It was only for half a kilometre at the end of a longer run, but as advised by Barefoot Ken Bob, it was on a rough gravel path. Ken Bob recommends learning on the roughest gravel you can find, as you can't get away with sloppy technique, and once you're comfortable barefoot running on rough gravel, running on any other surface is easy!
I've been doing lots of walking barefoot, so my feet have both become tougher and more sensitive to the surface I'm walking on, and I found that running on the gravel was easier than walking on it. I'm not going to lie here - there was the odd bit of sharp stone that made me flinch, but none did any damage and they they were forgotten about by the next step.
After a few metres hubby joined me my removing his shoes, and whilst he struggled a little more than I did (he's not been walking barefoot very much and his feet are quite tight and inflexible due to an old injury where he broke one of his heels, and he's never fully recovered from it), he enjoyed the experience too.
I loved the sensations through my soles. I love my feet being massaged and stroked anyway, and most evenings in front of the TV hubby finds my tootsies in his lap demanding some attention - I'm very lucky in that he obliges more often than not. Running (and walking too) barefoot is like a massage: Sand, gravel, grass, rough stones, smooth stones, planks of wood, tarmac. Each texture offers a different sensation, each lump and bump on the ground activates a different pressure point, and making the transition from one surface to another is delightful! Sounds mad, but its true! I did worry needlessly about getting a splinter running across a wooden bridge though.
A couple of hours later I did find the balls of my feet itched oddly. It wasn't enough to be uncomfortable, but it was very bizarre. The only thing I can think it was that the slightly sharper or harder stones that I landed on slightly crushed some layers of skin or flesh - not enough to cause any noticeable damage, but enough to kick of a healing process. Apparently after running barefoot for a while, the ball of your foot develops a fleshy, fatty layer to protect you, so it may have just been this process starting. The sensation had completely disappeared by the evening, and was certainly less unpleasant than some aches and pains I've had after some shod runs, such as aching feet, calves or back.
I can't wait to try it again!
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