Reflections On Two Years of Barefoot Running - October 21, 2005
When I first started running barefoot a couple of years ago (10/21/03), I had
several runners tell me that they doubted I could keep it up for any length of
time. "Oh, it's just a phase you're going through" or "I doubt if you'll make it
a year running barefoot before you put the shoes back on". There are always
naysayer's when someone goes against the status quo and does something a little
different. Those in the past who were thought to be crazy such as Christopher
Columbus, the Wright brothers, Thomas Alva Edison, or any number of dreamers and
inventors were considered a little "touched" in the head. They, along with
countless others who dared to be different changed the world in their respective
ways. Now, I don't even suggest that I am on the same plane with these I've
mentioned. However, I merely use them for example of their passion concerning
what they believed.
Today, I have a passion that has been reawakened by the sport of barefoot
running. I believe that it is a sport singularly different from shod running.
There are several different things to consider when running barefoot that aren't
part of the equation when running with shoes. First of all, it is an endurance
sport to even be able to get to the point of running daily barefoot, not to
mention running several marathons a year sans shoes. When I first started
running barefoot a couple of years ago, my feet would easily blister after just
a few miles. Even though I was barefoot constantly as a child during the summer,
my feet had become soft and not used to running on various surfaces such as
asphalt, concrete, or even trails. I believe that what I went through for the
first few months running barefoot was enough to discourage most from continuing
on with this "experiment". However, I was committed to persevere because I knew
others had successfully made the transition from shoes to barefoot running. I
knew that it took a commitment that most runners could not or would not make. It
literally meant starting over and re-learning how to run! How many runners would
want to do that? Actually, let all their speed and weekly mileage diminish just
to re-learn how to run? I knew this is what I had to do just a few short days or
weeks into my barefoot running. I knew that I had to become a novice at running
once again. I had to relinquish that I knew anything about running and be
willing to let my body re-teach me how to run properly.
It became a test of my will and body. My barefoot running began in the fall and
it quickly became cold here in the Midwest. However, I was undeterred. Even
though it was below freezing many days when I ran, the feedback from my body
told me that I was running "right". I felt a gratification after each run that I
had not felt before. The blisters, the cold toes, the dry and cracking skin on
my feet did not keep me from barefoot running. I would heal up and be right back
at it, sometimes in the ice and snow.
In the beginning, rocks and pebbles would hurt when I stepped on them while
running barefoot. The tendency of the body, when it feels pain, is to recoil
from it. To be successful at barefoot running, one must embrace all feelings
that the foot encounters, including the pain. When one accepts the pain of a
rock or an acorn that causes discomfort then one is less likely to recoil from
it. This causes a feeling of relaxation. When one does not accept the pain, then
the body tenses up and rushes reaction to the pain area, which is really energy
that need not be expended. If one relaxes, the foot accepts the pain and it
becomes less and less when a barefoot runner continually steps on the same
object.
Why did you put yourself through this, many have asked? Down deep, I knew I was
doing something special. Something that not many people had done. Sure, my knees
and my legs were feeling better since I learned how to minimize impact. But, my
feet! They were still taking a beating! In a few months, however, a remarkable
thing happened. The soles of my feet began to evolve. I could tell they were
replacing skin cells at a faster rate than I was losing them. Plus, they were
getting tougher and more adaptable to various surfaces. The body is an amazing
mechanism. It will adapt and evolve if we tell it to do so! And, of course, the
way we tell it to evolve is by forcing it to comply. This may not always be the
most "comfortable" thing to do, but no one implied to me that learning to run
barefoot would be easy.
I believe that it is possible to run for years and years barefoot, regardless of
weather. I don't believe I will ever be incredibly fast at barefoot running, but
for me, that's not the point. Longevity, that's what it's all about for me. I
would like to, one day, know that I was one of the few who had kept at barefoot
running and had set records in most barefoot miles run, most marathons, most
5Ks, or any number of things measurable in the endurance sport of barefoot
running. The key is not giving up but continuing to persevere -- getting out
there daily and running my mileage. I am not looking for "flash in the pan"
status because of my barefoot running. I do believe, however, that if I stick
with it, the mileage, marathons, endurance running in snow and inclement weather
will speak for itself.
On barefootrunner.org, I state: "Do something remarkable everyday, and in time
your life will become remarkable". If someone says, "I went for a barefoot run
today", well, that doesn't really sound that remarkable. However, if one does it
everyday, rain, snow, or sunshine, then in time it does become a very remarkable
feat. If one continues for months and years, it will become a lifestyle -- a
living testament regarding this person.
This kind of conviction and passion can only come when someone truly believes in
what they are doing. For me, barefoot running is not only a test of physical
endurance but part of a spiritual odyssey. It allows me to daily measure myself
whether I am tough enough to handle it. True, the physical element is not like
it was when I first started, but doubts do creep in sometimes why I do what I
do. I sometimes hear the "old tapes" say you should be acting more like a 50
year old ... you're too old to be acting this way! Then, my spiritual logic
kicks in and I know the reason why I continue. It is being a child once again
and a warrior at the same time. Barefoot running makes me want to play but at
the same time challenges me to fight and to win over preconceptions regarding
what "proper attire" and "social acceptability" should be for runners.
In the two years that I have been running barefoot, I seldom see another
barefoot runner. I have not seen one during thousands of miles of daily running
here in the Kansas City area. That's not to say there aren't any ... I just
haven't seen them. I have seen a couple of guys running barefoot at local races
but from what I know these were the only and last times they ran barefoot. So,
if I was REALLY out trying to convert others to barefoot running, I'm certainly
not doing a very good job at it. Truth is, it is not necessary to have others
around me to run barefoot to legitimize what I am doing. I know it is right for
me, and that is all that really matters.