{"id":26405,"date":"2014-04-11T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2014-04-11T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=26405"},"modified":"2015-09-08T19:15:52","modified_gmt":"2015-09-08T19:15:52","slug":"can-keep-running-barefoot-cold-winter-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/can-keep-running-barefoot-cold-winter-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Keep Running Barefoot in Cold Winter Weather"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>If you have recently learned<\/strong> to enjoy barefoot running, you probably learned in the warmer months of the year. You worked on patiently building up the soles of your feet, but as winter begins to creep in, you wonder if it is safe to run barefoot in cold weather, AND if you can tolerate it, mentally and physically. Most new barefoot runners have a sense of being threatened by winter, but are concerned about losing the tough, leathery layer on the bottom of their feet. I know I was. After three winters of working through these things myself, as well as paying attention to other barefoot runner&#8217;s experiences, I think I can offer some thoughts that put your mind at ease, while helping to problem solve the obvious challenges.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. \u00a0 Everyone says<\/strong> to &#8220;keep the core heated,&#8221; which is great advice, but what does it mean in practice? For me this begins in the house, before the run. It means some silly things like remembering not to eat ice cream or a cold smoothie right before going out to run, because, yes, those are still part of my diet in the winter. But it also means things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Try to engage in some chores or activities around the house before the run that get me heated in my center.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure to dress warmly enough in the house for the time period before the run. You don&#8217;t want to start off chilled.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t get so warm that my skin and circulation start making changes to let off heat in order to cool off.<\/li>\n<li>Maybe go ahead and put some socks on for a while in the house, to make sure my feet are optimally toasty.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t spend a lot of time outdoors losing body heat right before the run.<\/li>\n<li>Towards the beginning of winter, review what <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/winter-running-can-be-fun-try-it-barefoot\/\" target=\"_blank\">Barefoot Bob wrote about winter running attire and safety<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>Wear clothing next to the skin that doesn&#8217;t collect moisture (wool works best for me) and can be worn in removable layers.<\/li>\n<li>Wear clothing that repels moisture from the outside, without retaining it on the inside. Again, wool is great for this, but there are some great synthetics, too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. \u00a0 \u00a0Minimalist footwear can<\/strong> be a good tool to help you enjoy running during the winter, but your first couple of winters, in particular, you will have to experiment carefully to avoid injury, as well as find what feels comfortable. You should also keep in mind that your choices may evolve as you adapt to cold and your running form improves. Be aware of these things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Everyone has different cold tolerances, even from the start of being barefoot. Some people like it hot and some people like it cold! If you are feeling anxious about running in certain conditions, it is probably a good sign that you need to be careful about both time and distance in those conditions.<\/li>\n<li>In your first couple of years, you might be more prone to injury from using minimalist shoes. One of the best ways to avoid this for me has been to combine slowing down my running pace with thinking about keeping my legs loose.<\/li>\n<li>Being barefoot as much as possible is a good goal, and can be quite fun, but not at the price of losing skin or toes to cold injury.<\/li>\n<li>When testing your current barefoot abilities in colder weather, remember that, for both safety and comfort, you may have to work with shorter times and distances than you were used to running in moderate conditions.<\/li>\n<li>The winter weather is more intense and risky and longer in some localities. Although it may be &#8216;best&#8217; to \u00a0limit running to being barefoot, if it means not running for a few months a year, this can be unreasonable to those who love to run.<\/li>\n<li>The &#8216;dead of winter&#8217; might be a good time to take a short break from running, as suggested by many trainers, and I read most recently in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1450431836\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1450431836&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=dailyimprov-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Daniels&#8217; Running Formula<\/a><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=dailyimprov-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1450431836\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>.<\/li>\n<li>A little discomfort from cold is acceptable, especially for a short time AND if you are being active AND your feet begin to warm up. But it&#8217;s okay to err on the side of caution until you get more experience with cold tolerances in a variety of situations.<\/li>\n<li>Cold plus wet can make a difference of 15 degrees (F) [about 8.3 degrees on the scale in Celsius] worth of tolerance for me.<\/li>\n<li>I find that my tolerance for dry cold has been more adaptable than my tolerance for wet cold. That is, I can run at dry temperatures about 5 degrees (F) than I could last winter, but the wet temperatures limits are still basically the same for me still.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. \u00a0 \u00a0 The more you<\/strong> are barefoot, both running and in general life, the less trouble you will have with your feet feeling cold and sensitive in a painful way!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your cold tolerance will change as you run in colder weather, and over the years. The first winter is not necessarily a good indication of how all of your future winter barefoot running will go.<\/li>\n<li>Your cold tolerances will change partly because your skin on your feet changes the more your feet are bare, and partly because your circulation in your feet will be stimulated by more thorough use of foot musculature.<\/li>\n<li>You may actually find that your feet get hot in the middle of winter if they are under too much cover.<\/li>\n<li>The way that many factors interact to affect how cold feels should be recognized. Rough hurts worse in cold. Tired leads to a body both slowing down and not heating well. Wind speed and temperature need to be dealt with. A sunny 45\u00b0F (7.2\u00b0C) can feel a lot different than a cloudy, damp one, even if the ground is dry.<\/li>\n<li>You will probably not lose as much sole conditioning over the winter as you think. I didn&#8217;t and I didn&#8217;t go to any effort to walk in buckets of gravel or spread rocks on my kitchen floor. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42 \u00a0However, I will say that I live in a relatively dry climate so am usually only severely limited from being barefoot for about 2 months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>4. \u00a0 \u00a0 Have flexible<\/strong> goals about testing and increasing your cold weather tolerances.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>While it can be helpful to have some guidelines and goals, don&#8217;t let those push you into doing things that seem risky. You can always go back and try a lower temperature or ice or snow another time.<\/li>\n<li>Realize that you will not usually need to begin your cold weather barefoot journey in the worst weather. Take advantage of any gradual change or balmy winter days that you can.<\/li>\n<li>Learn from other people&#8217;s mistakes, but don&#8217;t be pressured by other people&#8217;s progress or stories of triumph. They don&#8217;t have your body or feet or climate or terrain.<\/li>\n<li>Unless you are extremely experienced and sure of yourself in certain winter conditions, carry back-up footwear with you.<\/li>\n<li>Even then, it is usually a good idea to have it on hand, because if you have to walk or stand unexpectedly you may really need it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>5. \u00a0 \u00a0 There are some basic<\/strong> things that I like to keep in mind when choosing a minimalist shoe.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Toe spread<\/li>\n<li>No tightness acros the width of the foot<\/li>\n<li>Ground feel<\/li>\n<li>Sole flexibility<\/li>\n<li>Portability<\/li>\n<li>Ease of getting on and off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That being said, it also depends on the conditions. I may have snow sometimes, but I don&#8217;t often have more than a few inches, so Sockwas are a perfect shoe for most cold, wet conditions for me. They keep my feet dry, are very flexible, and my feet do not feel confined since the fabric stretches as needed. They also let me feel the ground quite well and have good traction in ice or snow. I have always worn wool socks with mine, except for one short experiment with snow last winter, when I was taking them off and on several times in one mile.<\/p>\n<p>One the few occasions where the snow has been deeper, the full leather Soft Star RunAMocs give me the traction and warmth that I find most useful.<\/p>\n<p>In dry, cold conditions (or rough\/sharp beyond my current barefoot comfort level), I prefer the Soft Star Moc3&#8217;s. I can feel the ground pretty well through them, but it has to be cold enough. The last year, my feet started getting hot in those above about 35\u00b0F (1.7\u00b0C)<\/p>\n<p>I have worn my Luna sandals a couple of times running, but find that if it is warm enough for me to feel comfortable in them, it is warm enough for me to be barefoot. When I have tried wearing toe socks with them, I have a lot more trouble with straps slipping while I run, so I have not tried that much. I do, however, wear them a lot in situations where shoes are required or I want to avoid conflict. I also like them for riding my bicycle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I enjoy more<\/strong> barefoot running during the cold weather more each year. I am also able to manage the options better with good working minimalist footwear.\u00a0Hopefully, thinking about all of these things will help you make safe, wise decisions while running in cold weather, but also enjoy it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have recently learned to enjoy barefoot running, you probably learned in the warmer months of the year. You worked on patiently building up the soles of your feet, but as winter begins to creep in, you wonder if it is safe to run barefoot in cold weather, AND if you can tolerate it, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10,3],"tags":[19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26405"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26405\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funfitnessafter50.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}