Week Three

This week the soreness and stiffness in my ankles and feet is about the level I should expect for someone my age when exercising this much.

I went back to running barefoot on the grass at the park. While traveling to the park I wear the VFF’s but take them off once I get on the grass. The all natural feeling is something I missed. Towards the end of the week, I decided to start building up more calluses on my feet. On my way back from the park to the rec center, I took my VFF’s off and ran bare foot on the concrete and asphalt. Each day I ran a little farther until I was able to run the entire mile barefoot on the concrete and asphalt. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought. All those miles on the grass toughened up my feet more than I expected. The occasional small rock would hurt, but I’m sure I’ll get used to them soon.

I’m actually thinking of entering one of the many local 5K road races. This was never a consideration for me just a few weeks ago. There was no way I wanted to torture my knees more than I had to. Now that they are relatively pain free, I’m looking at the schedule of races.

One more effect I have seen from barefoot running. Last spring my work started this fitness program to last through the summer. I won’t bore you with the details. This program forced me to buy a scale that measured my weight, fat%, water%, along with muscle and bone density. I have been tracking my progress all summer.
When my workout consisted of 20 minutes of weights and thirty minutes of running (with shoes, that’s all I could do), my weight and body fat stayed pretty much the same. In three weeks of 20 minutes of weights and 30 to 45 minutes of running barefoot, I have dropped 9 pounds and lost 3% body fat while increasing muscle mass 1%. I’m sure the increased time in the running category has helped, but this is a big jump for someone who is 45.