Wanted: Advice from Barefoot Runners

[itishe]

I've been getting into running barefoot and today is my 2nd day. My first day all went well in terms of foot condition, no: blisters, torn skin, cracked skin. Now today when I get about a tenth or so of a mile into my run I notice my middle toe on my right foot is starting to give me slight pain. So I keep going a while longer and then proceed to look at my toe.

I notice there was a decent size area of skin removed and you could see blood and the underskin along with rocks stuck inside my skin grooves. I walk limpidly home and carefully clean it out with alcohol eek: ) then put a cotton ball and bandaid on it to prevent infection.

Is this normal to have skin torn off or am I placing way too much emphasis in landing on my front/toe area (much like you would in sprinting)?

 

[Nex]

In what kind of terrain are you running?

 

[itishe]

Perhaps I should of started out on grass, but I jumped right in and started on blacktop which in my view is softer than concrete, but still punishing too a rookie.

 

[grr]

Curious: What convinced you to take this up?

 

[Cappy da pimp]

Ive been a runner since HS with some layoffs from time to time. It was always my understanding that running barefoot wasnt to be done for an axtended period of time. For us it was always for a short, no more than a half mile on grass cool down after a cross country race, or to just do a few short sprints say 100M after practice or a training run.

And it was always on grass, never on concrete or pavement. Running on grass or trails is always preferred over running on concrete or pavement. Just because its so much softer on the knees and joints. Hope that helps some.

 

[William Blake]

The tips of the two toes next to the big toe (Two on each foot.) always wear down if I run really hard or my feet are out of shape from not running. If this happens I use tape. I usually try to bring tape with me. But I also have bad knees so I usually don't push it so hard that I need the tape.

I use white hockey stick tape. I have to use a lot of layers, wrapping it around the tip of the toe several times. It will stay on if it is wet like in the rain, but it must be put on completely dry.

I run 3 to 5 miles through the city depending on my knees. I run over broken glass and all that. I grew up in the woods with wild thorn bushes so the city is like a barefoot paradise.

One thing I have noticed is that I get glass in my foot usually only when it is raining. I think the skin on my foot gets softer, the water lubricates the glass, and I can't see the shiny glass to avoid in when the ground is wet and shiny.

To take out the glass in my foot (Hasn't happened for months now.) I take one of those old fashion double edge razor blades and break it in half and then carefully bend it so I can scoop out the layers of callous skin over the glass. (Best if the skin is wet) with this method I can remove just a small surface area and so I can keep running.

I use a very thin needle, the dull end where you put the thread, to probe it to get at the glass. And I use rubbing alcohol to do this. It hurts at first and then it numbs it. It also kills the germs. If I cant get at the glass I just leave it in. I will just probe it with the backwards needle and alcohol a couple times a day and this stops infection. If it starts hurting I just jam some alcohol into it to kill the infection. It always come out later. I wish I had known about this when I was in the woods with those thorns.

Ok, I know we're supposed to wear shoes, I know we're supposed to wear a condom..

 

[William Blake]

but I jumped right in and started on blacktop which in my view is softer than concrete, but still punishing too a rookie.

If it is that black tar stuff with those tiny rocks in it, that can be the worst of any surface. That is the one surface to avoid. Even dogs should have shoes to run on that stuff.

 

[William Blake]

http://www.runningbarefoot.org/