Therefore, the only summer barefoot barrier to overcome is the heat

[Daniel W. Rouse Jr.]

The only real summer barefoot barrier to overcome is the heat. Here's why:

* Rough surface training can be done at any temperature. The more pointy and
sharper the rocks, they more they will initially make for slower walking
during every step. But then add heat--starting just in the mid 80's and
afternoon peak heat it's sufficiently hot enough to start burning the feet,
even if doesn't increase to painfully burning hot, and that's before
factoring in the slower walking as the feet are becoming initially more
tender both from the roughness and the heat.

* Hot surfaces get challenging for longer distances walking, and as I have
found, also depending on humidity. Being able to walk a distance on blacktop
asphalt in 95 degrees F during afternoon peak heat was less challenging that
walking on blacktop asphalt at 85 degrees F with noticeably humidity. I
actually found myself going to shade spots more frequently with the lower
temperature but higher humidity.

* Hot surfaces also get much more difficult to tolerate when standing. It
goes without saying that blacktop asphalt can burn painfully hot to nearly
feet tingling after just a couple of seconds when it is a particularly hot
day. But when its' that hot, even the sidewalks are just between burning hot
and painfully burning hot when walking, but are still sufficiently painfully
burning hot when standing. High 90's to low 100's and it will be that hot
when waiting at a pedestrian crossing without standing in shade until the
crossing signal shows it's okay to cross--rolling on the feet still doesn't
dissipate enough heat even when standing on sidewalk instead of asphalt.

The hottest I've done is 95 to 96 degrees during afternoon peak heat with
dry heat, around 85 degrees during afternoon peak heat and significant
humidity, and 99 to 100 degrees exclusively on sidewalk with dry heat. Not
sure if I can do hotter just yet--but then that's where bringing along flip
flops and taking them off to walk until it burns way too much before putting
them on can help build more heat tolerance over a longer distance.