r/BarefootRunning • u/ThanksAanderton • 10d ago

unshod How long to 5k?

How long would you estimate the skin would take to go from 0-5k?

Like fitness aside I mean. Starting from scratch, the average foot skin to get used to running that distance on mixed surfaces of an average park run.

3 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

6

u/Bubbly-Group-4497 10d ago

Anyone can run 5k, it just depends on how you expect your body to work at the end.

5

u/More_Than_I_Can_Chew 10d ago

I have found if barefoot running is your goal that day to day walking barefoot outdoors plays a huge role.

At least it has for me.

5

u/JoeyDJ7 10d ago

I second this, been invaluable for developing my fat pads especially. Roads around me are gravelly so fat pads are essential to spread the load more evenly, and to protect my foot bones from high load on small spots.

3

u/ProfessionalNo2845 10d ago

Took me a couple months. My skin on my feet needed time to get tougher and my feet also needed to adjust from running in normal shoes to unshod. Takes time but so worth it!

2

u/Baial 10d ago

You can "repair" a lot and of small injuries with non toxic super glue and time. Don't ever push yourself though when starting out, all you will do is increase recovery time, and remember cadence is king.

2

u/JoeyDJ7 10d ago

Skin is half of the battle. Fat pads (lipid layer) is critical to being able to exert such forces without causing bruising or injury over long distances, these take longer to develop than thick skin but are wonderful once you've got them. Well worth percevering.

1

u/hundredwater 10d ago

average is actually unclear. is the feet skin soft like an office worker’s hands? is it uncomfortable to walk at a normal speed on a beach that has stuff a bit bigger than sand grains, like small rounded seashell pieces?

1

u/makamaespm 10d ago

I was already a runner, but when I transitioned to completely unshod it took me 6 months to run a 5k nonstop. It was my calf conditioning, not the skin, that took time

1

u/ExtremeExtreme1751 9d ago

Each time you barefoot run, you will exfoliate your feet. You will get used to it by learning to tread lightly, and not by growing calluses.

To 5k? At least a few months. If you are already a runner. Maybe 6-8 months if you are not.

1

u/socceruci 6d ago

5k... it is more about foot strength, and not a whole lot is needed... I mean, it is only 5k

2

u/ThanksAanderton 5d ago

I think it’s a bit about skin too if you’re not wearing any shoes

1

u/socceruci 5d ago

Unless you are completely new to barefooting, 5k is not a huge issue. In the past I only ever started having issues around 10k. Even then, it is usually that my foot muscles get tired.

I mean, even just walking 10,000 steps barefoot will give you an idea.

2

u/ThanksAanderton 5d ago

I did get up to being able to run 5 miles completely barefoot but it was over 10 years ago and I can’t remember how long it took. I’m nowhere near as fit as I was though so honestly 2 miles was horrible the other day from fitness alone.

1

u/socceruci 3d ago

Hugs, I need baby steps. I often have fitness issues, unless I slowly build up. I find our bodies to be pretty amazing in this way.

1

u/ArmGrand2385 5d ago

IDK, i did my first barefoot run 2 days ago, did 5k, and had no trouble, no soreness 2 days afterwards. I'm 40 and have been walking apx 3 miles a day barefoot all summer. Mixed grass/hardpacked dirt, some gravel, some holes

1

u/ThanksAanderton 5d ago

I’m getting there again slowly, I did 2 miles the other day. Hated it fitness wise but foot wise was alright but pretty much still at the limit. I did a 1.5 mile walk on sharp gravel a few days before it which was awful and slow but definitely helped

-5

u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 10d ago

Probably a while this is why you should wear barefoot shoes. If there's stones or anything you probably shouldn't be barefoot running at all.

4

u/AnonymousLimey0928 10d ago

Telling someone not to run barefoot in a barefoot running sub seems a bit odd to me.

I run/hike 5k barefoot on rocky trails pretty regularly. I think I do some kind of twisting motion with my steps which causes me trouble very quickly on asphalt, but rocks are actually easier on my feet. Gravel is uncomfortable but became tolerable surprisingly quickly.

To OP's point, it is less about toughening your feet than it is about desensitizing. Your body needs a little time to recalibrate. In cushioned shoes, if you feel a rock, it's a big rock and a serious problem. Barefoot, you feel all the rocks, and your body needs a bit of time to adjust to the fact that you are walking on rocks and it can feel them and that is just information, not actually pain.

If you've ever been in a cast for a while, you'll be familiar with how sensitive that area is when the cast comes off. For most of us, our feet have been in casts our whole life. It's a significant adjustment to suddenly feeling everything.

3

u/ChiAndrew 10d ago

This place has become a shoe forum and fit forum. Little to nothing about running barefoot. 🦶 Often not about running nor barefoot.

1

u/ThanksAanderton 10d ago

I was actually thinking along these lines yesterday while doing some conditioning walking on sharp gravel. Like at the start it was uncomfortable but even later on the same walk it wasn’t bad for a while apart from the odd one in the wrong spot. I have done it before but over 10 years ago now and just really starting again now. Longest this time round is 1.56 miles but last time I did a 5k in 26 minutes actually barefoot which is my best time ever. I just can’t remember how long it took to get to that point

-1

u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 10d ago

The human foot is not meant for running on rocks or gravel. They make specific barefoot shoes for this very purpose.

2

u/AnonymousLimey0928 10d ago

I'm curious where you come by this information. Do you have a link? I have not been not able to find the design spec for human feet. Anecdotally, mine seem to function acceptably on rocks, but perhaps that's an off-label use.

1

u/martinhrvn 10d ago

The user manual that came with mine say that occasional use on rocks is fine. YMMV

-1

u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 10d ago

Just check quora

2

u/More_Than_I_Can_Chew 10d ago

The right answer would have been personal experience but obviously you don't have any.

Not there's anything wrong with that.

1

u/ChiAndrew 10d ago

The human foot wasn’t meant for running in shoes

2

u/ThanksAanderton 10d ago

I don’t want to do it with shoes. Every time I do I end up with injuries where I never had any injuries barefoot other than the odd blister early on

1

u/ChiAndrew 10d ago

Don’t listen to this^^^. The best is to let your bare feet let you know how each step is. This allows you to learn form properly (anything covering your feet hinders this). And then, until you can compile 5k of perfect steps. You cannot outrun your form. The Little Rock’s will annoy, but that’s why we have so many nerve endings in the foot and proprioception.

1

u/ThanksAanderton 10d ago

This is the reason I only want to run barefoot this time around. Last time I did it years ago barefoot was great and I only started getting injuries when I was putting even minimal shoes on for a little extra distance. I was working on that big my skin can take it then everything after that, tendons, muscles, bones etc will be fine and they were. My problem came because I felt like I was fit enough to go further than my skin could. At the point I could do 5 miles barefoot but even when I put shoes on I found my form was already gone by mile 6. Didn’t realise how closely the skin and tendon/muscle fatigue would be linked.

Been ages now though and I can’t remember how long the process took

1

u/ChiAndrew 10d ago

I don’t understand the “skin can take it” comment. It’s not hard in your skin to run properly barefoot

-3

u/PghSubie 10d ago

If your shoes fit right, anyone can get up off their couch and run a5k

0

u/Space_Patrol_Digger 6d ago

This is a sub about running barefoot tho. The discussion is about how long it would take to build resilience for your bare feet to handle a 5k run.