The Return of Nicer Weather and Barefooting

With the dawn of warmer weather and the stress fracture in my left heel almost totally healed, I had a wonderful time going barefoot a lot this past weekend! Highs were in the mid-to-upper 50s (F) Saturday and Sunday, so I took every opportunity I could to kick off my footwear and go bare from the ankle down. Much of it was spent barefoot at home or while driving, but I also had a few chances to walk barefoot while out and about.

My son was to attend a birthday party on Saturday afternoon, so he and I went to Walmart earlier in the day to buy a present and get a few other odds and ends for around our house. At first I wore flip flops into the store. I didn't want to stir up any issues going in because we were on a tight schedule and I honestly wasn't in the mood for a confrontation.

What I discovered was that my left toes were hurting while wearing the flip flops. I can only assume that it was due to my entire left foot being weakened from wearing the walking boot for the good part of six weeks. After unsuccessfully relieving the discomfort by popping one of my toes, I relented and spent the rest of the time in the store barefoot. I kicked off the flops and put them in the cart. The pain in my left toes went away immediately and the rest of the time in the store was quite pleasant.

I did find it reassuring that I had a "good" excuse if I were to be confronted. I would honestly and tactfully tell the person that I am recovering from a broken foot and that my toes were hurting from wearing the flip flops. Without them on I felt much better, so that's how I was going to shop. There were no issues, however.

Who DOESN'T want to play kickball? (from Ghostman on Third blog)

At the birthday party, the kids were playing kickball in the yard so I participated while wearing my Vibram Fivefinger Sprints. Although I wasn't totally barefoot, that was a good time and I learned that my left leg really is quite a lot weaker than before my injury. Just the little bits of running I did to fetch the ball indicated that I really do need PT to fully recover and that I should stick to mostly walking for now.

My wife (@barefootglenda on Twitter) and I went on a date Saturday evening to celebrate our third anniversary. We also managed to find an opportunity to go barefoot together. After wearing shoes while eating dinner and visiting a few stores in the fancy Country Club Plaza shopping district (pictured) in Kansas City, we started walking around. I told her that I really wanted to go barefoot to which she replied with a smile, "If you do it then I will, too." Yes! That was an offer I couldn't refuse. We kicked off our shoes, held hands and walked around for all the world -- or at least pedestrians and shoppers -- to see. It was liberating, refreshing and incredibly romantic. Although her feet did get a bit chilly, she said she enjoyed it and actually liked seeing the expressions on others' faces.

Sunday brought another day of being barefoot or minimally shod. My wife and two girls went to a birthday party in the afternoon, so our nine-year-old son and I spent some time outside at the park. I wore my Fivefingers while we threw around a frisbee and hit the wiffle ball. He eventually wanted to play on the jungle gym, so I kicked off the VFFs and sat down on a bench to hang out. While sitting there, an older lady next to me asked, "Aren't your feet cold?" I replied that they actually felt great and that I like to go barefoot a lot. She told me, "I used to do that when I was younger, but then I grew out of it." I passed that comment aside and we talked about lots of other things until my son was ready to leave.

All in all it was good to herald the return of nicer weather and give my feet a chance to be feet again. After both of them were trapped in a cast boot or "regular" shoes for the good part of two months, they needed it. I did notice some soreness in my left foot at times, which I have to attribute to weakness from weeks of immobility. I can't help but think that the walking around and playing in grassy areas is good therapy in itself to help rebuild the muscles in my feet. I'm looking forward to physical therapy so that I may return to running, but I'm mostly looking forward to having strong, flexible feet again.

Were you able to go barefoot this last weekend? Are you interested in going barefoot more as the weather gets nicer? I welcome your comments below.

Country Club Plaza photo: Fashion Windows