ok so this is really just a lead-in to a blog post I wrote, but I thought it was worth discussion here.
Every book I've read on barefoot running has said that in the beginning you need to spend time walking barefoot. Makes perfect sense, but did I do it? Hells no! I spent plenty of time barefoot around the house over the years and thtought that was plenty. I went out and ran bare anyway, and spent all last winter pushing my mileage dangerously fast!
Now that the summer is winding down and I have taken a couple week off running, and spending more time walking barefoot (or nearly so, thank you Bedrock Sandals) it occurred to me that the whole "walking barefoot step" isn't as optional as I had thought. It should have a big freaking "MANDATORY" sticker on it, and underneath that sticker should be another one saying "SERIOUSLY, THIS IS MANDATORY" in case someone took the first sticker off! I had no idea what i was missing until tonight when I was walking to the park with my kids and realized exactly what a relaxed foot feels like.
It hit me like the freaking Hammer of Thor.
if I can translate the way I walked barefoot to the way I run barefoot I'll finally break into the "I got relaxed feets" club and maybe ditch all the nagging aches and pains in my feet that have plagued me for the last 9 months! I swear it feels like a huge weight has been lifted! It just....
*begins drooling and muttering incoherently
Epilogue: I think this post might be more entertainign than the blog post it was supopsed to lead in to... damn!
Every book I've read on barefoot running has said that in the beginning you need to spend time walking barefoot. Makes perfect sense, but did I do it? Hells no! I spent plenty of time barefoot around the house over the years and thtought that was plenty. I went out and ran bare anyway, and spent all last winter pushing my mileage dangerously fast!
Now that the summer is winding down and I have taken a couple week off running, and spending more time walking barefoot (or nearly so, thank you Bedrock Sandals) it occurred to me that the whole "walking barefoot step" isn't as optional as I had thought. It should have a big freaking "MANDATORY" sticker on it, and underneath that sticker should be another one saying "SERIOUSLY, THIS IS MANDATORY" in case someone took the first sticker off! I had no idea what i was missing until tonight when I was walking to the park with my kids and realized exactly what a relaxed foot feels like.
It hit me like the freaking Hammer of Thor.
if I can translate the way I walked barefoot to the way I run barefoot I'll finally break into the "I got relaxed feets" club and maybe ditch all the nagging aches and pains in my feet that have plagued me for the last 9 months! I swear it feels like a huge weight has been lifted! It just....
*begins drooling and muttering incoherently
Epilogue: I think this post might be more entertainign than the blog post it was supopsed to lead in to... damn!