Barefoot Adventures Part 1: Trentham
June 3, 2009At the beginning of April I wrote this post, which was initially going to be on trainers, but ended up more about barefoot running. At the end of it I decided that I would give barefoot running a go, just to see what it was like, though I was slightly apprehensive as to what this might do to the soles of my feet.
Near the start of the trail - notice the reasonably clean feet!
Reading Born to Run a little while ago also raised the notion of barefoot running and it’s possible advantages. The book did seem to make out that running shoes were completely unnecessary and that everyone would be better off without them (though you have to wonder why, if this fact is as well known as Christopher McDougall makes out, you rarely see a barefoot runner).
To ease myself into the idea of barefoot running I decided to try the Barfuss walk in Trentham and so went there yesterday with Claire, Scribs and Lauren. It’s a 1000m (though it seemed a lot shorter) path through the gardens that has a number of different surfaces, based on a natural theme, and generally broken into sections of about 10-20m. We had stones of all sizes, logs, grass, water, woodchips and mud – which was surprisingly deep, and funny :-)
Getting muddy.
The idea of walking barefoot on these different surfaces stems from the principles of Sebastian Kneipp, a priest in the 1800′s who is most famous for his hydrotherapy techniques but also incorporated barefoot walking into his treatments, believing that walking barefoot could cure the body of a myriad of illnesses.
I’m not sure if doing the Trentham Barefoot Trail could cure me of consumption but it was certainly interesting. I found it best if you take your time and really pay attention to the different surfaces under your feet, not just the different shapes and textures but the temperatures as well. Speed round the trail also seemed to be dependent on just how tough the undersides of your feet are. I was hobbling over some of the gravel like it was hot coals and Scribs was miles ahead of me like he was walking on a pile of feathers.
Standing in the water section doesn't really do much to get the mud off.
Overall, it was good fun (we even went round twice) and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t ill at the moment. Trentham seem to have it covered by providing lockers to keep your shoes in at the start, along with some taps to wash the mud off your feet when you’re done (though the water was freezing and washing all the mud off was an impossible task – flip flops were definately an advantage). On the downside it cost me £6 for a student ticket to get into the Italian Gardens where the Barefoot Trail is located.
So now that I’m prepared for the barefoot world I shall be attempting a barefoot run…as soon as I’ve found somewhere that looks gentle enough!
Many thanks to Claire for taking the above photos.
I guess walking barefoot cures some of the posture issues people might be suffering from as even the best shoe doesn’t accurately reflect the way your foot moves without one.
Good idea toughening up your feet, if the zombies strike when you’re asleep then you want to be able to hit a run at a moments notice.
Ha, some of us sleep with our boots on! :-)
Do you walk around a lot barefoot at home? I spend most of my time barefoot, but I think my feet would die under the strain of my heffalump weight if I tried running barefoot right now! Will await running reports with interest!
I used to do a lot barefoot, but not so much any more. I think the trick will be finding somewhere to run that won’t hurt the soles of my feet too much. My regular running route is partly gravel.
[...] it wasn’t because they repossessed my shoes, although surely this is only a matter of time. Gingell, Baines, Lauren and I spent an afternoon at Trentham Gardens and while we were there we tried out [...]
Wow, I will be really interested to hear about the barefoot run once you get a chance to do it– be careful! And thanks for adding me to your blogroll! :)
Cool! I also read Born to Run and loved it. In answer to your question about why we don’t see that many people running barefoot, I would say that it’s because our feet can’t take it. At least not right away. I took my shoes and socks off and walked on our front lawn. I was amazed at how I could barely stand it – the grass felt so cold! And it was only 65 F at the time! We have simply babied and coddled our feet too long to suddenly be able to run (or even walk far) immediately upon first trying it. You get people try long distance and, of course, with atrophied muscles, they hurt themselves.
The most important thing is to take it slowly. Start walking barefoot like you did and then, when you feel ready, start running a little bit. As Christopher McDougall points out, the good thing about running barefoot is that you can not run improperly. Your feet will tell you right away what hurts (like landing on your heals!).
Best of luck to you. And if you want to try some of what are called barefoot shoes, I have a list of them here (www.runningquest.net). Be wary of shoes like the Nike Free that talk about barefoot running benefits yet have dangerous amounts of padding and support still.
Hi Clynton, thanks for stopping by. I still haven’t seen anyone running barefoot, or even in the Vibram fivefingers or similar, which does make me curious. I still plan to try a barefoot run at some point though – probably in the park to start with and work up from there. Thanks again!
Have you tried a barefoot run yet? I am walking a lot in my VFFs and doing some running, but my sciatic nerve is still too inflamed to be able to use my left calf muscle much. I need to do more complete barefoot running, without any shoes, to ensure I’m doing things correctly. All the best!
Not yet, it’s still on my to-do list! Shame about your calf, hope it improves soon.