"What the hell did you do to me! Ive got two bloody stumps stuck in my loafers and I'm on my way to work..."
That was the first thing my brother said to me when he called this morning. Yesterday evening on my way home, my brother (who lives near Houston), called me to tell me he has started running again. He used to run track in high school, and ran recreationally after that, but he has suffered some foot & joint injuries in the last few years that had pretty much forced him to quit.
He told me that he had started running again, and that he was up to about 2 1/2 miles on a run now. He was calling because he knew I would like to know that he was starting up again (which Iam glad of).
Then I dropped the bomb that I have taken up barefoot running...(long pause on the Houston end of the phone)..."what are you freakin' crazy?" Yeah, I thought that might be the reaction...
So I go into my whole spiel about how it is better for your feet & legs...and, knowing my brother, I really stress the "slow" factor in learning how to run barefoot. We talked about how since he was coming off being injured, that this might be a time to "test the barefoot waters". He told me the only reason he would consider it is that he trusted me and believed me when I told him my knee & hip joints had quit hurting since I started BFR.
I told him I would email him some links to help him understand what would be involved with barefoot running and give him some beginner tips. I told him about McDougall's book and what an impact it has had on me. He said "fine, just email it all to me, 'cause I'm driving and can't remember it all".
So I'm in the 5th mile of a morning run w/the dogs when my phone rings. "What the hell did you do to me! Ive got two bloody stumps stuck in my loafers and I'm on my way to work..."
Wow! Now that was unexpected! So I ask him what happened.
Me: Did you run barefoot this morning? You were supposed to just start walking!
Bro: That's all I did. I just walked.
Me: hmmm...how far did you walk?
Bro: 2 1/2 miles.
Me: You walked 2 1/2 miles on feet that haven't walked 20 feet outside of shoes in over 30 years!
Bro: pretty much...it was kind of dark when I started my walk, and when I reached my turnaround spot, I looked down and wondered what that stuff on the road was...looked closer and saw that I was leaving bloody footprints...
Me: you what!!
Bro: yeah, I had to kind of watch how I walked back so nobody would figure out it was me...
Me: but I told you to go slowly!
Bro: I was walking.
Me: well, I'll email you those links today...read some of the stuff and take it easy.
Bro: I think I'm going to start walking in the mornings and running in my shoes in the afternoon, 'cause it's too dang hot in Houston to be barefoot on this pavement.
Me: take it slow.
Bro: that's why I'm walking. I've just got to get my feet toughened up some...I'll be OK.
Well, that's my brother...as you can guess, moderation is NOT his middle name. I'll just have to see if I can slow him down enough to do this right!
That was the first thing my brother said to me when he called this morning. Yesterday evening on my way home, my brother (who lives near Houston), called me to tell me he has started running again. He used to run track in high school, and ran recreationally after that, but he has suffered some foot & joint injuries in the last few years that had pretty much forced him to quit.
He told me that he had started running again, and that he was up to about 2 1/2 miles on a run now. He was calling because he knew I would like to know that he was starting up again (which Iam glad of).
Then I dropped the bomb that I have taken up barefoot running...(long pause on the Houston end of the phone)..."what are you freakin' crazy?" Yeah, I thought that might be the reaction...
So I go into my whole spiel about how it is better for your feet & legs...and, knowing my brother, I really stress the "slow" factor in learning how to run barefoot. We talked about how since he was coming off being injured, that this might be a time to "test the barefoot waters". He told me the only reason he would consider it is that he trusted me and believed me when I told him my knee & hip joints had quit hurting since I started BFR.
I told him I would email him some links to help him understand what would be involved with barefoot running and give him some beginner tips. I told him about McDougall's book and what an impact it has had on me. He said "fine, just email it all to me, 'cause I'm driving and can't remember it all".
So I'm in the 5th mile of a morning run w/the dogs when my phone rings. "What the hell did you do to me! Ive got two bloody stumps stuck in my loafers and I'm on my way to work..."
Wow! Now that was unexpected! So I ask him what happened.
Me: Did you run barefoot this morning? You were supposed to just start walking!
Bro: That's all I did. I just walked.
Me: hmmm...how far did you walk?
Bro: 2 1/2 miles.
Me: You walked 2 1/2 miles on feet that haven't walked 20 feet outside of shoes in over 30 years!
Bro: pretty much...it was kind of dark when I started my walk, and when I reached my turnaround spot, I looked down and wondered what that stuff on the road was...looked closer and saw that I was leaving bloody footprints...
Me: you what!!
Bro: yeah, I had to kind of watch how I walked back so nobody would figure out it was me...
Me: but I told you to go slowly!
Bro: I was walking.
Me: well, I'll email you those links today...read some of the stuff and take it easy.
Bro: I think I'm going to start walking in the mornings and running in my shoes in the afternoon, 'cause it's too dang hot in Houston to be barefoot on this pavement.
Me: take it slow.
Bro: that's why I'm walking. I've just got to get my feet toughened up some...I'll be OK.
Well, that's my brother...as you can guess, moderation is NOT his middle name. I'll just have to see if I can slow him down enough to do this right!
I was having another one of those weeks where I...