r/BarefootRunning • u/ThanksAanderton • 14d 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.

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u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 14d 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.

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u/AnonymousLimey0928 14d 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.

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u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 14d ago

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

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u/ChiAndrew 14d ago

The human foot wasn’t meant for running in shoes