Climbing over the style I looked up to see Barefoot Mel wading through puddles and cow pats in her unshod feet. 'You numpty!' I called out to her from my safely shod-in-highly-cushioned-trainers position on life. Four weeks later and after several coffees, dog walks and a flurry of google searches, Mental Mel became Mentor Mel and she was coaching and encouraging me on my barefoot journey across multi-terrained paths.
I love it! I love the quirkiness of it. I love the way my feet, by the end of this first week, have started to dislike being encased in any kind of shoe - even flip-flops. I love the way that even after just seven days my favourite terrain has changed from grass fields to firm but-not-yet-baked mud to tarmac. I can even walk across our gravelled drive with relative comfort as long as I keep on telling myself to relax those shoulders. Surprisingly, the most painful bit has been the grass whipping around my ankles leaving red welts on the skin. But pain in my feet? None at all. Uncomfortable at times, maybe, as I learn to adjust my walk and wait for my soles to toughen up but otherwise zero pain.
And it all makes sense. There is so much literature and research out there that there is no need for me to go into it but walking and running barefoot is good for your health in so many ways. 'What about cuts and puncture wounds?' I hear the sceptical say. Well - that is always a hazard, I suppose, but your feet become so sensitive to the ground they are walking upon that they will tell you pretty darn quickly if weight should be redistributed to prevent any puncturing of the skin. (Here's a good word: proprioception. Look it up! It's all about how your feet are amazingling good at reading the ground if only they get the chance....) Funnily enough I was most concerned about dog poo. The thought of standing in a moist dollop of the stuff and watching it squelch up between the toes sent shivers up and down my back. However, just as one very rarely stands in the stuff while wearing shoes, the same goes if your feet are bare. A good scan along the floor every now and then is the key.
Next week I am going to increase my runs. I have only done one so far and I thoroughly enjoyed it but Barefoot Mel told me to take things slowly so my ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones and skin all get a chance to readjust. For once I actually listened to advice and it has paid off in my pain-free week of walking.
I love it! I love the quirkiness of it. I love the way my feet, by the end of this first week, have started to dislike being encased in any kind of shoe - even flip-flops. I love the way that even after just seven days my favourite terrain has changed from grass fields to firm but-not-yet-baked mud to tarmac. I can even walk across our gravelled drive with relative comfort as long as I keep on telling myself to relax those shoulders. Surprisingly, the most painful bit has been the grass whipping around my ankles leaving red welts on the skin. But pain in my feet? None at all. Uncomfortable at times, maybe, as I learn to adjust my walk and wait for my soles to toughen up but otherwise zero pain.
And it all makes sense. There is so much literature and research out there that there is no need for me to go into it but walking and running barefoot is good for your health in so many ways. 'What about cuts and puncture wounds?' I hear the sceptical say. Well - that is always a hazard, I suppose, but your feet become so sensitive to the ground they are walking upon that they will tell you pretty darn quickly if weight should be redistributed to prevent any puncturing of the skin. (Here's a good word: proprioception. Look it up! It's all about how your feet are amazingling good at reading the ground if only they get the chance....) Funnily enough I was most concerned about dog poo. The thought of standing in a moist dollop of the stuff and watching it squelch up between the toes sent shivers up and down my back. However, just as one very rarely stands in the stuff while wearing shoes, the same goes if your feet are bare. A good scan along the floor every now and then is the key.
Next week I am going to increase my runs. I have only done one so far and I thoroughly enjoyed it but Barefoot Mel told me to take things slowly so my ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones and skin all get a chance to readjust. For once I actually listened to advice and it has paid off in my pain-free week of walking.
