Here are the first three things to know (that I wish I had known when I started out) if you are thinking about doing some barefoot running training:

Barefoot Running Training Step 1: Start Off Slow

Even if you've been running for years, when you start your barefoot running training the first thing you need to know is that you will need to cut way back on your usual routine, and begin as though you were just getting started running. If you're not a runner already, this step may actually be easier for you, as you will not feel such a need to jump into your barefoot running training at full speed.

In either case, you need to put the ongoing health of your feet ahead of your need for speed and distance for the moment, and begin your barefoot running training at a quarter, or even a tenth of what you may have been thinking when you started reading this article. Personally I think that 5 minutes a day is good to start. Then, after a week of that, go to 10 minutes a day, and so on.

If you're just starting out running for the first time ever, 5 to 10 minutes a day to start may seem good to you anyway. However, if you've been a serious runner at all before, and you just want o transition over into barefoot running training, then this amount of exercise may seem extremely minimal. In that case, what I would suggest is that you do your normal running routine, whether it's 30 minutes, an hour or what have you, then take off your shoes and do your barefoot running training for the day in the last 5 to ten minutes of your run.

Barefoot Running Training Step 2: Try Minimalist Shoes

While I do enjoy running in totally bare feet the most, I would recommend you get a pair of minimalist shoes for your barefoot running training, such as the Vibram Five Fingers, and here is why.

When you are doing serious barefoot running training, you are going to encounter places, or weather, or road conditions that might prevent you from getting your training time in, unless you have a pair of minimal shoes to fall back on.

For example, it's not a good idea to run for miles in very wet weather, as your feet will turn into prunes and the skin will soften and tear off your feet. Having a pair of minimalist shoes will allow you to continue your barefoot running training on the wettest of days.

The same goes for very cold weather. Personally I have run in snow and freezing weather without shoes at all, but I had a van for backup and was not alone or in danger of my feet getting frostbite. Having a pair of Vibrams or other minimalist shoes will let you do your barefoot running training in the cold, too.

The other thing that might interrupt your barefoot running training is having only bad roads or trails to run on. While I don't mind a few rocks, sticks and even the occasional glass shard, I have seen trails coated in sharp gravel that would curl your toes; and, as I discovered to my dismay, in some places like West Virginia, they "sand" the roads in winter with crushed cinder - a substance very like crushed glass. Not very pleasant. You would be wise to strap a pair of minimalist shoes to your back, even if you plan to do all your barefoot running training without shoes - just in case.

Barefoot Running Training Step 3: Ice, Ice, Ice

The number one thing I learned a little too late, that would have been great to know early on, is the benefits of icing your feet when starting your barefoot running training. Ice is a barefoot runner's best friend, and I'm not just talking ice packs.

The best thing you can do for your feet when you are in barefoot running training is to make sure you immerse your feet in an ice bath immediately after returning from a a barefoot running training session.

It may be difficult (and even feel painful) but having your feet in an ice bath for 5 to 10 minutes right after barefoot running, can reduce or even eliminate swelling, and encourage fast recovery of your feet, especially as you are passing through the stages of "foot restructuring" that your feet go through as they are getting stronger. So, be sure to make ice baths a routine aspect of your barefoot running training and you will avoid some of the unnecessary pain and swelling I experienced.