Barefoot treadmill

@syndibee (799)
United States
December 16, 2009 8:11am CST
Well I decided to do a barefoot run on the treadmill the other day. It was a great run. I slowed the treadmill down to 11.5 minute miles and was very comfortable. Sometimes I think I just try to push too hard on the treadmill. I want to get the distance in as quickly as possible because I get so bored. Anyways my ear buds stayed in place for most of the run making it very enjoyable. My son slept for most of it and when I got off I found out that he laid in bed just waiting for me to get done, so I had no interruptions. It was a 4 mile run according to the read out. I don't trust the treadmill to give me an accurate distance though. How does that machine know my stride. Sure it can measure how far the belt has moved but putting my actual stride and my treadmill stride side by side I know they aren't the same. My feet started really getting uncomfortable at 3.8 miles. Though what runner wants to end at a .8 mile marker???? I had to run it out! I was so happy that my feet weren't sweaty, or constrained by the stinkin shoes. They were much happier with this run. I think I'm going to do my short easy run on the TM from now on barefoot and continue working on that infamous foot conditioning so I can hopefully race bare in the spring.
2 responses
Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
19 Dec 09
I don't think the stride would matter, because if you can stay on it at that speed you're covering the miles. Some guys in our running group have really short strides, but then they really push and still do 6 minute mile pace. But they still ran the same distance. I find I have to slow down for barefoot running too. I run fastest with my Nike Frees and slowest with the New Balance Midfoot Strike shoes. It's good to try to go faster sometimes though, as that will improve your speed more eventually. But you also want to get in the miles and that's usually easier at a slower pace. Running as fast as you can all the time can easily lead to injuries too. Today I did an 8 mile run before work in the morning, and I was rushing a bit more than my usual long run pace because I wanted to be sure I'd get back in time. The average pace was 10:30 per mile. Still slower than what I'm hoping for at the half marathon, but the pace felt pretty comfortable. I'm thinking the Nike Free shoes might be my half marathon shoes, despite their lack of cushioning. Other shoes hurt my ankles more which seems worse to me. On shorter runs I run faster to try to get myself used to a faster speed. I'm hoping for about a 9:45 per mile pace at the half marathon. Just a bit slower than my 10K pace. So what do you do for foot conditioning? I'm curious because I want to do a barefoot race in late spring. I haven't been able to do barefoot running much, but I still walk around just about on any surface barefoot.
1 person likes this
Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
19 Dec 09
You can still calculate possible half marathon goal time on the Runner's World website using your 5K time. But it will give you a faster anticipated finish time most likely, than it would if you plugged in a 10K time. But still, it's a fairly good tool it seems. If I put lotion on my feet I'd be sliding all over the place. My feet and my palms cannot have lotion, they don't absorb it at all and then I have to try to wash it all off. I have a few calluses but I need those for my shoes. But there aren't many. Now that it warmed up this week I will have to try some barefoot running soon.
1 person likes this
syndibee
@syndibee (799)
• United States
19 Dec 09
hahaha I need to put socks on right after the lotion. I do it just before bed because the feed don't absorb it well. And this stuff is THICK unlike lotion and gives a good moisturizing over night.
allen0187
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
25 Dec 09
hi syndibee! running barefoot is one of my favorites. i also run barefoot on the treadmill and if i find a good track, i ran barefoot as well. i make it a point to run barefoot regularly. the feel of the ground under my feet feels great. anyway, i do barefoot running to improve my stride. about your concern, i think as long as you can cover the distance within the timeframe/time limit, the stride won't really play a factor. i've seen people with longer/shorter strides and they cover the same distance within the same time. not so sure if i made sence there. lol!!! anyway, good luck in your training and keep us updated. looking forward to be more active in this interest exchanging tips and such aomng my fellow runners. cheers!!!