Dear CABR member,

I hope that the recent onset of cold weather has not caused you to
give up barefoot running for the season.  There will certainly be days
during the next few months that will demand shod running.  But you
might be surprised at the conditions in which you can run barefoot
with relative comfort and in perfect safety.  The following is what I
have found to be true for me (you may be different) during ten Chicago
winters of  barefoot running.

First, let's deal with the safety issue:  you must avoid frostbite.
If the air temperature is 32 deg. or above its almost impossible to
experience true frostbite while running.  This is the case regardless
of how windy and/or wet the conditions are.  Wind-chill and
evaporative cooling are real, but consider also that you are running
and therefore generating a lot of heat using the largest muscles in
your body, the warm blood from which flows directly through your feet.
 Your feet won't freeze in these conditions, and actual freezing of
tissue is what constitutes frostbite.  There are two exceptions to
this rule.  (1) Do not run through puddles of water after road-salt
has been laid:  Even when the air temp. is at or above freezing, the
ground may be much colder.  A road-salt slurry can be well below 32
deg. and remain liquid.  Stepping in this, followed by the evaporative
cooling of wet feet exposed to dry winter air, can cause tissue
freezing.  So beware.  (2) Raynaud's syndrome or chilblains.  If
you're prone to one of these conditions you're almost certainly aware
of it and already realize that cold weather barefoot running is not
for you!

Here's a safety test to use during runs:  Visual - Look down at your
feet;  are they still pink and not white?  (Only works for
Caucasians.)  Tactile - Whip off a glove, reach down and touch the top
of a foot.  It should feel warm to the touch.  If your feet go numb,
bail out and get inside quick.  They're too cold!

Now let's deal with the comfort issue.  How do we run in cold
temperatures without being miserable?  In addition to our good BFR
form (which does not let our feet linger on the cold ground for more
than an instant) it all comes down to preparation:

1)  Train your feet to have enhanced blood flow.  Do this by turning
down the thermostat a few degrees, always dressing warmly, and keeping
your feet bare.  Over-dress a little so that your body is forced to
shed the excess warmth.  With your feet bare, that will be the route
it chooses.

2)  Over-dress for your run by just a bit.  You want to feel like
taking off a layer during the run (but don't do it).  Your only source
of discomfort during the run should be that you're just slightly
overheated.  Just like at the house, your feet will try and dump that
heat, keeping them pink and safe.

3)  Pre-warm up inside prior to the run.  Get all dressed to go out
but don't go right away.  Make the beds, or do some dusting.  Keep
moving and keep vertical.  When you have developed a light sweat you
are ready.

4)  Depart well fueled.  Don't skip lunch to do the run.  Don't delay
dinner to squeeze one in before dark.  You need plenty of calories on
board to keep the heat coming throughout the run.

5)  Know when to say no.  Learn your low-temperature limits and push
that boundary with caution.  Even a tiny area of "frost-nip" will bug
you for weeks afterwards and sensitize that region to cold on a near
permanent basis.  If you develop deep, small, purple "blisters" these
are of no concern, but they are a warning that you were skirting the
outer edges of safety on that run.

I much prefer the warmer weather for my barefoot runs, but if you
follow these guidelines you may find you've become a 12-month barefoot
runner, in Chicago!

Barefoot Owen