Barefoot running

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Experts can you advise??

emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
edited October 7 in Social Groups
How long does it take for the arch, foot, ankle etc to stengthen/adapt to barefoot running?? I made the switch to try to overcome knee problems and have been doign C25K barefoot. Did week 2 day 1 yesterday which is 20 minutes of 60 seconds running 90 seconds walking. Felt great during and after, but have a mild niggle in my left arch and inner ankle today.

Would appreciate any guidance on how slow I need to take it to do this safely.

Thanks!

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    No expert, but it took me a couple months to build up to about 30-40 minutes of straight running. I took it very conservative. I had already had a solid running base. It took even longer to be able to run on back to back days.
  • Collinsky
    Collinsky Posts: 593 Member
    I'm not an expert either, but I did C25K barefoot (and I did not run at all before that) and I think that for most people, if you follow that program (and listen to your body religiously) it is a really great program for building up the feet/legs for bf running. I would also say that once you complete the program, to continue to be very conservative and perhaps overly cautious.

    Including the C25K program, it took me a few months to build up to 30-40 minutes of running, but it might have been faster if I hadn't injured myself by overdoing it about 1/3 of the way through C25K -- I was just so excited to be *able* to run that one day after the planned intervals, I pushed to see what I could do. I was really proud of myself, and my legs and lungs cooperated --- but the price I paid was plantar fasciitis, and I've been dealing with that off and on ever since. It's hindered my training somewhat. Spare yourself the pain in the butt of PF and other overuse injuries by taking it just a tad slower than you want to sometimes.

    I haven't tried running back to back days, yet.
  • sarahtbland
    sarahtbland Posts: 11
    It really always depends on the runner. If you were a serious heel striker when you started running and were running in some heavy-heeled shoes, it might take longer. As a VFF runner, I've been told over and over that it takes at least a year to acclimate into minimalist running. For barefoot running, I would assume it's about a year as well. I increased by 1 mile for the first 5 months. From there, I felt that I could keep increasing a little more, I just listened to my feet and made sure to not go any farther than what felt comfortable.

    It's frustrating because you want to be able to just run as much as you can, but really take your time. I really do recommend giving yourself at least a year to get used to it. Doing this has kept any PF issues at bay (as well as any calf issues, another common injury getting used to minimalist/barefoot running) as well as really helped properly build up the toughness of my feet.
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