Building up caluses

[spooksmcgee]

I've been steadily building up my "barefoot" training in my Vibrams the last three weeks, mainly walking up to 25 mins at a time, and doing some 2 minute repeats occasionally.  No serious distance.  I've read several posts here that say you should actually start out completely barefoot to learn proper form, then move to vibrams. So yesterday after my repeats I decided to take my vibrams off and walk barefoot on the asphalt the last half mile home.  I made it about 40 years before my feet were killing me from the asphalt.  Every step hurt.  I guess I'm going to start trying to grit through the pain and walk completely barefoot a little further each day, but I just wanted to make sure this was natural and see how long I can expect to build them up. Even walking on the fairly smooth concrete sidewalk hurt like hell. 

[ZeitHeld]

It's about form, not texture. If you want to start out barefoot (you don't have to, I made out just fine with just wearing my KSOs) you can do it on grass. No reason to beat your feet.

[Jeepman]

If you are following good form, then you should not be building up calluses. Neither Christopher McDougall nor Barefoot Ted has calluses on their feet. If you are getting calluses on your feet, then you are doing something to irritate the skin. Below in the video Christopher shows the bottom of his foot. Guess what, no calluses.

Chris McDougall Couch Interview

What you do need to do is get used to the sensory input from the ground. Because we’ve all been wearing shoes, the soles of our feet are now hyper sensitive. Your body must relearn how to react to this.

Rgs, Jeepman

[spooksmcgee]

I don't understand.  How can people run miles on asphalt without calluses?  It hurts the hell out of my feet and I am constantly brushing them off to get rid of little pebbles and seeds and such that stick to the bottom of them.  I can't even imagine actually running on the asphalt right now.  I assumed barefoot runners built up lots of calluses on their feet so that they weren't soft anymore and they didn't feel the pebbles and such and that's how they could run on them?

[Rana]

Well, some of it is about toughening up the skin, but that's not the same thing as developing a callous, which is layers and layers of thick dead skin.

Judging by my experiences in VFFs and gravel, though, I think a lot of it is simply retraining your brain, not toughening your feet. 

What I mean by this is that my feet aren't any tougher than they were when I first started running in VFFs, but how they interpret the sensations they encounter has changed.  After running on gravel for a while, your feet learn that they're not actually being damaged by the experience, and the alarm signals (what we call pain) don't sound as loudly.  In other words, you will still feel the pebbles and grit under your feet - but your brain will learn that this is an acceptable sensation and not an indication that your feet are being damaged, and so it won't register that sensation as "pain" but rather as "intense" or, eventually, as "interesting."

A lot of us who wear VFFs regularly have noticed that completely smooth textures now feel "boring" underfoot; I find myself deliberately veering to walk on things like sticks and gravel and bumpy pavement now, because it feels more interesting.  When I started, though, those things hurt to walk on.

[AlanT]

Barefoot running doesn't build up calluses. You get calluses from running in conventional shoes, because something's always rubbing against your feet. But you don't get callused feet from running barefoot, because there's nothing rubbing against your feet.

I'm been running barefoot (and in KSOs) since last July. I run barefoot in warmer weather and on the treadmill in colder weather, and in cold weather I run in KSOs. (I live in Canada, so cold is cold.) My footpads are very slightly thicker than they were when I ran in conventional shoes, but the calluses I had then are completely gone. In fact, the bottoms of my feet are quite soft and smooth. You can see what I mean by looking at this short video on my blog:

http://thwaits.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/smooth-barefoot/

Alan

[balsam0]

I have a quick question.  The road condition in my area is terrible.  It almost feels like the surface is sharp.  I tried a 2 mile run barefoot and it was painful.  Are there some forms of concrete or poorly paved roads that are unacceptable for barefoot running?  I almost feel I would be better off on a rocky trail than the sharp concrete sidewalks.

[AlanT]

I've found that almost any sidewalk is OK, but that some roadway surfaces are almost impossible to run on. It depends on the chipseal of the surface - some is incredibly jagged, some is incredibly smooth. It helps to know what the surface is like on the route you're going to run.

Alan

[balsam0]

Thanks for the reply Alan.  It is nice to know a seasoned barefooter like yourself finds some man made terrain not acceptable for barefoot running.  I may have to test out the road instead of the sidewalk.  It just seems silly that the city spends time making a sidewalk, why not take the time to make it smooth, not necessarily for the barefoot runner but the possible roller blader or stroller.    

[spooksmcgee]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I misspoke and what I thought was calluses actually is supposed to be toughening up the skin.  So will my feet get rougher?  My girlfriend has been complaining that my feet feel rough.  Should I not use a pumice stone or anything on them because I want that roughness?  I did notice today that my usual .5 mile walk back to my house completely barefoot (I do that at the end of my runs), was much more tolerable than the first time I did it.

[Hawkeye]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I misspoke and what I thought was calluses actually is supposed to be toughening up the skin.  So will my feet get rougher?  My girlfriend has been complaining that my feet feel rough.  Should I not use a pumice stone or anything on them because I want that roughness?  I did notice today that my usual .5 mile walk back to my house completely barefoot (I do that at the end of my runs), was much more tolerable than the first time I did it.

Do what your girlfriend tells you to do. Take care of your feet. Your feet shouldn't get
"rougher" just less sensitive to rocks, it's mostly a mental thing.

Use that pumice stone and lotion and make your girl happy.  

[spooksmcgee]

So is it entirely a mental thing?  That is, I am used to running on rocks and pebbles so it won't bother me?  Not that the bottom of my feet are actually tougher and more durable than they were before?  Right now i have only been running in the VFF except for the last half a mile when I walk home barefoot. Will my feet get "tougher" running in the VF, or should I go completely unshod until I am up to a good distance and comfortable with barefoot running?

[Rana]

What I found is that running in VFFs is good training for your brain - since the sole protects your foot from scratches and cuts, it allows you to practice running over lumpy, pointy stuff.  While you don't want to go too crazy at first (because you can still bruise your feet) it does help teach your brain that gravel isn't inherently painful to run on.  In this sense your feet become "tough" but it's more about the brain than the feet.

I don't do much actual barefoot running, though, so someone like Alan will have to speak to the relationship between running in VFFs and running unshod.

[AlanT]

Don't focus on "tougher," spooks. It's not the issue. Instead, focus on "stronger." As you transition to barefoot running, your feet will get more muscled and more capable, which means your form will be better. You need to transition well without incurring injuries. Focus on doing that, and the rest will follow.

The soles of your feet won't become rougher or more callused. But there's nothing at all wrong with using a pumice stone. And keeping your woman happy is always a good thing.

Alan