Stuart,

First of all, just think of the extra 40 pounds as "training" weight. As you
work it off, you will be that much stronger, faster, and lighter on your feet.

Pretend that you are an infant, just discovering your bare feet, and how to use
them (probably not that far from the truth).

Be curious, play, experiment, and listen to what your feet teach you. Learn to
relax, and notice that no matter how rough the surface, if should feel much
better when relaxed, rather than tense (wincing). Think of the guy that lays on
a bed of nails. It only works because the weight is distributed across many,
many nails. Same with our feet. Relax, so that the entire sole is supporting
your weight across as much surface as possible.

NEVER, NEVER JOG! Jogging became a synonym for running, because of that jarring,
jolting... jogging sensation caused as a result of not being able to immediately
feel how hard we land with each step.

Once you take off your shoes, you'll soon find that jogging is not comfortable,
and you will want to experiment, play, and discover how to walk/stand/run more
gently and comfortably.

Do not look for grass to run on, running barefoot only on grass has much of the
same problems as running in cushy shoes, reduced feedback, more stress on the
weak feet, and the temptation to run too much, before learning HOW to run more
gently. And if you run too much, without learning HOW to run gently, then you
are reinforcing habits of bad running technique.

Do not avoid any surface, just start with a baby step at a time, and be curious,
experiment, and let your feet relax, and become one with the surface.

Forget everything you thought you knew about running, and start running barefoot
as if (because it really is) a completely new activity. Start with baby steps,
relax, relax, relax, and build very gradually as you learn, learn, learn...

and have fun,
-barefoot ken bob

--- In RunningBarefoot@yahoogroups.com, "Stuart" <bythedeepwaters@...> wrote:
>
> Hey all,
>
> Just curious to know what others think. I'm a 42-year-old shoe addict. I
have been enamored by barefoot running for about ten years now but feel like I
can only now finally begin my attempt with it in earnest. I recently read BORN
TO RUN and even bought a pair of VFF's. But I have yet to really begin my
barefoot adventure. (Oh, and my wife doesn't know I bought the VFF's...and it
might be better if she doesn't for now...shhhh)
>
> Briefly: I live out in the country. I am surrounded by farmland, with paved
and dirt/gravel roads criss-crossing it. I'd love to have some advice on how to
begin working up to jogging barefoot. I have NO GRASS anywhere near me. All
wild vegetation around me is tough, weedy, clumps and the rest is domestic
agricultural. Also, i live at the end of a long, dirt/gravel road. I wear
sandals when i think of it, and my feet love that. There is very little
automobile traffic out here as it is at the end of a peninsula. I have tried
going for short walks on all these surfaces and most hurt like hell. Even small
pebbles under me hurt so bad I wince like mad. Just walking the driveway is an
immense journey. Any suggestions? Do I just keep making short trips until it
gets more tolerable? DOES IT get more tolerable? I assume it does, but wow...
>
> I've read through some of the "beginner's" info at sites like
runningbarefoot.org, but I notice that I have no grass anywhere near me and the
nearest park is at least 6-8 miles away. Should I just walk the driveway every
day until it feels OK? Once I want to try running, does one suggest the
dirt/gravel or paved roads? Also, we have some two-tracks in the woods behind
us. How long, generally speaking, does the process take? Do your feet really
communicate everything you need to know?
>
> Any other general advice is appreciated as well. Don't worry, I'll let the
VFF cat out of the bag soon enough...(I just could not resist them after trying
them on--sad fact is, I had JUST bought a pair of Merrell hikers...). Any
articles, books or anything else is appreciated.
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> Stuart
>
> PS. I'm currently 40 pounds overweight. But I have run off and on in my life
and ran two marathons in high school.
>