Natural Strides

Here's an update on barefoot running. As mentioned previously I purchased a pair of all terrain barefoot running shoes. They are not the best for running trails or over leaves as they tend to slip a bit in those situations. There is a barefoot trail shoe, which does great. Back to the all terrain shoes, I took them with me to South America for an eight day trip. Over the course of time I had the opportunity to run in a variety of conditions and settings. Overall the report is a really good one.

I had worked up to regular runs and high mileage with the barefoot shoes before the trip and strongly encourage others to do the same. The reason is the barefoot shoes allow for different parts of your feet, legs into play than traditional running shoes. You will feel this as you begin using the barefoot shoes. I felt tightness in my ankles, a slight sensation in the top of my feet and a touch of muscle soreness in my back. All of these subsided with continued use.

In Santiago, Chile the shoes were put to work on streets, sidewalks and on pea gravel trails. I experienced no problems whatsoever. However, Easter Island has few paved roads. There is volcanic rock everywhere. I was able to feel a good deal of that through the shoes. The bottoms of my feet didn't bruise, but I knew I had run differently. I became very aware of my strides. Being so focused carried a wonderful byproduct- I was super mindful of the surroundings, which are stunningly beautiful from rolling hills to the ever-on-guard majestic Moai.

Run Naturally. Run Barefoot. Run.

Tom