As you've figured out if you read this blog, I like to run in "minimalist" shoes such as the Vibram FiveFingers and the SoftStar Dash Runamoc. Every once in a while, I go fully barefoot.
Not often over the winter though.
I did not start off as a barefooter looking for as little shoe as possible, I started off in big heavy cross trainers and moved to a lot less. At first running in my VFF Bikilas felt incredibly barefoot to me. After having done a little running fully barefoot I can say that the word "nearly" in nearly barefoot makes a big difference.
It's like the word "nearly" in "She nearly got pregnant." or, "That car nearly hit me."
A single word that can be taken as not much of a difference, but it makes a big difference.
When fully barefoot I feel every bit of texture in the road, and as I am still new to this, it causes me to search out the smoother parts of these country roads I like to run on. I have to be more aware of debris in the road, the Bikilas really do a lot to soften those pointy things. I have to choose more carefully and plan ahead if I need to exit the road due to a big truck roaring down my path, I'd hate to jump into the tall grass and find someone's beer bottle from last week.
Every spring I have to reintroduce my feet to the gravel, the briars, the bumblebees and the sharp sticks. It takes some determination to do so. After a month or so, my feet have a adapted. You have "winter" feet is all and it surely does hurt! I like to think that the no-little skill involved in judging where your feet strike next helps keep one's reflexes keen. I like the term "fully barefoot" -- as if there's any other way.
ReplyDeleteFor "fully barefoot" I like to just use the term "barefoot". You know how I am picky about word choice. I dislike the term "barefoot shoes", if one is wearing shoes, one is not barefoot. I also dislike it when people say barefoot running to describe what they do in Vibram FiveFingers. I understand that they are referring to barefoot running form, but to me barefoot running is when one runs with their feet bare.
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