Comment

Comment by Jeffrey Beausay on October 22, 2020 at 9:15am

Thanks for this, Eric. Right on point for me. I am trying to transition to a forefoot strike, and immediately encountered calf and knee pain. My first reaction was to abandon the endeavor, but I think you may be right, so I'm committed to trying again, slowly and patiently. I also believe my weight is a contributing factor, so working on that also. Anyway, wanted you to know that for us middle-aged, stout guys, the transition can literally be painful, so I echo Eric's caution to go about it very slowly with patience.

Comment by Eric Orton on October 21, 2020 at 7:18pm

This is great Beth, as I was just curious as many have different reasons.  I would continue to be patient and maybe look to do less running, but more often to continue to progress. Frequency is really important and will build strength, then you could look to begin to build in volume.

Hope this helps.

Comment by Beth Garigen on October 21, 2020 at 6:46pm

Hi Eric,

Since reading Born to Run, I have been a barefoot runner. I have always had a naturalist perspective and spend most of my time barefoot.  I believe your body is meant to run. I also try to run on soft surfaces,  running on sand in the summer and dirt or pavement in the fall and spring.

Comment by Eric Orton on October 21, 2020 at 4:37pm

Hi Beth,

To better answer your question it would be good to hear your overall purpose for running exclusivity barefoot. But in general, a stress fracture is telling you there is over use. So if you are steadfast about barefoot, you might need to back off on your distance and be a little more patient than you think. I don't think it is as simple as slowly building and increasing miles. You might try finding a good minimal shoe to off set this and compliment your barefoot running. 

Let me know your main barefoot purpose and I can add more specifics.

Comment by Beth Garigen on October 21, 2020 at 2:33pm

Great video at a perfect time. I'm a barefoot runner and have recently upped my miles. Starting in May, I went up from 3 miles a run to 5, then 7, then 10. I have chronic anemia, so had to take a break and get an iron infusion,  but then started feeling like everything was click8ng. I was getting faster and feeling light in my foot striked. Unfortunately,  I was just diagnosed with a stress fracture in my left foot on toes 2 and 3 in the forefoot area. I was told to stop running, don't run barefoot, get supportive shoes, and land on my heels. I know that's all wrong, so how do I prevent further stress fractures?