Running Barefoot in the univeristy

Tareef Al Satti

Barefooters
Aug 6, 2011
31
0
0
Hello everyone..



After 2 weeks my semester break will be over and i have to go back to my university. The

problem is that I am a very shy guy, and am worried it might become an issue for me since its

gonna be my first time run barefoot over there .

Eventhough I'm currently running barefoot in the city and hundered of people is looking at me

wierdly daily , but the difference between running in the city and the university is that

In the city: people who looks at me i dont no them, and they will be seeing me for less than a minute then they will never see me gain . so i dont care neither do feel shy at all

In the university: I know most of the people(students), they are the same of my age, and there are alot of girls watching too, so i might get shy.

It may seem ridiculous for most of you, but its really important for me and Im alittle bit worried about it.



So please guys do u have any ideas or tips that can help me over come being shy while running barefoot in the university ?



Tareef,
 
I went through the same

I went through the same ordeal last year, although probably to a lesser degree. There are several ways to deal with this, the first is simply telling yourself that you dont care what people think and doing it anyway with a look of confidence. after a week or so you wont even think twice. So long as your willing to explain to people every know and then why you do it (trying to coax them to try is also a good idea, just make it a small suggestion to them though).

Another good point is it makes you a recognizable figure around campus (I pretty much spend all my time over at the engineering or math buildings and the B-schoolers on the other side of campus know about me). Because of this you will strike up a bunch of good conversations with people, so its a great way to make new acquaintances (especially female ones). I actually got really lucky in this respect, i did it enough to where my gf got curious and tried it out, now she hates running any other way. Guys who run will gain some respect for you as well, unless they are total douche bags who view bf running as totally gross, but its easy to ignore them as they are few and far between.

Finally, and most importantly, most people dont care enough to judge or make an open opinion.

Hope this helps, and if not just say something and ill find something that does :p
 
Ya i have to work on the

Ya i have to work on the confidence look thing, i think it takes sometime to get used to it . I just need to try it first :p ....

I do hate prejudice people, like once they see us we look to them like a cave men, crazy dudes, and alot of other sick things. I guess i just have to ignore them cuz no point in arguing with them .

and you are right about being famous hahaha, i can imagine the nick names i am going to have soon ( barefoot guy and such things ) , just thinking about it makes me laugh :p



Your reply did help me, at least now i know that i am not the only one who have been through such thing (its more like a challenge to me right now) ... but still if you think you got more tips in hand they will be really highly appreciated :) ..



Thanks again,
 
Salaam Tareef!  Just keep in

Salaam Tareef! Just keep in mind that you are on the cutting edge of the best trend in modern running AND getting in touch with the most pure and ancient style of our ancestors.

I just don't like it when I'm cruising along in front of an audience and step on something sharp enough to make me flinch and cuss. Ah, well...

BF running gets to be just the regular thing after a while, though.

Peace and run well!
 
Hello Joseph , you still

Hello Joseph , you still havent told me how you know arabic words thought :p ...or its a secret ? hehe

Ya it did happen to me many times stepping on sharp things while passing by an audience, when it happens i act as if nothing happen or i didnt feel anything in order to not make them laugh hard at me.. I think it happens to me when i lose my focus on the path, stepping on sharp things is like a wake up call .

I did like your comment about being on the latest trend of modern running, am really looking forward to see the barefoot running becoming a global phenomenon espicially after the spread of minimalist shoes in the market.



Peace.
 
Hey Tareef,I have just

Hey Tareef,

I have just started running barefoot this past year at University of Pittsburgh. I was the only one though..but I hope that will change next week when the semester starts back up.

You will get some stares and pointing and "that's crazy!!" from passerbyers or joggers, but if you're good at it like I am, they will be impressed. Just keep a smile on your face or better yet a smirk, as if you know what they're thinking yet you know what's good for you. You can defitnely pull it off if you try.

Who knows..you might earn a prize along the way. (Ahem) I'm talking about girls, of course. They will be wondering whose that warrior treading through campus unabaised.

It's all in the head Tareef, keep it cool.

BTW, what university do you attend?

Allah Kareem wa Ramadan Mubarak

-Yusef
 
If you can make yourself run

If you can make yourself run barefoot at school, I think it would actually help you to get over your shyness, meaning, you will have to come out of your shell (at least a little), and since you will be attracting attention to yourself, people surely won't think that you are shy.

I had the same problem at first, I guess. I felt like I was running around in public naked. It was like I was breaking the law, AND I was getting away with it. After I had run several times barefoot though, I stopped feeling so self-conscious (shy) about it and just stopped caring what others might be thinking. I'm even starting to come out of my shell a little more, the more I walk around in public stores barefoot.

What about wearing Vibram FiveFingers the first couple of months, then move down to huaraches, so by the time you are barefoot, they will be like, "Ah, forget it. He's nuts!" and leave you alone. ;-)

If they forbid you from walking barefoot, how about getting a pair of huaraches?
 
Marhaba Yosuf ...its very

Marhaba Yosuf ...

its very nice to see some arabs over here , you are the second guy who speaks arabic i meet here. I am from Syria , what about you ?

About the prize, sure i will happy if i got one :p . i do like prizes , haha . just wish me good luck thought :)

I am currently studying abroad in Malaysia, in a university called ''University Teknologi Malaysia''

And Ramadan Kareem for u too (eventhough its almost over) :)





Barefoot TJ :) :

I was thinking about that too, like once i run barefoot in the university it will help me overcome my shiness issues , and as u said come out alittle bit from my shell :p ..

Wow so you go to shops sometimes barefoot ? i think i wont be able to do that in years, you must be so brave .

Doesnt that leave footprints in the shop ? i mean after walking barefoot on the asphalt your feet become black , then when u enter the shop it must leave traces while walking ,or you clean your feet before entering ?

How can i get a pair of huaraches here in Malaysia ? ...minimalist shoes in general are very rare over here, but if they exist they will be very expensive ( for exmaple : vibrams costs around 153 USD , which is almost the douple of the original price :( )
 
Tareef, i don't know who

Tareef,



i don't know who said it but this is a good quote to learn.

"those who mind the most, don't matter. those who matter the most, don't mind."



yes, walking around bf your feet get dirty, but so do shoes. it's a lot easier to wash your feet than it is shoes. it's very safe and clean to walk around bf. unless you'll be eating or touching your food with your feet which i'm sure you won't. you can make sandals easily with leather or any rubber you can find. i bet if you go to the local markets you can find some nice simple sandals there.

have fun. remember, this is your life and no one else's.



Mike
 
 To be honest Mike i didnt

To be honest Mike i didnt really understand the quote (excuse my weak english) :( ..

Ya i know that our foot is much cleaner than our shoes, but the thing is that the shoes normally doesnt leave traces behind while walking in stores, while the barefoot does espicially if you walked on asphalt before entering the shop . i havent try it thought i am just guessing . does it happen with you (since you are much more experienced than me) ?

I will try to look more for minimalist sandals when i visit the stores next time, at least now i know what to look for, if i couldnt find what i want then i will buy the huaraches online like what shock.absorber just suggested .



Thanks guys :)
 
Tareef, write down the

Tareef,



write down the quote. it even took me a few times reading it to understand what it says. basically the people who will say something to you aren't important in your life. the ones who are important in your life won't say anything to you.



Mike
 
Mike :I had to read it many

Mike :

I had to read it many times until i understand it ... I did some search on google and found the complete quote its :

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

— Dr. Seuss

It's saying that the people who mind (people who think I look weird when running barefoot) are just narrow minded judgmental twits and don't matter. And those who "except me as I am" are the people that matter - they are the open minded types. .. (I found this explanation on yahoo answers :) )



Finally it makes sense ... its very nice and true quote too ...



Thanks
 
i did not know that was from

i did not know that was from Dr. Suess. amazing man. thank you for that and yes i'm glad you understand it now.



Mike
 
Tareef, I am actually from

Tareef, I am actually from Syria too. I'm from a little port town called Tartous. I lived there for 4 years growing up-that's where I learned the intricate art of Barefoot Running :grade:

But yeah, Invisible Shoes are the only "shoes" I wear when I am not barefoot. Sometimes my pads hurt after playing basketball on concrete, so they're useful when your recovering. Plus, no bus drivers can put you down for not having "shoes" on-those bastards :evil:

Try them out!
 
Wow you are from syria, thats

Wow you are from syria, thats cool . I'm from Damascus but never got the chance to live there , i just go there on summer vacations from time to time .

So from what you just said, i can conculde that you highly recommend the ''Invisible Shoes''. thus, i will but them on my wish list and wait until they are on sales :p .. because i have to consider the shipping fees thought ..

Thanks for the advice :)