Does anyone think you are a freak for going barefoot?

[nature runner]

I have had a few friends from work say, oh that's nasty. There's duck poop and everything on the roads in the park. I respond with that's what a shower is for when I go home. But, people's hands are far nastier, for example. I will see guys use the bathroom and not wash their hands, rub their hands all over their face, and rub their eyes', and wipe their mouth off from tobacco, and handle door knobs from others' who haven't washed their hands either, and then I say my feet go no place near my mouth, and your argumment is? Of course no comment is made after that issue is brought to their attention lol.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 Yes, I have friends who

Yes, I have friends who think I'm a freak...but I'm not sure it's because I go barefoot....or if the barefootedness just supports their opinion ;-)...I'm not entirely sure their opinion is invalid :-D

 

[saypay45]

I would divide my friend into

I would divide my friend into different camps. Camp one thinks I'm a freak, but they probably already thought so. Camp two finds my barefooting intriguing, but aren't particularly interested in trying it. Camp three either has tried it or wants to. No hard core converts yet...but I'm working on it. A few more group runs and I think I will have some barefoot buddies.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 i have the luxury of 14

i have the luxury of 14 years coaching/training experience so most times when i say something is good for you i get little to no argument. when i got my first pair of vffs everyone had questions, thought they looked weird, but acknowledged that if i was wearing them it must be good for you. the next thing i knew they were popping up all over the gym i trained at within a couple of months and that was before Born to Run.

now all i get are questions on how they should go about putting into their routine so no freak comments for me. when i encounter strangers it's easy to say i'm a running coach and i instantly go from the "he's gotta be weird" thoughts to the questions of how and why with genuine interest.

i'm lucky i guess

 

[nature runner]

I don't really mind being

I don't really mind being labeled a freak. I do have a convert though. My kung fu buddy at work has converted because he feels it helps his skills in kung fu and tai chi! He loves bf trail running, but not asphalt? Some were like i can't even go barefoot at home? Some feel shy about it, and some get drunk and try it lol!

 

[Shacky]

freak?  Doubtful.  Oddball? 

freak? Doubtful. Oddball? Certainly.

But, I'm setting a nice example and have silently converted two co-workers. Once became a VFF runner and the other recently started BF running (up to 2 miles already)



...now if I can get my company to ok Kilts and start converting people for those

 

[nature runner]

Shacky wrote:freak? 

freak? Doubtful. Oddball? Certainly.

But, I'm setting a nice example and have silently converted two co-workers. Once became a VFF runner and the other recently started BF running (up to 2 miles already)



...now if I can get my company to ok Kilts and start converting people for those

Never have wore a kilt, congrats on the convertions'. I do have ancestrial roots in Sweden, not sure about the kilts lol. But, hey I am not against it at all!

 

[GeorgesRun]

The people who know me don't

The people who know me don't think I'm any more of a freak than they did before... I think some of them think that being barefoot is a result of moving to the sticks and trying to become a farmer.

My folks were a little concerned, for all the usual reasons, and my SO's mum is convinced that I will catch 'the heebie-jeebies' when I go to the cities.

Maybe my SO's (six-ish-year-old) niece thinks I'm a freak; she has asked me twice now where my shoes are.

 

[Tender Toes Mark]

When I started BFR for my the

When I started BFR for my the lunchtime runs, some co-workers ribbed me a little. Now that I've been at it for 11 months, they're used to seeing me. Of course, most of them have asked me why, which has given me opportunities to explain. Most have shown some interest in the concept, although no converts yet. One gal told me she was thinking of trying it soon, and when she first saw me she told me I was going to hurt myself. I think they were/are just quietly watching and observing me (like I'm a guinea pig) to see how it works out for me in the long run (pun intended) before they think seriously of doing something so "drastic."

 

[NakedSoleNate]

nature runner wrote:I don't

I don't really mind being labeled a freak. I do have a convert though. My kung fu buddy at work has converted because he feels it helps his skills in kung fu and tai chi! He loves bf trail running, but not asphalt? Some were like i can't even go barefoot at home? Some feel shy about it, and some get drunk and try it lol!

tell him it will greatly help him, in all aspects, but most importantly, understanding and incorporating and developing his root.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I lost someone who I thought

I lost someone who I thought was a good friend of mine because I run barefoot. After she had to say to me what she had to say to me, I said good-bye.

 

[nature runner]

Barefoot TJ wrote:I lost

I lost someone who I thought was a good friend of mine because I run barefoot. After she had to say to me what she had to say to me, I said good-bye.

Wow! I figure if someone is truly my friend he or she will like me no matter what, unless I am a murderer or something. It wasn't a loss to you T.J. it was a gain, you didn't need the dead weight anyway!

 

[Blind Boy]

Most people I know are

Most people I know are already convinced I'm weird so my being barefoot fits the profile.

 

[Greginator USAF]

 Barefoot TJ wrote:I lost

I lost someone who I thought was a good friend of mine because I run barefoot. After she had to say to me what she had to say to me, I said good-bye.

That's rough, TJ. I hate when you lose a friend like that.

 

[Greginator USAF]

 I have had a few people give

I have had a few people give me sidelong glances , and "dude that's gross," but I haven't really been called a freak (not for BFR anyhow).

I have one person about half converted; my occasional running partner got a pair of VFF KSOs, but he's still reluctant to go nude-foot. I got him to do about 1/8mi barefoot once, but haven't gotten him outa his shoes since.

Also, my older sister got a pair of black KSOs (just like her little bro') the last time I was home, and we wore our matching shoes (along with blue-jeans and black t-shirts) to my little sis's HS Grad.

I'm also seeing more people pop up in VFFs at PT in the last few months. I'm not sure if I had anything to do with this, but I've certainly had to explain them to a lot of people here.

 

[Matt]

I think my wife used to think

I think my wife used to think I was a freak in the past when I would never even take off my socks inside the house.

As far as barefoot running, I will never tell my co-workers about it. Some people just don't or won't ever understand, and it's not my job or desire to change them.

 

[saypay45]

I agree with Matt.  I work

I agree with Matt. I work for the government and I have a pretty public job (county prosecutor for those that don't know). I don't often mix my personal life with my work, and this definitely fits within those confines for me. So coworkers are not included in my strange little world.

 

[barefootnuch]

 Yeah, I have that issue too.

Yeah, I have that issue too. I'm a high school senior and I run cross country and track. If we do an easy tempo run or something like that and I take my shoes off, my coach always says: "Nuccio, what if you cut your foot?". I'm pretty sure I can handle my own feet. And people who call you freaks....well......it must be hard watching "freaks" be faster than them!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

This so-called, ex-friend of

This so-called, ex-friend of mine was one of those people who are always so concerned with what other people think, always trying to keep up with the Joneses, always trying to make an impression, always talking ugly about others...GOOD RIDDANCE! Like NR said, "I don't need to be carrying around all that dead weight."

And what's with the two kitty cats, Matt and SP? You all know I love kitty cats.

 

[Tender Toes Mark]

 Ha ha.  I suppose I'd have

Ha ha. I suppose I'd have to say what Blind Boy said ... "Most people I know are already convinced I'm weird so my being barefoot fits the profile."

Co-worker acquaintances who make comments when they see me on the greenway is one thing. My friends all know I can be a little, er, unique, so they just took it in stride. Having a "friend defining moment" sounds unpleasant, at best. Sure hope not many of us have to go through that!