Is this wise?

boredfatman

hi all,

I had a blister on my heel today from new work boots which put me off going out for a run as my running shoes would likely make it worse.

Therefore I ran 5k on the spot in my living room without shoes on.

So, aside from the obvious dose of crazy, do I run the risk of injury doing this?

Thanks

BFM

barbecuesauce

When I did Wii running in my socks for a few days, I developed an ache in what I guess is a tendon (did not go to the doctor) that lasted for several days. Lesson learned.

rugbyphreak

Once in a great while, it's fine. I wouldn't make it a regular occurrence. I have high arches, so running barefoot for long distances kills me. Arch pain for days after, waking up with calf pain in the middle of the night, horrible! But... I do regularly walk barefoot around the yard and down the street and don't have any problems if I keep it under a mile.

My suggestion is to heal that blister and put your shoes back on for those 5k running days.

AllanMisner

Go to a CVS or Walgreens and get some moleskin. You can cut it to size, place it over the blister, and it will be protected from further damage.

Running in place does work you some, but it isn’t the same muscle activation you get actually running. I’ve never heard of a running in place injury, but all activity comes with some risk. I’m also assuming you were on the balls of your feet and keeping soft knees. So again, very low risk. I’d venture to say, you’re about as safe as if you were sitting on your couch.

beemerphile1

What you did is also called natural running. Generations have done it for centuries and many still do. Shoes are a relatively recent invention.

barefootrunning.com/

runnersworld.com/running-shoes-gear/barefoot-running

SueInAz

If you were "running" on carpet I can't imagine you'd do any sort of damage since you'd have had some cushion. I'd be leery of doing that in my own living room which is ceramic tile. "Natural running" wasn't done on concrete or hard surfaces and I don't think it's a good idea to regularly do barefoot running on them.

I was a gymnast in my younger years and we used to set up the vault along the concrete entryway into the gym. I ended up with really bad shin splints. Once we started using a padded running surface the shin splints eventually healed.

boredfatman

Thanks for all the replies people. Certainly not what I want to do regularly as it sure does hurt more than normal running!

JarethG wrote: »

how do you run 5k, if you never went anywhere?

The equivalent of 5k...steps, time etc etc.