I was in bed most of the day yesterday with a 24-hour stomach bug, so no running or walking of any sort for me.
On Sunday, I wanted to be a little cautious with my hint of arch pain on Saturday, so I decided to just go for a long walk in my VFFs. I’ve been wearing my pedometer almost full time now to make sure I don’t overdo it with total steps barefoot (or in minimal shoes). Saturday I totaled over 16,000 steps, which is roughly equivalent to 8 miles for me - all with the VFFs. The best part - no arch pain whatsoever.
So, having walked 8 miles with no signs of plantar fasciitis, I decided to do a short run after work to break in my new VFFs. I just went out for 10 minutes at a pretty brisk pace around the neighborhood. I estimate that I probably ended up doing 1.25 miles. It wasn’t an easy run for me (I tried to keep a brisk pace), but it felt pretty good all around. I tried to focus on “light” and “easy” while maintaining quick turnover. I feel like my form is pretty good, but I’d like to get a video so I can analyze it or at least use as a benchmark to see how much my form changes as I run more in the barefoot style.
After my 8 miles walking on Saturday and my little run today, I did notice some mini blisters on the insides of my big toes. I’m getting just a little bit of rubbing there (that isn’t really noticeable just walking around) that leads to small blisters over time. I’m not sure if these can be avoided with better form, or if it’s the best I can expect with the VFFs.
My steps for today are over 11,000 which is roughly 5.5 miles. With my built-in 2 mile walk to work each day (1 mile each way), just an extra 10 minute run is enough to get me over the 10,000 step benchmark, which is nice.
As I’m focusing more on getting into running shape, I definitely feel the urge to eat better to fuel my body. I’m a firm believer that good exercise triggers good eating habits and not the other way around. If you’re already convinced that barefoot running is the “right way”, then you may also already be into a pre-agricultural diet for the same reasons. I’ll be going into this more later, but if you’re interested in reading up on a diet based on anthropology and science, I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Michael Eades Protein Power Blog.
When I ran in VFFs, I found that I’d get a blister almost every time at the base of my big toe. I started wearing Injijis to run in and the I didn’t get any more blisters. Walking in VFFs without socks has never caused a friction problem but running does, for me at least.
Welcome the the world of barefoot and VFFs - congrats. I’ve been going barefoot for one year now. No IT band problems anymore and injury free.
I agree running in them can get a tad sloppy, I downsized and that helped. Who knows.
Where are you located? Great site.
Thanks Ryan!
What I mean by “sloppy” is that I feel like I can probably make a greater impact with the ground than I would if I were barefoot (and perhaps more slide as well). I think the fit is about as tight as it can get. I actually have one pair of Injinji toe socks that I’d bought long ago, but I haven’t even tried to see if they’ll fit with my VFFs because the fit is already pretty snug. I’ll have to give that a go as well per Tina’s recommendation.
I’m in Pittsburgh, PA.
overdo*
Thanks CarolN! Fixed!
Imagine my surprise to find a Dr. Eades mention in my search for VFFs and barefootedness! I’ve been following the Protein Power Lifeplan since Aug 08, but I’ve only been doing barefoot research for a week. I’m looking for a “cure” for my plantar fasciitis, which has somehow developed after I lost 50 lbs.