The Barefoot Running Movement: We Need to Change with our Audience

DB, again, thank you.  Your

DB, again, thank you. Your words mean a lot to me. We do try to show compassion and support, and THAT will not change.
 
Hey, guys.  What we're

Hey, guys. What we're talking about here is important, so please.
 
Yes, Jason, I do understand

Yes, Jason, I do understand your goal. I just question whether the approach is effective, or more importantly, counterproductive. If we take seriously the "first, do no harm" principle, I suspect that for current runners it would probably produce less harm to recommend that they stay in traditional running shoes or run barefoot, rather than run in minimal shoes. Again, this would be a recommendation that probably produces the least harm on average.

Since we barefoot runners typically came to our type of running persuaded by our own and others' experience and other evidence, it would be ironic that we would avoid emphasizing or sharing such information with others when it concerns minimal shoes.

I don't see crazy rants from barefoot fanatics. I see people describing their experiences. They may seem like crazy rants to people who desperately don't want to go barefoot and want the security provided by minimal shoes (I know, I was like this). When people see barefoot runners embrace or run in minimal shoes, it sends a mixed message to beginners -- it sure did to me. I thought that the barefoot part could be minor and temporary. Such actions speak louder than words, and that's why I think TJ's point that the best marketing is simply to run barefoot.
 
I figured, and I appreciate

I figured, and I appreciate that. But no one here is being ugly to one another, so there's no need for levity. We're all just hashing it out, trying to find a concensus, or at least open each others' minds. That's how the BRS was formed after all. You all should see the lengthy posts and correspondences the six of us had (meeting agendas, minutes, etc.). We even had a separate site we used before and during the initial phases of the beta testing of this site reserved just for communication about how best to implement all this. You should have been there for the 4 hour conference calls too! I'm surprised Jason hung on so long; he's not the phone-talking type. Right, Jason? ;-)

It was fun too. And funny at times as well. For the longest time, we all agreed about every topic, large and small. As a board we put the important stuff to a vote, and we always agreed...until this one time, when Cameron didn't agree to something the rest of us did. The conference call fell silent, and for a good minute or so, no one spoke. I was holding my breath, then we all realized at that moment that that was the first time we had a disagreement and started laughing about it. One more funny memory, I would like to share, probably the funniest. One time, we were all on a very long call, it was getting late in the evening, and I kept hearing this scraping noise on the phone, like a little scrub, scrub, scrub. I couldn't figure out what it was. It lasted a good three to five minutes. I couldn't take it anymore! I said, "Does anyone else hear that noise? It driving me crazy!" The others are like, "Yea, what is that?" I'm like, It sounds like someone is. . . brushing their teeth! Who the hell is brushing their teeth?!" Preston's like, "Oh sorry. I gotta get ready for bed." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm cracking up right now just remembering...or maybe it's the new meds kicking in. I hope.
 
Lomad wrote:BFwillie_g

Lomad said:
BFwillie_g said:
NickW said:
I love that Willie, made me laugh!

Nice :) That was the point, Nick! This thread was getting top-heavy with the philosophising, lol. And, the little pooper is barefoot!



But I thought you liked top-heavy. Or wait, was that Chaser?



Sometimes we take ourselves a little too seriously... we are, after all, talking about a hobby. If we subsitute "model airplane" for "barefoot running" in every one of these conversations, we suddenly see ourselves as... well... kinda delusional. Granted, I think our hobby has some pretty important implications. I appreciate the humor. References to breasts or penises are always welcome in my universe.
devil_smile.gif
 
Well this is a hobby, and for

Well this is a hobby, and for the sake of the IRS, they consider the BRS a hobby business. Still a costly filing fee, taxes, and penalty for showing any profit amount, no matter how small.

And whereas I may have started out with the intent of having a hobby that could be fun and help others at the same time, I find that through all the foot hell I've gone through these past three plus years, I am more passionate about this hobby with each passing day. I really want to lessen the pain others are no doubt going to experience due to unnecessary mistakes. I have my foot up right now on a stack of couch pillows...you remember what a couch is, right Jason?...ha! It's evidence that I have a right to be here, and I know I can effect change in a positive way. Is this hobby and all the volunteer time and effort we put into it as important as saving lives, cancer research, etc.? Hell no. But it's what I've been dealt with, and so I'm going to make it worth my while...and yours.
 
I, for one, admire and

I, for one, admire and appreciate the passion you (and Jason, and other founding members I do not know of) employ on behalf of this hobby. I've learned a lot here and at BRU, as well as gained a lot of encouragement and camaraderie in my experience as a barefoot and minimalist runner (there, it's out. I'm not a purist
tounge_smile.gif
). You're doing good work here and I have enjoyed this dialog, for sure.

I hope you heal quickly, your MN journey sounds frustrating to say the least; I guess you can see the bright side in that frustration's contribution to the BRS.

ETA: oh, and thanks for pulling back the curtain a bit on the history of the site. I love those sort of histories and narratives. It makes the online community that much more like a "real" brick and mortar community with real faces.
 
Yes, I can.  I often have

Yes, I can. I often have felt there was a reason for all this, and if there wasn't, I was going to make it one. But this is just plain weird in my life. Me? I'm no "real" runner. I'm just an average Jane hobby runner who developed a condition that led her to barefoot running, that led her to the RW BFR forum, er uh, that other place, who led her here. It seems all this down-time I have had over the past two years combating this condition has allowed me all the time I needed to really get the BRS off the ground and contribute to it as it grows along. It doesn't hurt that I am a stay at home mom either. I really don't know how this would be possible if the cards weren't just right. I always like to tell people, "I thank God for Morton's Neuroma, for without it, I would never have discovered running barefoot." Laying here with my foot up right now, do I question my sanity? Hell no. It's well worth it to bring the BRS to all of you. Okay, I'm liking this drug a bit better, or it's liking me, because it's making me act all cheesy now. Don't worry. It'll wear off eventually, and I will be back to my regular old self.
 
Oh, and if you want to learn

Oh, and if you want to learn about the founders, check out the Run Free newsletter we put together here:





And here's the second one:



Sure wish there were more of them, but that's about all the time I can muster. If anyone wants to volunteer to be the newsletter editor, it sure would be a nice addition to have.

Look at that Patrick. He's flying. And he won that one too. Of course.
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:Well this

Barefoot TJ said:
Well this is a hobby, and for the sake of the IRS, they consider the BRS a hobby business. Still a costly filing fee, taxes, and penalty for showing any profit amount, no matter how small.

And whereas I may have started out with the intent of having a hobby that could be fun and help others at the same time, I find that through all the foot hell I've gone through these past three plus years, I am more passionate about this hobby with each passing day. I really want to lessen the pain others are no doubt going to experience due to unnecessary mistakes. I have my foot up right now on a stack of couch pillows...you remember what a couch is, right Jason?...ha! It's evidence that I have a right to be here, and I know I can effect change in a positive way. Is this hobby and all the volunteer time and effort we put into it as important as saving lives, cancer research, etc.? Hell no. But it's what I've been dealt with, and so I'm going to make it worth my while...and yours.



But then, maybe it is just as important. Most of the people I talk to are at a fitness level far below where I'm at. They need a way to move, even walk slowly that will do as little damage to their joints as possible and that is not painful. Many people who are fighting obsity are fighting for their lives and finding a way for them to make cardio pain-free or less painful is huge. Just watch the "Biggest Loser" and see how many people on there have knee problems. Get on any weight-loss forum and you'll find large numbers of people who have never thought about the benefits of taking their shoes off and starting to walk, and eventually run.
 
You're absolutely right, PR. 

You're absolutely right, PR. We spoke about this very thing in one of our calls. We realize that lots of folks can't run because their knees or whatever hurts. If they only knew to take off their shoes, their pain might (most likely) will go away, then they could run, lose the weight, and possibly save themselves from having a heart attack or being obese.

EDIT: On that topic, I was watching Discovery Health with my 5 year-old son, and they were documenting the story of a woman who weighed over 600 pounds and what she was going through. You all know the scenario: They get so big, they have to be cut out of their homes, they are carried out by six guys, taken to the hospital, hooked up to IVs, placed on diets, told they have to lose X amount of weight to get down to 500 pounds in order to have gastric bypass surgery, etc., etc. Then the narrarator says, "But Melinda doesn't have to wait anymore; help is on the way." My son says, "Finally!" He was so relieved she was going to be getting help. Precious.
 
PR nailed it. Look at all the

PR nailed it. Look at all the research that links obesity to all sorts of ills. A healthy alternative to the uncomfortable notions of running could turn the tide. As was said "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."



I wouldn't undersell the importance of this hobby.
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:And

Barefoot TJ said:
And whereas I may have started out with the intent of having a hobby that could be fun and help others at the same time, I find that through all the foot hell I've gone through these past three plus years, I am more passionate about this hobby with each passing day. I really want to lessen the pain others are no doubt going to experience due to unnecessary mistakes.

TJ, me and my back I guess is something similar to you and your feet and what helps give you such a passion for being barefoot. Just the other day I unintentionally made a huge impact on a lady I had just met. She is a career counselor for my school and we were talking about things I like to do and I talked about how I like to research things and find answers to questions I have. This led to me talking about how I was told I would never run again and would probably never be able to walk without pain after my last back surgery by the docs and how that led me to googling how to run without back pain. This led me to barefoot running, which for the first 2-3 months I dismissed as weird and stupid and insane. Then one day I figured what did I have to lose, so I tried it and was able to run pain free for the first time in years.

Anyhow, my short story got long, this really impacted her and she had so many questions and she was just amazed. I've been pain free in my back for 10 months now, I hope others can experience what I have. I know it's not a cure all, but learning to be gentler to my body really has made a difference in the quality of my life. This makes me very passionate about barefooting and has even gotten my inlaws to accept me being barefoot as they have seen first hand the changes in my life.

I hope I can help others the way you all have helped me, this is why I always wave to other runners and smile when I see them out on the road. Sometimes they stop and talk to me and ask questions. Sometimes they see me at the store and ask questions there. TJ told me one time that I was an ambassador for barefoot running and I didn't want to be and was a little intimidated by the term. I guess somewhere along my journey that changed for me and now I don't mind and even embrace it a little. I don't mind talking to people if they start the conversation but I always try to be very mild and explain my story and how this works for me. I try not to be pushy and I sure as hell don't tell them shoes are evil or anything even remotely negative like that. I try to keep everything very light hearted and upbeat and for the most part I think that has helped people accept and understand barefooting a little more.
 
I am touched.  You have come

I am touched. You have come so far. Whether we want to or not, as long as we care about our sport, we have a responsibility to be good ambassadors for it. Otherwise, it will dwindle.

Back surgery and neck surgery are always two surgeries I pray I can avoid. I am glad yours went well enough that you could find something to help you beyond the point of just recovery alone. Do you find that your being able to run (barefoot now) has strengthened your back muscles, so that your every day quality of life is much better as well, not just your running?
 
TJ, I feel like a new man. 

TJ, I feel like a new man. Seriously. I know it sounds corny, but if I didn't know better I would think I never had a day of back problems in my life, let alone had a spinal fusion done or a widening of the holes in the vertebrate that the spinal cord goes through(can't remember the technical name). I feel that much better. I am still cautious and nervous about doing heavy lifting or just acting like a fool, but I seem to keep proving to myself that I can do whatever I want. For me my cautious attitude is all mental. I'm afraid to end up like I was again so I am a little more (ok, a lot more) careful. My wife is amazed at the results and loves the results, despite the fact that she is afraid I am going to end up with "mosters inside me". That is a horrible show by the way, it creates panic in people (like my wife).

Actually TJ, my last back surgery left me worse off than I was prior to it. Before the surgery the pain came and went with no rhyme or reason, but after it was just always there and I had nerve pain that radiated from my back through both legs to the ankle on one leg and to midfoot on the other. The constant leg pain was horrible. I was always in pain and uncomfortable, no matter if I was laying down, sitting, or standing. I was in quite the depression back then and was terrified that I was never going to be able to play catch with my kids, or basketball, or anything that involved me standing or walking.
 
I just found a lovely little

I just found a lovely little vido clip on how not to convince people to join a movement. It was fairly wide-spread in evangelical Christian circles a couple of years ago but it makes a good point that can be applied to any movement. May we avoid the extremes of Starbucks and the church.

http://vodpod.com/watch/1151565-what-if-starbucks-marketed-like-a-church-a-parable-



Enjoy :)
 
Wow, Nick.  So you were a new

Wow, Nick. So you were a new man, then an old man, then a new man, then an old man again, now a new man again? :) I wish that second surgery you had, had not done that to you. At least you found barefooting helps with the pain, makes it less, or even bearable. And yes, like PR said, your story is one that is important and should be shared. We love these success stories related to barefoot (or minimal) walking and running.
 

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