The Blog of Jason "Jayce" Olshefsky

I went out for a barefoot run this morning. It was about 42°F outside and wet from drizzle. The ground sapped away heat from my feet fast and it felt colder than dry pavement that was 10 degrees colder. However, I got back from 2 miles in 18 minutes and my soles were 58°F and felt okay — cold, naturally.

Now you may be wondering why I started doing this. I briefly touched on some of the benefits when I first started, but since then have mentioned only that my calves got sore from the workout and that I kept with it. Well, way back when I was running — in shoes — The Corporate Challenge back in 1999 and 2001, during the race and during practice I felt like I was beating myself up. All the joints in my body were sore, especially my knees, but also my back, and I would finish up wheezing like I was going to die right there. I quit running for a long time because of that — and especially because I started getting chronic knee and back problems.

So I happened to start reading about this “barefoot running” on and off. Once I heard that you use the arch of your foot and your calf muscles as shock absorbers, I was intrigued. I mean, running is a great way to lose weight, but if you end up spending more time on a chiropractic bed then doing it, then it’s probably not all that great. So I started — slowly at first — and now I feel like I can run a 5K race. Well, maybe with a little practice.

The best thing is that when I get home, I feel great. I’m tired from the exercise, but I am not sore at all. After today’s run, for instance, my toes were scolding met that they were really quite cold, and my calf muscles complain when I walk up the stairs, but that’s it. My knees feel great. My back feels great. And I certainly don’t feel like I just got beat up.

Now if only I can figure out a way to continue without actually getting a debilitating case of frostbite this winter …

So this morning I got out and ran my standard 2-mile course — this time in 16 minutes so that’s feeling really good.  The outside temperature was 37°F and breezy but the most exciting part was that I got to run in flurries.  Occasionally one would sting my tongue with its cold pinprick.  And yeah, once again, I ran it barefoot.  When I got back I checked the temperature of the bottoms of my feet and they were a chilly 58° but pink from adequate blood flow.  It didn’t feel too much different than when I ran last time in the cold weather, but this time there was some moisture on the ground from the rain last night and that made it draw more heat away.  I’ll stick with it and see what happens, ever watchful of how my toes are feeling.

I was very excited to get out and try running barefoot this morning. According to the thermometer on the side of my house, it was 28°F outside. I took my time to make sure I wasn’t getting frostbite or anything. I got back after about 18 minutes and covered 2 miles. My feet felt cold but not terrible … the non-contact thermometer I have said they were around 60°F but warming up fast. After a few hours they felt fine. I suspect I’ll only be able to run down to about 20° with no snow or wind, but we’ll see.