Barefoot Training? Try it. Your feet, knees and back may thank you.

 Blanc2 Thanks for offering up another minimalist shoe option!  For sure, we all have different preferences, so it's helpful to give folks additional alternatives.  I encourage everyone to try on as many different brands and models as they can, to determine what works for them.  (Just be on the lookout for counterfeit and poor quality models thrown out on the market by companies trying to jump on the minimalist footwear bandwagon.)

I'm 46, so I hear you loud and clear about your impact issues.  For me, it was pain in my arches, which completely went away once I made the move to minimalist footwear.  I'm one of those folks who lives in athletic and yoga wear once I leave the studio on the weekends to run errands, so I was able to extend the benefits outside the gym/studio by keeping my Vibrams on for extended periods, without it looking out of place. Got so used to how my feet felt in them, I would get salty when I had to go back to regular shoes.  Even still, giving my feet a break from traditional footwear just those few hours a day, definitely helped reverse my arch problems. (Magic lies not so much in the shoe itself, but the way it forces you to change the way you walk.)  

 tracyreneejones Don't hate.  Come on, you know you want to join us :-)  And I wear a 9 1/2, so I know all about big feet, but I could care less.  Seriously, you will get more people stopping you on the street out of friendly interest and curiosity ("How do your toes feel in them?) and envy ("Where can I buy a pair?!?") than anything else.  They make walking outside in nice weather, a sheer and utter joy.

 AshleyFisher Ewww.....you and my dancer girlfriend who told me how hard she worked on getting her calluses just right for African dancing which included plenty of hopping, stomping and slow spins. 

 tracyreneejones I just walked around. Everywhere. Sidewalks in the summer included. I only put on socks in the winter. 

 heyimPearlilikefries LOL

 Oaktown Paul  Thanks for reminding me about this book!  Someone else told me about it months ago, but I forgot to follow through in looking it up.  Adding this to my Kindle reading list, and I'll let you know what I think.  

Along these same lines, and still in my reading queue (but at least it made it over from my Kindle downloads, to my iPad) is:  Finding Ultra:  Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself, by Rich Roll.  About a guy who went from a 50lbs overweight couch potato and substance abuser who couldn't even climb a flight of steps without stopping, to serious Ultramarathon (3-Day, 320-mile, double ironman distance triathlon) contender in just 6 months.  At the age of 42.  And who trained entirely on a plant-based diet to get there, to which all the naysayers told him he was crazy and would surely fail.  Now that's a sports-minded story I can get behind.

 Oaktown Paul

 I thought about getting that book when I purchased "Chi Running." I was told about it a few years back when I first started running, along with the reasons to run "bare." It really makes you think about the history and science behind that type of running.

 Oaktown Paul  Personal question. Are you a runner? You seem to be into fitness.  What is your regimen if you care to share.

 Brenda55  You have to define "runner." I can put on a pair of shoes and run 5-6 miles. I have recently started to train for a Half marathon (which I will run with my daughter) --- but I "fear" it is going to be a big challenge for me to be ready by the April race day.   Realistically, since I still weigh over 200 pounds, I do not compare myself to the "gazelle like" runners who make it look so effortless. If you were to see me run, you'd know I'm working. ;-)  My regiment is not so regimental.  I try to work out at least 3-4 times a week.  I run (on treadmills, the street and trails), I cross train (Bike / Weights) and I do my long runs on the weekend. I will never win any races.  But, by mixing it up, I have been fortunate to avoid the repetitive stress injuries that others sometime encounter.  So far, everything still works --- and that works for me!!!       

 Oaktown Paul  Heck that is good.  I am not a runner at all and can walk the 5-6. I have  recently gotten into cycling. Since I gave hubby a Stationary recumbent I have fallen in love the thing and am now using it to strengthen my legs so that I can better use my conventional bike this spring. 

I think its cool you are going to do the half marathon.  When I slim down some I may try for that couch to 5k training so see if I could run that some day. 

 IntegratedMemoirs That's the only issue with the term "barefoot running," is that people hear it, make an association in their mind of its literal meaning (and rightly so), and forget or don't know that it also is used to broadly encompass running or training in minimalist footwear, like the Vibrams.  (That's the context I'm using it in, for purposes of this post.  Check out the third link "Barefoot Running: Create a Personal Plan for Success.")  

I'm with you - you won't catch me scorching my foot bottom bareback, on the hot concrete.  I'll leave that action to the Kenyans, or those who've been training that way so long in hot environments, that the bottoms of their feet remain unaffected.  (Similar to people who practice walking on hot coals, to the point where it no longer burns them.)  As for me,"Barefoot Running" means my Vibrams and the thin layer of rubber they provide between my feet and the asphalt.  Baby steps!

 hotyogachick  

I understood the context in what you were saying when relating to barefoot running, and that’s what I was referring to when I used the term. My husband and I love to hike, and we go on an annual hiking trip through the Grand Canyon with trails such as Rim-to-Rim, Havasupai, etc. One of our friends who also attends the trip swears by Vibrams. She will even wear them while hiking (in which I look at her like she is crazy). She is also an ultramarathoner, cyclist, and is my ultimate workout shero. I have a few other running friends that love Vibrams, but they also live in colder climates I might give them a try to see what their hype is about, but until then, I will stick to my New Balance running shoes.

 IntegratedMemoirs Noted, we're on the same page.  If you're seriously into hiking, and ever decide to try out the Vibrams, a good one for you would be the Women's Spyridon:

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Spyridon-Womens.htm

I have the older model of this same shoe, and they are fantastic for rugged terrain.  But I understand your caution.  If you ever do take the plunge, though, it'll only take a week and then you'll be a raving convert, like the rest of us!

 hotyogachick

 Thanks! Hubby and I will be hiking soon in Sedona, and I might give them a try. Hey, I might even blog about my experience (which I hope will be good).

 hotyogachick

 I just noticed the shoes are my favorite color...pink! You're a woman after my own heart, lol!

 IntegratedMemoirs  hotyogachick Ohhhhh Sedona.  You are in for one treat. Cray cray  politics aside I have to say that  AZ is one of the most beautiful States in the U.S.  Watch out for the vortices when your out there hiking.  LOL 

 Brenda55  

I must say, Arizona has been growing on me since I’ve relocated from Georgia. Joseph and I went to Sedona last year for the Labor Day weekend, and I was amazed! It’s nothing you will see ever in the US. The mountains look like something out of this world. We also went looking for some vortices, and we found one (had to climb very high to find it). Not only is it beautiful, but there are a plethora of BW/Non-Black male interracial couples in Sedona (residing in the upper middle – high class areas, might I add). I was shocked because you wouldn’t expect to find that in Arizona, but don’t let the hype fool you. They’re swirling a lot in Sedona! The people are friendly, laid-back, and maintain the city very well. If I could reside anywhere in Arizona, it would be Sedona hands down. Between the mountains in Sedona, the sunsets in Phoenix, the canyons in Tucson, the snowfall in Flagstaff, and the crystal blue water/ lush waterfalls/bountiful, purple grape vines in the Grand Canyon, I’d say many people are sleeping on the natural beauty that Arizona has to offer. One of my cousins is a RN in Phoenix, and she wants us to move there, but I can’t take Phoenix heat in the summer. At 10 a.m., it’s already 100 degrees there…no ma’am.

 IntegratedMemoirs Keith and I had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Canyon and several citied in AZ the year we went cross country on via train. We took a jeep tour in Sedona that took us into the Canyon.  Loved it. Our guide was a really nice guy, over tipped him, but what the heck he showed us a good time. Bought a dirt shirt while there. 

I came a way wit the impression that Sedona is more like New Mexico in its attitude. I just thought the area was beautiful.  I am not surprised about the BW/WM IRR acceptance. I would move there in a shot. 

 Brenda55

 I would love to take one of those Pink Jeep tours. They seem like so much fun. I wanted to take one last time, but our stay wasn't long enough. We stayed at the Hilton, and when we go back, we're planning on staying there again because it has a nice golf course (we both play golf).

 The Working Home Keeper I know, right?  I don't know what it is about that man that enthralls me so much, but I know that besides his cool demeanor, it has a lot to do with his voice.  (That hybrid Cajun-sounding accent, though he's from Virginia - go figure).  They flashed a picture of him when he was a younger man, with his now-deceased father, and he was quite easy on the eyes, let me tell you.  Still a bit of a handsome devil.  (He works those overalls, doesn't he?)

 VintageNarcissa Try applying 100% pure shea butter at night, then sleeping with socks on.  That deep intensive overnight treatment should help counteract the intensity and frequency of your workouts.