Barefoot running clinic

[Horseman42]

Ok,



So my gym doesn't want me to run BF on the treadmill anymore. After speaking to the managers at great length, the reason why is that several members at the gym have complained that everyone should be wearing shoes for "hygenic" reasons. The managers apparently agree with me that this is rediculous but it seams people have threatened to quit their memberships.

In anycase I've been thinking about teaching a barefoot running clinic and I just need somewhere to teach it. I've taught 3 running clinics at my local running room in the past, however the running room said flat out "no" when I asked them, to host a BF clinic. So I inquired if it was possible to teach a clinic there at my gym to promote awareness advocate against barefoot discrimination. Also it will be the first BF clinic in my region if not my province to my knowledge. Both managers thought this was a great idea.

So my question to you all is if you were to teach a clinic what do you think it should include? I already have some ideas, but just thought I would ask incase there's something I've missed.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Jason has some good info in

Jason has some good info in the Library tab up top.

Of course, encourage them to walk barefoot all the time wherever they go, as much as possible.

Take them outside where they can feel different textures from smooth to really rough. Have them pick up their feet as in marching. Take them to a sand trap and have them walk across it, then run across it. Show them if/where they are sinking in, what part of the foot or if they are maintaining a consistent imprint.

Have them fill out a registration form that includes a release of liability waiver, if those types of forms are used in Canada.

Teach the techniques of barefoot proper form--these are the universals that we all must do in order to run safely: lift the feet, no pushing off, quick cadence, etc., but know that each person's form will vary depending on their unique biomechanics.

 

[ajb422]

 And give them the link to

And give them the link to this site. By far the most helpful thing to my barefoot running was searching through all the forums and reading all the conversations.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

May bad.  Of course, AJB. 

May bad. Of course, AJB. Thank you. ;-)

 

[JosephTree]

Disclaimers.

Disclaimers.

 

[SaraLord]

Tell them to bring a big old

Tell them to bring a big old bag full of patience. Walk barefoot for at least 3 months before running step one.

 

[Horseman42]

Thanks for all your advice so

Thanks for all your advice so far everyone,



Disclaimers, and liability wavers will definately be key.



TJ - Thanks for your input here I forgot all about "sand" for improving technique. Barefoot walking will also be important, and I want to stress at least the first 2-3 of the clinic having only walking as our main exercise. I'll be sure to check out the library and most importantly refer new BF runners to this site.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Another thing you can do is

Another thing you can do is have an actual program (with levels) that they can actually graduate from. Say, once they are able to run 3 miles truly barefoot without injury after following a certain program you have outlined, they will graduate (you can even make diplomas for them on the computer), and then upon graduation, they can donate their shoes at the graduation ceremony, and you can collect their shoes and take them off to charity. It could be a whole lot of fun depending on how you go about it. Soles 4 Souls may be able to take your shoes too, so check out their website to see what's involved.

(I was going to say, at graduation, they can throw their shoes up in the air to catch on the phone lines like graduating students do with their caps, but that's probably not a good idea. I think the donation idea is smarter. ;-) )

 

[migangelo]

did you run your clinic?

did you run your clinic? people never think about what they say. they say beig bf is unhygenic but don't think about how lots of people clean their but with their hands and don't wash them after. i could go on listing things but i need to eat. i've been up too long without food.



oh yes, if they are so afraid of germs from your bf are they making sure everyone washes their hands when they enter the gym? will everyone have to start wearing gloves as well or face masks? gotta ask some questions like that to turn it back on the person confronting you. Socrates would pick peoples ideas apart just by asking thoughtful questions, not by telling them they are stupid or wrong. saying that to someone only makes them fight you more.



good luck



mike

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Excellent point to bring up

Excellent point to bring up at the gym, Mike.

 

[Horseman42]

 Mike,This is exactly how

Mike,

This is exactly how I confronted them initially, but like I said to them it all came down to happy club members. If 10 club members were unhappy with my barefeet, they said they were willing to sacrifice one membership (me) over the other 10. One of the managers was actually very sympathetic even commenting that he wished he could squat or deadlift in barefeet, but when he did the other members in the gym complained.

I'm hoping that the clinic will enable me to confront some of these myths like BF being unhygenic, and the managers agreed if I can pull it off and generate revenue for them they could possibly "relax" the rules and allow me to be BF.

Although I'm a little disapointed with their stance and not being as proactive as they can be, I realize at least their not being totally close minded on the issue as many other gyms are.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

What is wrong with people? 

What is wrong with people? Why would someone be offended by our being barefoot in public? It's okay at the beach and the water parks?

As far as the gym's stance on this, I mean, why don't they just have a waiver that each member signs that says if you are barefoot on their property and your feet get injured, you won't sue them? Wouldn't that solve the liability issue? I mean they already have insurance in place for possible injuries.

Good luck with the clinic, Horseman. Let us know how it goes. Be sure the managers of the gym are invited and that you bring pro-barefoot hygiene material with you to back up our claims.

 

[Horseman42]

TJ,I agree with everything

TJ,

I agree with everything you said. There are many times at the gym I might have disagreed with what someone was wearing yet I don't make a big stink about it.

Everyone at the gym signs a waiver so they are not liable. I even suggested to sign an additional waiver to state the gym was not liable. I'm hoping in the very least that the clinic will be a beginning to a new start, and I want to have a platform to dispell the BF myths like the hygeine issue.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Info from the Society for

Info from the Society for Barefoot Living would be a good place to get material on barefoot vs. shod hygiene.

 

[LavaRunner]

Barefoot TJ wrote:What is

What is wrong with people? Why would someone be offended by our being barefoot in public? It's okay at the beach and the water parks?

As far as the gym's stance on this, I mean, why don't they just have a waiver that each member signs that says if you are barefoot on their property and your feet get injured, you won't sue them? Wouldn't that solve the liability issue? I mean they already have insurance in place for possible injuries.

Good luck with the clinic, Horseman. Let us know how it goes. Be sure the managers of the gym are invited and that you bring pro-barefoot hygiene material with you to back up our claims.

The issue is the way people have been educated. Barefoot is a beach thing, it is dirty and should not be indoors or heaven forbid, at the gym. I have had to put on my VFF's cause without them I get threats of eviction. Now I wear my VFF's and still get strange looks. Life isn't fair and to change this, we need to reeducate people. That takes a lot of time.

 

[LavaRunner]

I see the quoting issue still

I see the quoting issue still doesn't work in the new site

And aparently smileys either

 

[Abide]

LavaRunner wrote:I see the

I see the quoting issue still doesn't work in the new site :~ And aparently smileys either

You have to delete all the line spaces for it to work properly?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

The quoting feature and the

The quoting feature and the smileys work, you just have to know how to use them. That's where, hopefully, the Site Help forum comes in.

Drupal is a little buggy about some stuff, so it's not the site per se, it's the what the site was built on. That's one reason why we got a new text editor.

Like Abide said, click on the quote button and remove all blank lines and text you don't want between the opening tag and the ending tag. (Tags start with [ and end with ], so you have [ q u o t e ] and [/ q u o t e ], but without the spaces inbetween these letters--I had to type it that way, so you can see it.)

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

For the smileys, hover your mouse over the one you want to use and type the code. (Sometimes there is more than one code you can use, each separated by a space.)

There are some other new smileys I can enable, but they bite. I'll put them up, and you guys tell me what you think. Stand by.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Okay, so what do you think? 

Okay, so what do you think? These are simpler to use, since you justs select the Smiley button from the Edit menu box, then choose which one you want. Like 'em well enough to ditch the others? Leave them both in place? Opinions?

 

[migangelo]

i would demand everyone wash

i would demand everyone wash their shoes before they enter the gym since people wearing shoes don't pay attention to what they step in until they're inside and can smell it. man that was a long run on sentence.



mike