Barefoot Running - Off The Injured Reserve

Three Saturdays ago I violated one of my rules while on a barefoot run. I ran somewhere that I hadn't scouted out beforehand. Consequently, I came up on some rocks and, in a sudden eye-foot coordination failure, nailed one particularly hard creating a very small, deep and well-defined blood blister just forward of the metatarsal area. I was telling Geoff about that during a video chat the following day and he struck this thoughtful pose with his hand to his chin and said, "Hmmmm, if only there was something you could put on your feet to protect them."

Yeah, I think he gets that from me. Anyway, it was fine after a few days rest and the following Friday I did a four mile barefoot run without a problem.

Then I hurt my other foot. The day after my run, two Saturdays ago, I was carrying something heavy--I'm normally barefoot around the house--and I had to take a rather long step down onto a hard surface. It was equivalent to stepping down from the third stair step. It didn't hurt at the time but as the day progressed I noticed some pain in the area of the second metatarsal. It gradually became severe enough to make me limp even with shoes on. There was no swelling or discoloration, but the bone felt very sore. So I've been wearing my sandals around the house, icing it a couple times a day and taking it easy.

The pain has been nearly nil for the last couple of days so today was my first run in over two weeks. I wore my ragged running shoes and went easy for three miles. My feet felt fine but every once in a while I'd feel a dull ache in my left foot so I suppressed the urge to take my shoes off. I'll continue doing that this week provided the running does not cause any soreness.

But all this leads me to question whether I'll be able to run the entire Bloomsday course barefoot. The longest distance I've gone without shoes is 4.5 miles. I was hoping to work into longer distances as Bloomsday approached and the weather improved. That's uncertain for now. I also bought some aqua sox to run in but, as with being barefoot, I want to make sure my feet are okay first. So I'll play it by ear for the next two weeks.

Hopefully, at worst I'll be forced to do the first three miles of the race in aqua sox and the remainder barefoot.