Still Learning

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to run barefoot the last two Mondays and Saturdays. The temperature has been warm enough (-5°C or warmer), but the ground has been icy. The last two Saturdays had a couple of centimeters of fresh snow on the ground with some rough ice underneath. Although the snow is soft and pleasant to run on, the ice underneath is a problem. Just like the dog that cut his paw last Saturday, I am at risk of getting cut if I let my feet slide on the ice. This means I have to take short strides and step carefully. I have found that my knees get sore because I lose my Chi Running form. I hope I can correct this.

When it comes to the cold temperatures, I have found that my feet go through a similar routine each time out. They start out feeling cold, then after a couple of minutes painfully cold. After about 10 minutes the soles are comfortably numb and the blood circulation is keeping my toes from freezing. Depending on how rough the surface is, my feet will start to get sore after about 45 minutes. Once I get back indoors and warming up, my feet start to feel hot and any minor injuries begin to reveal themselves. Although my feet get cold and numb, I have to try not to push it too far. If my toes get too cold, they will freeze and I will end up with frost bite. To keep from getting frost bite, I try not to subject my feet to temperatures below -5°C and avoid getting a lot of snow on the tops of my feet or toes. Most importantly, I try to keep my core body warm and to have good circulation to all parts of my feet. To keep good circulation and to stay warm I try to keep moving. A trick I use to help keep my toes from freezing is to scrunch my toes up every time I lift my foot, but I have to make sure I unscrunch them when my foot gets within striking distance of the ground.

One of the best sites I use for learning what and what not to do is Barefoot Rick’s site. I can learn from his mistakes.

http://www.barefootrunner.org/winter/winter.htm