morning soreness

[xmp2k5]

I have been wearing my VFF's since March 2011 and I walk, work, and run in them.  I haven't done very much running in them but I have went out for a few runs.  The problem is that I am having soreness on the bottom of my feet in the morning when I get out of the bed.  Once I put on my vibrams it goes away after a few minutes.  How long does it take for your feet to stop doing this?

[The Yeti]

I've been running and living in minimalist footwear since January, and I still get this occasionally. It's usually during a period of heavy activity, or sometimes even randomly. I wouldn't even describe it as soreness, just a little bit of stiffness. It's just enough that I notice it, in my feet and calves. It's always gone by the time I turn the alarm clock off and hop in the shower. It used to be a little bit sore when I first woke up earlier in my transition, but it's much less noticeable now.

If you are doing too much too soon, then it actually hurts when you wake up, an lingers a lot longer. At that point it's time to back off or take time away from running. A little bit of stiffness is ok though as long as it goes away quickly. You are using new muscle groups, an putting different stresses on your body, so it'll still feel stiff after a little while.

Hope that helps!

[JustinB]

Keep in mind that you are working and adding muscle to your feet so you are going to experience new sensations.  The muscles in the foot were week and atrophied.  Now that some muscle has been added and built back, it will act like every other muscle in the body.  From time to time you just wake up and a muscle hurts for no particular reason.  The stronger and healthier a muscle, the less likely this is to happen.

or...

It sounds like your feet are just ADDICTED to your Vibrams and need to have them on.  You wake up and your feet need their fix!

[Puffinator87]

I agree wholeheartedly with what everyone says. It's just muscle stiffness and it will eventually go away. Buy yourself a tennis ball and roll it under each foot for a few minutes everday. This should help relieve the soreness. Worked for me anyway.

Hope it helps,
Aaron

[iain]

Ah yes, those first few sore footsteps of the day. You may be interested in reading this thread.

One of the ideas discussed was that as your foot is getting stronger and more flexible,
the muscles and other tissue knit back together during the night after a hard day's work,
and in the morning, you undo some of that work as you put weight back onto the feet.

I had it for about 3-4 months, interestingly it wasn't a problem in the very first month I had my VFFs.
If the ache goes away after a few steps then it shouldn't be a problem, but its always good to listen to your body.

[Horse Rider]

It's mild plantar fasciitis, just make sure it does not get worse, and stretch the foot before bed (grab your big toe and pull it towards you) and before putting your foot out of bed.