Barefootin'

I'm a little odd. This isn't a newsflash to just about about anyone who's spent any time with me. I'd rather be in the snow than at the beach. I'd rather play a sport than watch one. I like to suffer. Yeah I'm weird. But occasionally there is a justifiable reason for my apparent madness. Today was no exception. I ran a mile this afternoon wearing these. I have been studying...well more experimenting with barefoot running and emulating a barefoot stride when running with shoes. It's been pretty amazing. I've been messing with it for over a year now and I'm continually amazed by the great reduction in discomfort I have while running, the better recovery times and oh...I'm significantly faster. So in an attempt to hone my skills, I regularly run barefoot on the padded track at the local high school. Problem is that even though the track is padded, running any distance wears the skin right off my toes. Nice smooth feet for a bit, but then it starts to hurt some. So in walks these shoes. Walks in. Get it? I think that's funny. Weird right? Anyhow, I've been running a little bit on the treadmill with these Vibram Five Fingers Shoes. Really they are more like gloves than shoes with a thin rubber bottom and no padding. But today was the first time i actually ran outside with them. Surprisingly good results, They felt really smooth, comfortable, and took the abrasiveness out of running on a rough surface while still giving that barefoot feeling. I'll keep playing with them and let you know how it goes.

Now we'll just have to see how bad I hurt tomorrow.

Anyone interested in barefoot running, take a look at www.evolutionrunning.com