Barefoot Runner

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas.

Well folks, it's sad to say that I won't be doing anymore barefoot running this year. Winter has finally set in and it's blarrrrry cold outside. Whilst we in the UK don't get the extreme cold and snow some other countries get, we do get a lot of rain which doesn't play well with the freezing cold on bare feet.

Now I must say, I'm not wussing out here, it's all for my own good. Very cold numb feet just don't feel the ground anywhere near as well as warmer feet do. As a result form is likely to go to...

Last year I provided a tip on sizing Vibram Five Fingers based on my own experience. I've now found another useful tip...

So how should they fit? I was told directly (in person) by a Vibram Five Fingers corporate rep to fit the toes just BEHIND THE TOE CAPS or right in that area—obviously with different toe lengths there is going to be some fudging here! That means there is a decent amount of room between the toes and the end (close to 1/2″) and there may be some bagginess in places depending on your foot volume. Keep in mind ...

Are we hardwired to run efficiently, and NOT in the way the shoe companies think we should? I think these two videos prove we may well be.

First off, the kids. They haven't had a chance to be manipulated by fancy running shoes and as we can see from this video, POSE/Chi/Evolution running are all really stating what we already know before we even know we know it...

I'm a subscriber to Barefoot Ted's huaraches Google Group, and the other day one of the members started a thread about funny comments and retorts which I thought I'd share in summary:

OrionFyre:

I got stopped by a cop who pulled up along side me to see if I was OK.
"why do you ask?" I say.
"Because you're not wearing shoes..." he replies
I look down at my feet with a look of surprise. "Oh shit! they must have fallen off."
I stand upright and look back the way I had came covering my eyes from the suns glare. In the corner of my eye I see the cop turn around in the car and look back.
"dammit." I mumble aloud
"I knew I should have tied them tighter."

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It's been two months now since I devised and started my last gym/cardio program - Tabata Time - and I think it's time for a change.

I've not really followed my previous program too closely, but rather used it as a guide. I found I was often too busy or couldn't be bothered to go to the gym twice a week, and I've been adding a lot more running into the mix instead of being a slave to the cardio equipment in the gym. I have however stuck to the weights part quite well, except for dropping the lunges every now and then as they were having too much of an impact on my running on the first few days that followed.

This new program is once again, deemed as a guide for myself, but this time with a concentration on strength. I don't want to bulk up too much, but I do want to increase my strength as this will definitely help with the running and when combined with a bit of plyometrics should help me "float" a lot better.

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In my quest to go completely barefoot, or as near as possible in as many environments as possible, I've had my eye on replacing all my chunky shoes with more minimalist shoes. I've had my eyes on a couple of brands, including the VivoBarefoot range from Terra Plana, but haven't really seen any in person to get an idea of what they're like. I also wasn't too keen on blindly shelling out for a pair of shoes I'd seen on the internet, have them imported from the US only to find they're hideous in person.

Well, luck was on my side as I was approached by a kind lady on behalf of Terra Plana and given the opportunity try a pair of shoes from their VivoBarefoot range. After much umming and ahhing - "Do I go for the casual looking Aquas for everyday use, or the more formal looking Dharmas for work use?" - I opted for the Aquas, in white (other colours are available), and placed my order.

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