Barefoot Running

[Serendipity]

Barefootin' hits the big time.

I really need to find a PT or podiatrist who, as the article says, doesn't believe that "one size fits all."

Been suffering from a heel injury for the last month or so and not really feeling like it was improving, despite resting & icing it. I randomly made an appointment with PT at a local sports medicine clinic and fully expected to be told to 'hang up the running shoes'. After a thorough assessment, the PT confirmed that it was a bruised heel and we talked about treatment. It was when he suggested that I try running barefoot on the treadmill that the light went on. We spent the next 15 minutes talking about barefoot running - showed me the VFF KSO's he uses - and I had a chance to try running barefoot on the indoor track attached to the clinic. What - no pain?

Now I can hardly wait to try this out - I had to order VFFs as no one in town sells them - but they should be here within the next few days. And I do need something on my feet. First of all, there's too much snow on the ground right now and way too much crud on the roads, trails, paths, to truly run barefoot.

The other thing I'm excited about is going barefoot around the house and around the yard....when the snow goes, of course. Had always done that; like so many others on this thread, I had grown up barefoot but over the past few years had listened to those telling me that I needed to protect my feet as I got older.

So, the PT did tell me to 'hang up my running shoes' but not in the context I imagined. It's been very enlightening reading about others' experiences on this thread; while I don't expect all my foot troubles to magically disappear, I am looking forward to the 'barefoot running' expeience.

Sorry this is so long - but can you tell I'm excited..

[Kimmyt]

I picked up a pair of VFF sprints at REI on a whim a few months ago- they had one pair in stock (normally they don't stock them, but someone had returned an online order and they were just sitting on the ground in the shoe section) and they were in MY SIZE. I tried them on in the store and said, 'what the heck!' and bought them.

I wore them once on a treadmill before realizing they were actually a bit too big, so I ordered a smaller size. Still actually have the bigger pair, have yet to return them (left the tags on since I wasn't sure about the fit).

Anyway, I've been adding on 0.5 miles on to the end of my treadmill runs this winter when I didn't run outside, so I got a bit more used to them, but I've been waiting for it to get warmer to take them out!

I took them out yesterday for 0.8 miles and they felt GREAT. I felt so... fast! And free!

My feet certainly aren't made for these shoes. My second toe is slightly longer than my big toe, but not enough to make a huge difference. And my pink tends to curl under the other toes, so that means it takes a lot of manual labor to get my toes in their respective pockets. But once in there they feel okay, at least for now.

Here's a question for people, any funny stores of 'what are THOSE!'. When I first took mine outside on the track at work, I passed some of the security guards out walking during lunch, and their conversation stopped as they passed me, then they started whispering and laughing. I knew they were looking at my shoes but I didn't really care. It was way too much fun to run in them!

Also I saw a girl at my rock gym in these, though i personally think the rubber is too soft to use for any really technical climbing and that also might make them more prone to rock-induced damage and would get ruined too quickly. I also know another guy at my work gym who runs on them on the treadmill, but then apparently there's a growing crowd of BFers at my work gym. What can I say, we're scientists... we're all about empirical research!!!