Friday, October 16, 2009

My Guidelines for Cold weather barefoot running

1. Become comfortable with barefoot running before you do this
I don't think running in subzero temperatures is the way to begin your barefoot running career.
1. Run on dry hard surface. no grass, no wet roads, no snow.
being wet is an absolute killer, you lose more heat through evaporation than any other means.
2. . Keep running, don't stop. Don't walk.
when you are running your foot doesn't actually touch the ground for a large percentage of the time. your foot is in the air more than it is on the ground. The foot loses way more heat when it is in contact with the ground rather than the air.
3. Keep your body overheated
you should be sweating. start off warm, maybe even wearing some footwear. wear gloves, wear a wool hat. you can shed extra clothing as you get overheated. but you want your feet to be the primary source of excess heat loss.
4. Don't go nuts
its all about enjoying the activity. being tense, anxious, having cold, numb, painful feet is not fun. some discomfort is to be expected at the beginning of a run, but if it's not better by kilometer two or three....

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