DAY 9 - Odd Looks

Barefooting at Lake Tahoe
I know I'm running longer runs now because I'm starting to run into the people who give me dirty looks. I guess I never thought of barefoot running as something that would warrant somewhat nasty looks. These are some serious looks of disapproval, people. WTF? Are people offended that my feet are naked? Seriously? Or are they feeling sorry for me because they think I've lost my marbles? Or maybe they're jealous because they're not tough enough to try it. Whatever it is, I find it slightly amusing that other people are so affected with what I'm doing. A total stranger that just passes them on the bike trail. To me that's weird.

That being said, I'm going to be completely honest here. Before I considered barefoot running, I didn't think "those"people were stupid, or crazies (er... well, I may have thought they were a little crazy). Actually, the thought I had about barefoot running was that it was the "extreme" version of running. You know... kind of like it belonged in the X-games. I thought barefoot runners are the kind of people that are willing to risk hurting themselves or stepping on something sharp and jabby for the sake of the sport. After doing a little research I realized barefoot running has little to do with hurting yourself and more to do with NOT hurting yourself. From the outsider perspective though, this may appear to be a bit of an oxymoron. People running barefoot to prevent from hurting themselves? That's crazy.

So, like I always do, I did more research. What did I find? These people were brilliant!

Wow! In a sport that has an injury rate up there with football, here are people using their brains about running. They are learning about the physics of form and gravity and how the weight of impact affects the body and the joints. They weren't crazies at all. Maybe a little nerdy. Maybe a little hippie. But these people are smart. I appreciate smart people. They're so much more fun to hang out with than stupid people.

But, I never buy into any idea until I have first-hand experience. Proof that it works. Which is why my injury-prone ass...er... feet are working hard to transition to barefoot. I'm using my brains to run now. It may look like I'm stupid or crazy or tough though, but I'm just trying a concept on for size to see if it works. And if it helps me overcome the pain I've had with running all my life, then bonus. The jury is still out whether this will work in the long-run for me, but for the time being if you see me on the trail blaze past you barefoot, don't judge or sneer. I might just have to turn around and go all ninja on your ass.

Now that I got that off my chest... my run today was good. Another nearly 4 miles of barefoot/minimalist running. 2.31 miles were completely barefoot. Got another hotspot on my left foot. My form was off and I didn't hydrate very well prior to heading out. My dogs are more sore than usual tonight, but overall it was a successful run. No knee pain, no neuroma, no hip pain. That makes me happy.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Twenty Miles Of Punishment

Shame and Camel Toe

Evofem's Softcup Review

I'm A Sucker For Beauty & Athletic Eye Candy

A Running Orgasm?