after my half today i was at the awards ceremony and standing right behind me are three runners saying my shoes were stupid and that all this barefoot stuff is a fad. if and when all the pros start doing it they will do it to but until then we are just a bunch of people looking for attention with unfounded science.
needless to say i was peeved but people are entitled to their opinion so i let them talk. they then quoted some more nonsense as they kept up the jabs at me and my passion that is barefoot running. i politely, and i mean that, told them that they were wrong on some levels as a lot of pros and elites do barefoot running in practices. it was a coach for the usa track and field who first turned me onto this so they it is done by pros. a man looked at me and said "that is a lie, you guys just make stuff up trying to validate yourselves and that Haile Gebrselassie said he he ran bare in Kenya because he had to and he would never run without shoes again so I was lying to them" i took great offense and told them i was not lying and that i work with pro athletes who do use this technique and that it would make no sense for them to switch as they are pros and the transition would start them over. i also admitted that if it aint broke dont fix it but dare not call me a liar when you are just a small town runner getting info from the internet and i have trained with professionals for the past 10 years.
they stopped the conversation there because i think they were in fear i might want to "take it outside" but the nerve to look right at me and say i'm a lying snake oil salesman was too much to bear. i've read rants online about how we're all crazy and push our beliefs on people as if we are a crazy cult but wow...in person. makes me sad when most people there thought it was cool that i have found a way to run again after injuries that ended my competitive career. to each his own but beware my friends...some people just dont like us and want to let us know
needless to say i was peeved but people are entitled to their opinion so i let them talk. they then quoted some more nonsense as they kept up the jabs at me and my passion that is barefoot running. i politely, and i mean that, told them that they were wrong on some levels as a lot of pros and elites do barefoot running in practices. it was a coach for the usa track and field who first turned me onto this so they it is done by pros. a man looked at me and said "that is a lie, you guys just make stuff up trying to validate yourselves and that Haile Gebrselassie said he he ran bare in Kenya because he had to and he would never run without shoes again so I was lying to them" i took great offense and told them i was not lying and that i work with pro athletes who do use this technique and that it would make no sense for them to switch as they are pros and the transition would start them over. i also admitted that if it aint broke dont fix it but dare not call me a liar when you are just a small town runner getting info from the internet and i have trained with professionals for the past 10 years.
they stopped the conversation there because i think they were in fear i might want to "take it outside" but the nerve to look right at me and say i'm a lying snake oil salesman was too much to bear. i've read rants online about how we're all crazy and push our beliefs on people as if we are a crazy cult but wow...in person. makes me sad when most people there thought it was cool that i have found a way to run again after injuries that ended my competitive career. to each his own but beware my friends...some people just dont like us and want to let us know