I told you why I started running barefoot, but now I'll start talking about my transition and how easy hard it's been. One would think that if you've been running for awhile, just removing your shoes would be no big deal. Unfortunately that couldn't be further from the truth.
Like I said, I've been barefoot a lot; I grew up in "the country" with lots of grass and bare feet. I rode the horse bareback and barefoot (really) and it was glorious. To this day, the first thing to come off when I walk in the door is shoes and socks (if I've bothered with those at all).
Running, however, has always been an activity for shoes, because once you get off your own property, you don't know what you're going to encounter. Glass, pine cone bits, nails, etc are commonplace everywhere you go these days, and any of those stuck in your foot is troublesome at best, a nightmare at worst. So, I've always run in shoes.
So, I had that pulled muscle and tried barefoot. Literally, I ran two tenths of a mile (0.2 miles). After having been used to running five miles a day. It was wonderful, and I managed not to step on anything that hurt. I stopped with that because I'd read that you shouldn't overdo it, and I didn't want to be laid up for any longer. Afterwards, I put my running shoes on and went for a run of about four and a half miles.
I did this for a few weeks, but I switched the barefoot part to the end of my runs, because it felt better to do it at the end, and also because I hated having stuff on my feet when I put my socks on (it seems that sometimes, no amount of brushing off your feet gets all the sand off!). Anyway, I gradually increased the distance I went barefoot.
Then one day I got super crazy. It was a Saturday, and I was planning on a long run. Initially, I had planned on doing three miles shod, then three miles in the VFFs, but when I finished the third minimalist mile, I felt great so I kept going. Ultimately I did eight miles; three shod and five in the VFFs. I felt spectacular at the end of my run!
The next day, I could hardly walk at all, and it took me a week to recover. I had hurt both my achilles tendons and they were swollen. I had to walk flat-footed, unable to flex my foot as I walked; I looked like a zombie! I figured I'd been at it long enough, and surely my tendons had stretched out (and besides, I went barefoot "all the time" already), and I'd be fine. Not the case.
Of course, it took a few months before I would even try running barefoot again, but I vowed to do it because it felt great while it lasted. I learned my lesson, and started over from scratch...
More to come on this!
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