Comment from cactusfoot
Time 2009 October 31 Sat at 12:54 am

Ken Bob,
Love your site & all of the support. Very new at BFR, very sensitive & tender feet that have never seen light of day… I am trying all of your techniques, posture, relax, knees bent, relax, cadance (easy cause it hurts), relax…. It works, but only for a short distance. My feet can only stand it so long. I have decided that since I am such a wuss, perhaps I should walk before I run. I have progressed to the point that I can walk short distances on rough pavement that I could never have walked on before… progress, yes but painfully slow. Some blisters, but not bad. I consider that progress as I hope they turn into calleses & ease the sensitivity…. I seem to have plateaued. My question now is how long does it take before I begin to progress any further? I try telling myself that it has taken me a lifetime of shoes to soften my feet. Will it take years before I can feel comfortable without shoes?
Thanks for your help.
Cactusfoot

Comment from kayetech
Time 2009 November 2 Mon at 8:24 am

Cactusfoot,

Don’t get disheartened, it takes a while to transition from foot-coffins to freedom! Keep at it, and you will get there. Make sure you vary the terrain you are walking/running on and concentrate on your form. Slowly building up is key, you just need to make sure you keep varying the terrain. Good luck!

Kerry

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 November 2 Mon at 3:00 pm

Cactusfoot,

Yes, you should walk, before running. Your feet have just been born, essentially, reborn coming out of a protective womb, after a very long time. I’ve never seen a baby come out of a womb, ready and able to run miles and miles, barefoot or otherwise.

Take your time, play with your feet, and the earth, and experiment with letting your feet get intimate with the terrains you will, eventually, be running on (barefoot).

This ain’t about building calluses – those are caused by bad running technique, and unnecessary rubbing of the skin on a surface (either the inside of a shoe, or the earth). Let your feet teach you, instead, not to rub, to eliminate friction, to go limp, when it hurts, rather than tensing up. Blisters are intermediate calluses. If you are getting blisters, it is the same cause, and should be avoided. Let the blisters, also, teach you, what not to do.

I can’t answer how long it will take you specifically. But, yes, if you haven’t played, walked, or run much barefoot, recently, or especially as a child, it will take a bit longer, not only to strengthen your feet, but to learn how to respond to what your feet are trying to teach you.

So, take the time, don’t walk or run enough that it hurts. If it hurts, then it is time to make a change. First try changing the way you are standing, walking, or running. Second, reduce the amount you are standing, walking, or running barefoot, until you have learned to stand, walk, and run, very gently.

Imagine you’re trying to sneak up on someone. You’ll immediately change the way you move, and reduce friction, impact, and other harmful effects of moving badly.

MOST importantly, HAVE FUN!

Comment from new_guy
Time 2009 November 4 Wed at 11:10 am

After 3 runs in VFFs I am hooked! I hope to go completely barefoot soon…

The techniques described here seem pretty natural to me but I am having difficulty finding the stride going downhill. Any suggestions?

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 November 4 Wed at 11:30 am

New Guy,

You’ll actually be able to FEEL how natural the techniques are, if you take off the footwear. the above techniques are just a starting point. Save the footwear for after you have benefited from your tender new soles teaching you every subtle detail about how to run, gently, gracefully, efficiently, and naturally.

Running downhill is a lot more exciting. However, techniques are basically the same – just some are more important over various terrains (which is why beginners should be practicing on various terrains). Learning to run in footwear, compared to actually barefoot is like the difference between singing with ears plugged, and singing with the ears un-plugged. You can’t really correct the subtle differences between being on-key and off-key, if you can’t actually hear the subtle differences.

AFTER you have started running BARE foot – you’ll want all the feedback you can get on the down hills – check this out, and other articles in the “hills” category:
http://runningbarefoot.org/?p=1539

Comment from Barefoot Tavis
Time 2009 November 5 Thu at 3:35 pm

Ken Bob,

I think I sprained my Achilles Tendon. In fact, I’m sure of it. After a brisk 2-miler this Monday morning, I felt great, best ever, but now, after only having run a total of 20 miles barefoot in the past 3 weeks, I think i’ve pushed myself a little too far, too fast.

Two days ago I noticed some swelling under and around my left ankle bone on the inside of my foot, and bending down on my ankle produces pain inside the ankle as well. So is it the Achilles, or have I torn some other ligaments?

For therapy, i’m stretching the foot as much as possible throughout the day, icing it twice a day or so, and taking some ibuprofen. And, i’m haven’t run since Monday, which has been very, very difficult! I’m so anxious to get outside and run barefoot again!

Any advice from the pro?

Comment from bmarshallpf
Time 2009 November 14 Sat at 9:14 am

Barefoot Tavis,
I started running in Vibram Five Fingers for a bit and after one run at night, I woke up with a similar pain (I think) that you are facing. It turned out to be a sprained posterior tibial tendon. I thought it healed after a day of rest, so I began my barefoot running routine (which I had ironically planned to start right after this run in the VFF’s,) but the pain came back the next day. I’ve been forced to shut down all forms of running for the time being to let it heal, but after a few weeks, when everything feels right again, I will resume barefoot running. Hopefully this helps.

Comment from Barefoot Tavis
Time 2009 November 14 Sat at 7:37 pm

bmarshallpf,

that website helped tremendously. that’s exactly where i’m feeling pain, it’s NOT the achilles, but a tendon that runs of the inside of my lower leg. Many thanks for the information.

FYI, it is almost completely healed, although still a bit tight when I bend my ankle too far in a stretch. my advice, is keep icing, and keep stretching all throughout the day. also, i’ve been on one or two runs, all under 1.5 miles, and went very slow. after, being warmed up, i was able to stretch and ice and this has yielded good results. make sure you keep walking barefoot in the meantime, and definitely stay away from the VFF’s.

Thanks again,

Tavis

Comment from jones
Time 2009 December 1 Tue at 7:52 am

Ken;
I am a 32 years old male, and just recently get into running, and runninf barefoot, or should i say, get back to running barefoot after a long 20 years of running with shoes. Last week i start with running slowly on the running track for 1/4 miles. I am not sure am i do it the right way, i could hear the sound of “boop~boop” each step i land. My toes were like grabbing the ground each time the foot land. My question is does our feet or running form adjust automatically when we run barefoot? I will try the technic you mentioned in this page on my next barefoot run.
*strange enough there is a bruise spot right above my right knee, (after second run), no pain though, just dark blue spot.

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 December 1 Tue at 8:50 am

If you had started barefoot, as an infant, your technique would have had plenty of time to adjust, by gradually increasing, at first, how long you stand, and let your feet feel and play with the ground. And later, by gradually increasing how far you walked, and felt and played with the ground with your bare feet…

The problem, of course, as adults, it’s very difficult for us to take the time and patience of an infant taking their first barefoot steps.

The solution is a combination of experimenting, feeling, playing with the ground with our bare soles, and using our brains to learn from the experience of others. Thus, this page, with the basics of how to run.

Take what you learn here, practice a couple of aspects at a time.
Pay close attention to what you feel, hear, and see, as you run.
Then go through the list occasionally and check how you’re doing – and which aspect of technique you may want to play with for the next few minutes.

Whenever you think you may not be running far, or fast enough, think of how long it takes an infant to go from birth to running a few miles… And remember, your feet have just been “reborn” from the protective environment of your shoes.

Comment from jsindelar
Time 2009 December 28 Mon at 8:05 am

On the return stride, do the toes point back or forward? That is, do the feet release all the way through so the toes point backward, or in lifting the whole foot as you say, do the toes keep facing forward all the way back to the foot plant? I’m partly curious because I found that running on brushy terrain, I could keep my feet higher and thus out of the brush by releasing my feet all the way through; it felt kind of like flying, my feet dipping down through the brush to find a foothold, then flipping back out of the way. Also an alexander technique teacher I was talking to told me to release all the way through when walking… but I don’t think this fits with the model of lifting the whole foot at once, does it?

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 December 28 Mon at 8:26 am

jsindelar,
Listen to the force… I mean, Listen to your feet. You don’t want to have the tops of your feet kicking against branches and bushes, that would just make running … difficult, and not so much joy. So, depending on the terrain, or underbrush, find the path (for your foot) of least resistance. This may be with your toes pointed way back, or it may be you aren’t pointing your toes forward enough… lifting your foot “level” enough. Play, experiment, carefully, but have fun.

Comment from slowpokejudd
Time 2009 December 28 Mon at 6:08 pm

I’m also trying to learn, or re-learn, how to run barefoot.
I live in ND, and right now the temp is almost up to 0.

so, i’m trying to use a treadmill to get it down. My feet blisered some, and get pretty hot on the treadmill.

Any advice on the use of a treadmill? I don’t think it’ll be above freezing outside for a couple months.
Any advice on these dillemas?
Also, how the heck would I start my own post? I guess I’m not only slow at running.

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 December 29 Tue at 6:51 am

slowpokejudd
Check out the “User Submissions” page (in the About menu)
http://runningbarefoot.org/?page_id=1204

Comment from shancat
Time 2009 December 29 Tue at 7:06 am

Great site! I haven’t begun barefoot running yet, I hope to this weekend. Yesterday I really focused on improving my form and running according to how you’ve outlined it here. It felt completely foreign and strangely comfortable at the same time. I’m not sure I’m getting the foot plant right though….should I be landing completely on my forefoot? My calves are very tight and sore today which makes me think I was not getting it totally right. But maybe my form was so bad before this makes sense? Also I was planning on running a half marathon in April and I’m not sure how to keep up the mileage while adapting to a new (much better) way of running. Thanks for any insight!

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 December 29 Tue at 7:45 am

Do NOT focus on the foot landings! Focusing on foot landings will only ensure that you push your foot into the ground harder than necessary.

Now, that said, DO pay attention to how your feet are landing – - – but do not try to force them to land in a certain way… If they are not landing correctly, then something else is wrong in the larger scheme of what the rest of your body is doing. Once you get that corrected, then you can fine tune the landings…

Now, with that said, you should use your entire sole for running, imagine you are standing on a bed of nails. You would want to distribute your weight across as many points of support as possible.

While running, the same is true, as terrain can (and should) be rough sometimes – our ancestors didn’t only run on beaches and manicured lawns.

As you start running further, and want to fine tune your landings to reduce friction even more, curve your foot gently – think of a rubber ball landing, it lands on one tangent, then as more force is applied the surface contacting the ground expands.

Now, think of a suction cup landing, the outer edges land first, then spread. Think of how much friction that would cause, if your feet did that.

So, basically, land ball of foot first, but relax, and allow the rest of your foot to follow, the heels and the toes… Anything less, will strain, not only your calves, but also the skin on your soles.

But, remember, your landing should be more a reflection of the rest of the basics… As in the original article above,
# If your heels are pounding, bend your knees, let your hips fall forward, use quicker, shorter steps.
# If your heels are not touching at all, relax your ankles and knees, letting the heels come down.
# If your feet are slapping, try lifting your feet earlier and/or quicker (faster cadence).
# If your feet never reach the ground, then you are lifting you feet too early
# Relax, relax, relax!

Comment from slowpokejudd
Time 2009 December 29 Tue at 6:13 pm

thanks BKB.

i’m not much of a talker, but i like asking questions.
Any advice on using a treadmill?
I’m not sure how often I’ll get outside barefoot during the winter in ND. I don’t mind below zero normally, but barefoot could be tough.

Comment from pester2×5
Time 2009 December 30 Wed at 4:00 am

I just stumbled upon this site, I have done some barefoot training in parkour but not as of yet running. I’ve always preferred running barefoot but my running routes are higher risk of glass, etc. I have run like this before and thought it felt much more natural, but though it looked silly.

Comment from Barefoot Sal
Time 2010 January 2 Sat at 12:13 pm

Dear Barefoot Ken Bob, Barefooters, and Barefoot Wannabees,
Barefoot Sal Strikes Again!
Two nights ago, I ran in my second “official” 5K. It was the “Year-to-Year Fun Run” at Point Mugu Naval Base in Ventura County. The run begins at 11:55pm New Year’s Eve, and you literally run into the New Year. Along the course, I kept an eye on my watch and led a group of us in a 10-second countdown to midnight, “Happy New Year!”
The active.com website said, “Course will be well-lit with flashlights and bon fires.” No it was not! A few yards into it I thought, “Is this a good idea?” It was paved, and I wore a cap with a mini-headlight on it, yet still, visibility was quite low. More than ever, I had to be completely awake; aware of each and every step! Halfway through, I felt much more confident and started to pick up my pace. I finished quicker than I had anticipated. The course was a flat and easy, Z-shaped, out-and-back x2.
Before the event, I asked a couple of race officials if there would be water along the course and they answered in the affirmative. Perhaps they thought I meant “will we be running in water?” As opposed to “will there be drinking water?” The good news is I now know that I can go 5K without taking-in water; one less thing with which to concern myself.
What a great way to start the year. I’ll stick around this distance for a while, until I feel lighter and more confident, then we’ll look at 10K, but no hurry.
Happy New Year!

Comment from jones
Time 2010 January 3 Sun at 8:06 am

my friend said the same thing about “silly” when they saw me running barefoot. “you run like that sneaky raptor in the Jurassic Park!” I guess it is because of that short stride.
It has been a month of trying + experiment + being watched by countless big eyes, and i have yet to find out exactly how, I have to keep repeat telling myself to relax and quickly pick up the foot. The landing is much more silence now, and the toes don’t grab on the ground that much.

The foot start to pound when i am feeling tired and lost control, usually after 2.5km. So I just stop and reward them by standing/walking really slow on the grass for a while before i walk home. When I bend my knee (to avoid heel pounding when landing), it felt like it is very difficult to lift it again, am i bending too much?

Comment from Catscradle
Time 2010 January 6 Wed at 7:48 pm

After reading all those instructions I got to wonder if it’s natural if one has to think of all those things. My running (currently with shoes) just happens, shouldn’t the right way to run barefoot just happen? It just seems to me that it takes what is suppose to be fun and natural and turns it into a chore. Yoga Bierra once said “How can you hit and think at the same time?”, I just have to paraphrase that and say “How can you run and think (this much) at the same time”. I’ve been running well over 30 years and I really want to give this a try and all that time I’ve never once thought about running, I’ve just run. As a matter of fact one of the greatest joys of running for me is turning my mind off completely. I naturally just kind of shuffle along with a very low foot rise (having once tripped over a frost heave, lol), but all those instructions are a bit much. Could you pare it down to the essentials?
BTW, since reading “Born To Run” I’ve already bought a pair of old school shoes (60’s era Tiger Mateos). If those work out I’ll progress to lesser and lesser shoe, I’ve been running too long to change over night.
A brother in running,
Steve.

Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2010 January 7 Thu at 8:30 am

Catscradle,

No. It’s certainly not natural to have to think of all those things while running. However, it’s not natural to learn to run or walk, while wearing shoes. As I’ve said many times, “if we all had learned to walk and run in bare feet, this website would not be necessary.

So… the deal is, yes, it is a chore to LEARN to run, or actually to UN-learn the bad habits we allowed ourselves to practice while shod. But, as with any skill, Yogi Berra batting skill included, it is difficult to learn, but once learned, easy to “just do it”.

By the way, you don’t “progress” to lesser and lesser shoes. The best way to learn to run barefoot, is by listening to the bare soles. The instructions I wrote are to help people get there sooner – after all, if we had started out learning to walk and run barefoot, it still would have been several years before we could run miles and miles barefoot.

The essentials then…

Remove your footwear…

Listen to your feet and body…

If it hurts, change the way you’re running…

If it still hurts, take a rest…

Relax, and have fun.

Comment from Catscradle
Time 2010 January 7 Thu at 9:24 am

FWIW, today I tried to at least incorporate a couple of things. You seemed to stress knees bent and back and neck straight, so I concentrated on those 2 pieces. Since I’m running on snow and ice I have to keep my head down gazing about a yard in front of me or I might wind up on my butt. Where I felt it most was in the thighs and a little in the butt, to be expected I would think. I did notice immediately a different foot fall from that technique. I had to take a recovery walk part way through and then resume, but I got in my run in.
I’ll give it an honest shot, but don’t know that I’ll ever be fully converted to shoeless.
Thanks for your answer to my original post.

Comment from new_guy
Time 2010 January 7 Thu at 9:38 am

“Remove your footwear…
Listen to your feet and body…
If it hurts, change the way you’re running…
If it still hurts, take a rest…
Relax, and have fun.”

Words to live by, and not just pertaining to running!

As a newcomer to barefoot running I am making the transition from shoes gradually. What is working for me, after about 4 months of experimentation, is mixing my workouts. For my long Sunday runs I am still wearing shoes, but during the week, especially when I do my hill intervals and always for cross training I am either barefoot or wear VFFs.

I mean no disrespect to the barefoot purists, but a more gradual approach is working for me. My goal is barefoot all the time, but as a friend says, “If you run 20 miles into the woods you have to run 20 miles to get back out.” After spending about 48 years in shoes it may take me a while to be rid of them.

Comment from xcal
Time 2010 February 1 Mon at 1:42 am

Hi, I just got my VFF’s last week. I see your point about starting off naked, but I often run on fairly hazardous terrain…stones, glass, messy construction sites dump their stuff on the pavement/road, etc… anyway, I started ‘almost barefoot’ on Friday (walked out of the shoe-shop in my VFF’s), then ran/walked 7km on Saturday morning, and spent all day around town in them, then played a little cricket in them on Sunday, then ran/walked 9km on Sunday evening. I have 2 Q’s:
1. with my shoes on, I would simply scan the terrain for large objects every couple of metres, but I’m now constantly looking at the ground in front of me! i.e. my head/back is angled downwards instead of being vertical. I’m stiff today, but haven’t felt strain yet but I expect to feel it soon. Should I give this time to correct itself, or should I do something(what?)

2. I have some aches/pains, but will train kung fu tonight (in my vff’s) and plan to rest tomorrow. I read EVERYWHERE that we should start the barefoot journey very slowly…am I overdoing it? I’m listening to my body, and am not hearing it shout ‘STOP’ I heard ’slow down’, hence the weekend’s run/walk instead of ‘run’.
thanks

Comment from Shawnajosephine
Time 2010 February 8 Mon at 10:52 am

Hi, just learned about barefoot running and am astonished at what I’m hearing. I’m flat footed, wore orthotics when I was young, hated them! and refused as a teen. I’ve been in flip flops ever since and just started running 5 years ago. I’m flat footed, and bustier than most chicks, let alone runners, so shoes seemed like the most important aspect of staying injury-free. Regardless, I was injured the first 2 years – all the time. I still have back, knee, and ankle. I love running, but hate my limitations. I am excited to see what running barefoot can do for me.

I don’t want to sacrifice my regular runs because I’m only able to do short ones barefoot. Anyone else easing into barefoot running with walking and/or short miles running, while maintaining high mileage in running shoes the rest of the time?