Last week I finally had the chance to test my new barefoot running shoes. I ran 2.5 km in a forest nearby. My first impression was great, but I definitely need some adaptation time.
The first and most obvious thing I noticed when I went with my new barefoot running shoes into the forest, is that I could feel the ground. I felt every stone and every stick lying around. Mostly it is a really comfortable feeling, almost like a massage. However, some sharp objects did not feel that good, but it never went as far as hurting me. Apart from the objects, I could also feel the ground's inclination, even when it was not visible. That was a totally new feeling for me, at least running.
I already knew from school that our feet have lots of different muscles, bones and tendons. Now I know that my feet have them too, because I am sure I felt every single one of them. During my practice it was a pleasant feeling, not so much towards the end when it began to turn into pain. That was when I decided that it was enough for the first day. The other region of my body I felt some pain were my inferior calf muscles (anyone knows their proper name?). On the other side, I did not have any pain whether in my knees nor my hips. But that could also only be due the fact that I only ran 2.5 km.
My running shoes - Vivobarefoot - Stealth II
The day after running my feet felt quite bad. It was like the typical muscle soreness after a few months without practicing, so quite as expected, maybe a little bit harder. I talked to my colleague and he told me to try to adapt my running style. Taking shorter steps, I should run less on my heels and more on the forefoot. Next time I will try this out, which I figure that will feel quite funny at the beginning, probably look funny too.
I will keep you updated about my experiences with my barefoot shoes in the coming weeks.