoot. I read "Born to Run" and had been minimalist before that but I reckon if the famous Tarahumara use huarache sandals to deal with the tough terrain there's no real reason/benefit in me going barefoot on rough terrain. I've had bad experiences with blisters thanks to running in warm/hot asphalt and other such things, minimalist running allows me to get the benefits of barefoot form (I don't think anybody can argue that my form is NOT that of a barefoot runner though maybe I'd hold back more if I was truly barefoot) without risking as much injury or foot discomfort.


I will say though that there's certainly more connection between you and the ground/floor when BF, obviously, and this can lead to you respecting your body more and listening to it. I may still go into it but I don't really see it as an option, tried it and it seemed like more pain and less reward than my trusty swim shoes.


Going about a year and a half strong... despite the big toe holes:





(obviously you can't see it, but I took out the insole, it used to slide around a lot plus this way I'm closer to the ground and can feel most anything without any of it being annoying)


For fun, this is one of the first meals I made when starting primal. My tenants gave me fish (they buy tons of it) and so I cooked it whole and made a veggie stir fry.





sorry for the crappy cell phone pic quality.

[primal pete]

I will post links in this thread with barefoot running soon.

[primal pete]

check these out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIT7t2jtdP0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE

[Underwaterer]

I'm noticing my calf muscles shaping up too! For the longest time they have been muscular but with a layer of fat on them that makes them look really big. I'm going to have some nice calf muscles hopefully soon.