Yesterday, my barefoot running antics nearly killed a child.

I was out running through Caversham and got the usual comments about running without any shoes on. The level of intelligence in today's youth is truly amazing - "Hey, you've got no shoes on". "Really? I hadn't noticed. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll remember to check my feet next time I head out for a run".

Anyway, on my return to the gym, as I was crossing Reading bridge (George Street) to head back along the Thames path, I encountered a particularly "intelligent" woman and watched her nearly kill her child because of me.

For those who don't know, George Street across Reading bridge is a particularly busy road. It's one of only two large bridges across the Thames in Reading that is usable by large trucks and a lot of cars going to or coming from Oxfordshire, from and to Reading. This, along with Caversham bridge (the other big bridge) is naturally a very busy road. Unfortunately, it's not very easy to cross as there are only three crossings, one on the Reading end of the road and two close to each other on the Caversham end. To make matters worse, there is a park entrance just on the Caversham side of the bridge, just below the crest as you head into Caversham. This spot is particularly popular with pedestrians who can't be bothered to walk under the bridge to cross the road, and it is here that I nearly killed a child.

As I ran up George Street I noticed two women with a pushchair standing on the side of the road by the park entrance waiting for a gap in the traffic so they could cross. A gap appeared in the traffic coming from Caversham (the direction I was coming from) so the women started to make their move. The woman pushing the push chair pushed it off the curb and completely into the road. She remained standing on the pavement. She then noticed me - the expression on her face was priceless - running towards her without any shoes on. This must have been far too much for her simple mind to cope with as she just stopped dead still with her child in the pushchair in the middle of the road. She then waited for me to reach her just so she could tell me I wasn't wearing any shoes.

Now the thing is, I only run at about 10kph. Cars cross that bridge at around 50kph (30mph). Naturally I was overtaken by a car so a car got to her before I did. Thankfully the driver was paying more attention than the woman was as the driver slowed down and leant on his hooter for a good long loud BEEEEEEEP!!!! This nearly scared the sh*t out of the woman with her child in the middle of the road as she jumped back but let go of the pushchair leaving the child in the road. Just as well her friend had the right mind to grab the pushchair and pull it back onto the pavement.

Now comes the unbelievable part: once the woman recovered she still took the time to tell me I wasn't wearing any shoes when I did eventually pass her. Unbelievable!! She was more interested in telling me something I already knew than care for her child.

I know it was my fault as the appearance, behaviour and demeanor of this woman led me to believe had something happened, she would have almost certainly blamed me. That's the mentality of some of the people in this area.

So there you have it, I nearly killed a child by not wearing any shoes. How many other people can say this?

Are you a runner - barefoot isn't essential? Are you a stickler for recording your training runs? Are you interested in helping a PhD student with her studies in the field of running injury causes and prevention? Keen on being a guinea pig in the name of science doing what you love? Fancy showing the world that barefoot running is good for you? Well, then drop Jenny Perkins at the University of Bath an email and offer your services.

To quote the article...

A University of Bath researcher is looking for keen runners to keep an online diary of their training habits and injuries, to help find out how they can reduce common running injuries.

PhD student Jenny Perkins, from the University’s Department for Health, will analyse the information to look at links between the type of training runners are doing, distance, age and injury.

She hopes to be able to tell runners what they can do to reduce their risk of injury, such as shin splints, back problems and knee pain.

Jenny is looking to recruit at least 1,000 volunteers from across the UK to the study, to log their training and injuries into a free online training diary over 12 months.

Runners of any ability are invited to take part if they are doing a minimum of three hours of running per week. Participants must be UK residents and aged over 18 years of age.

There is no upper age limit to the study and Jenny is particularly interested to find out about age-related differences in injury and training habits.

Being a barefoot runner, a stickler for logging my runs, eager to help others in their running and also eager to help add some barefoot runners to the study, I've offered my services and I think it would be great if more barefoot runners did too.

You can find more details about the study and contact details in the article I've referenced and on the University of Bath Running Injury and Training Audit (RITA) page.

And thanks go to Jonathan Gledson for making me aware of this study.

I can't believe I missed this. Christopher McDougall (author of Born to Run) has a good discussion on the barefoot running debate that is worth a read. Ultimately, I think it all comes down to a single quote:

But ultimately, the debate isn't about Bare Soles vs. Shoes. It's about learning to run gently. Master that, and you can wear — or not wear — anything you please.
— Christopher McDougall

This is essentially what I've been telling everyone who asks me why I run barefoot.

Oooops, I've just realised I missed my own 1st barefoot anniversary. So...

Tuesday, 1 February was the big day. A whole year since I made the big decision to run completely barefoot as much as possible. I've not run all my runs and races barefoot in that time due to sensitivity, rough terrain, extreme temperatures, shoe reviews or because I really didn't feel like it, but well over 95% of my running has been completely barefoot since then.

It's been a great year and certainly a massive learning experience. The muscles in my feet are stronger than they've ever been. The skin on the bottom of my feet is becoming more and more like tough leather. My form is good and I know my running is the best it's been since I moved over to the UK. The last year hasn't all been a bed of roses, I did suffer what was probably a stress fracture in my 3rd metatarsal back in July, which in hindsight was probably due to the problems I've had with my right sacroiliac joint. Since visiting the physio and consequently paying a lot more attention to my core, I've had no problems with my feet and my right hip and lower back are considerably better. I think my running may have also improved as a result of the extra attention I've been paying to my core.

As I said back in January, my goals for this year are to continue running barefoot as much as possible and to concentrate on the 5km distance. I'll still be doing 10k races, but mainly for fun and training.

Just as well my wife has suggested a visit to our favourite pub (they always have on at least 6 real ales ;-p) for a few bevvies tonight. Think I may have to dedicate one as a celebratory drink.

Cheers everybody. I think this next year is going to be a good one.

Look what my wonderful wife got me for Christmas...

I think these are terrific. I wear some nice shirts for work, but never wore cufflinks with the shirts that could take the cufflinks. I do now.

So you've made the jump from running in shoes to running barefoot, but you just can't convince the wife and kids (the older ones) to embrace your passion. Well how about taking them on a barefoot holiday. Yes, a barefoot holiday.

I've just discovered there are these really cool barefoot parks all over Europe (predominantly in German and Austria) that are open to the public and offer you the opportunity to go for barefoot walks. These parks actually encouraged you to take off your shoes and get one with nature (you'll have to go elsewhere if you want to really get one with nature ) and feel the earth below your feet, feel the cold water between your toes and the pebbles under your feet as you walk through streams and rivers. Some even offer playground areas specially designed for being bare foot.

What a great idea, and what a great way to get the whole family involved in your new found passion for going barefoot. Who knows, maybe after one of these holidays your wife or one of your kids will want to join you on one of your barefoot runs, barefoot.

Now this is an interesting concept: foot stickers...

Why wear a whole shoe when all you need is a little protection on the bottom of your feet? A great idea, though I think it may not be particularly practical to implement, especially for outdoor use. You'd need to invent some pretty impressive sticky stuff that is water and sweat proof and yet easily removable from the skin without the need for solvents etc. Ideally this would need to be re-usable, though not essential.

It would also need to come off fingers easily so you could actually let go of your foot stickers once you've taken them off your feet

Look what I happened to stumble across on the David Lloyd "shop" website:

Apparently the "exposed toes" are "for gripping and maintaining that barefoot feeling" and they "protect against fungus and communicable diseases", except those that are transmitted via the ends of your toes - watch out for them, they're the deadliest

I wonder if the manager of the gym will allow me to wear these in the gym in locations other than the yoga classes. They sell them, so they must be acceptable. Not sure I'll spend over £15 for a pair of socks though, especially when these funky coloured yoga toe socks are half the price (I got my wife a pair and she loves them) and way more fun.

Given how popular yoga and pilates are and how "in tune" they are with being barefoot, I'm surprised gyms are still so iffy about being barefoot.

With Sun Microsystems' recent acquisition by Oracle, I've found myself moving offices, which thankfully is closer to home. As I would no longer be going anywhere near Camberley, I cancelled my old gym membership at Foundation Fitness (free plug: this is a great, friendly and very affordable small gym in Sandhurst that I would have continued being a member of if it were practical) and waited to see what the Oracle offering is.

Oracle's offering is a heavily discounted corporate membership with the David Lloyd gym across the road. Normally David Lloyd is way too expensive for my liking, but with the corporate discount, it's no more expensive than what I used to pay for Foundation Fitness, so I signed up from 1 December.

Between 1 December and 9 December, I went to the gym 6 times and on all 6 occasions I was barefoot for pretty much most of the time I was in the gym. I performed all my warm ups for running and swimming barefoot, I performed by cool downs barefoot and even performed my weights session barefoot (my squats are much better barefoot) without a single person approaching me or even commenting. Yes, I got some strange looks, but that's expected when people aren't used to something new. Anyway, that was until the 9th. During my weights session that day, I was approached by one of the instructors and told that her manager had told her to come tell me to put shoes on as it's "policy". I questioned this policy but she couldn't tell me anything about this policy other than her manager told her.

Not wanting to cause too much of a scene, not wanting to delay my training and clear in the knowledge she wasn't going to be able to help me further - obviously a policy the general staff aren't too aware of - I obliged and grabbed my Vibrams from the changerooms and continued my workout, but I wasn't going to let this one lie.

On returning to the office I trawled through the Ts & Cs and documents I'd been given and I couldn't find any rule or policy preventing me from going barefoot so I thought I'd email the branch's general manager to find out more. I couldn't find a direct email address, but I did find a contact form in which I posted the following:

Hi there

I've been a member now for just over a week and have attended the gym on 6 separate occasions, each time barefoot. I am a full time barefoot runner and attempt to do as much of my exercises barefoot so as to continue enhancing and improving my barefoot running.

Today I was approached for the first time by one of the instructors, [ removed to protect the person's identity ], and was told her manager had told her to come tell me to put shoes on as it's policy. Unfortunately, she could not tell me where this is documented or why such a policy exists. She did however confirm that Vibram Five Finger "shoes" were acceptable.

So with this in mind, I've got a few questions:

1. Where is it documented that all members should wear shoes in the gym? I may have missed something in the documentation I was provided on joining.

2. What is the substantiation for this policy?

3. If this policy exists, what is the procedure to get it reconsidered?

4. I'm happy to abide by this policy if it exists, but what about situations where I go out for a run barefoot and then enter the main gym to perform my cool down stretches prior to going for a shower? Am I expected to put on my Vibram Five Fingers for the 5 - 10 mins I'll be cooling down?

More and more research is proving the benefits of performing exercises and running barefoot, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if some of your own classes encourage being barefoot. It would be a shame for an organisation that prides itself in being knowledgeable and up-to-date on fitness topic to be left enforcing outdated and unsubstantiated policies.

I'm not trying to make waves or be belligerent, I'm just keen to found out more about this policy. Given David Lloyd actively advertise they're open to changes in policy based on member feedback, I'm eager to see such a policy documented, substantiated, changed or revoked.

Kind regards,
Colin

Not long after submitting my form, I received a response confirming receipt of my email and that it would be forwarded to the sports and general managers for review on Monday as they were both on annual leave.

Much to my surprise I received a call from the sports manager at about 15:30 on Friday 10 December and we discussed this a bit. Apparently the policy about wearing shoes falls under the following very vague and general term in the Member's Handbook:

Part B - Terms and conditions of use

1. General health and safety
[ ... ]
g) While you are at the club, you are expected to behave and dress appropriately, respectfully and politely at all times. We can prevent you entering the club, you to leave or cancel your membership if we think that your behaviour or appearance is not suitable

It's worth pointing out the printed version isn't quite so appallingly written:

Part B - Terms and conditions of use

1. General health and safety
[ ... ]
g) While you are at the club, you are expected to behave appropriately, respectfully and politely, and dress appropriately (for example by not wearing your swimsuit in the club room), at all times. We can prevent you from entering the club, or ask you to leave if we think that your behaviour or appearance is not suitable

Anyway, the sports manager then went on to admit it was a very vague term and also tried to explain that they don't use pins, but if I accidentally stood on one, they'd be responsible. I pointed out that Vibrams don't offer much protection from this "accident" to which he responded "but they're still a form of footwear". He admitted that dropping a weight on my foot wouldn't really be different whether I was wearing a shoe or not. I then asked what about things like pilates and yoga classes and the Power Plate device in which barefoot is often encouraged. The sport manager then pointed out that they don't encourage barefoot on the Power Plate (I acknowledged I've not seen it at Reading, but I do know other sources suggesting it) and "classes take place in studios", which seemed like a bit of a roundabout way of saying "they're exempt because no one can see them".

The sports manager then seemed to become in a bit of a hurry and I definitely got the feeling that he was trying to speed up the conversation to finish off quickly. He confirmed that the general manager would be in on Monday and that he'd discuss it with him in more detail then. He confirmed that they don't like to get in the way of members' beliefs and passions and that as I clearly am quite dedicated and passionate about being barefoot, one of the things he would discuss with the general manager would be the idea of me signing a disclaimer absolving David Lloyd of any responsibility for any injury I may incur due to not wearing shoes.

I said I'd be more than happy to sign such a disclaimer and I looked forward to his or the general manager's call on Monday, but if signing a disclaimer was not an option, I'd be expecting an answer to my fourth question regarding warming up and cooling down before and after my runs etc which I currently do barefoot. The sport manager hurriedly said they'll cover this all on Monday too.

Monday I went to the gym as normal and obeyed the rules and wore my Vibrams whilst in the gym. I think I may have been spotted by the general manager who probably thought "Oh yes, I needed to respond to that email from that guy who doesn't wear shoes" as on my return from the gym I had the following email in my inbox:

Subject: RE: General Enquiry - from davidlloyd.co.uk
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:43:58 +0000
From: Matthew Bridle
To: Colin Seymour

Dear Colin,

Thank you for your email regarding barefoot running in the gym.

I fully understand your position to barefoot running in the gym and you
are obviously very passionate about this discipline.

The main reason we ask all members to where appropriate footwear is
purely for hygiene reasons. As I’m sure you are aware the feet can carry
many fungal infections and are more susceptible to abrasions or cuts.
Whilst I am not for one minute suggesting that you have this is the case
for you, I hope you understand I have to keep the rules consistent for
all 3,500 club members.

It does state in the terms and conditions that you must dress
appropriately and this is then expanded in the gym notices to say that
footwear must be worn.

As I’m sure you can appreciate we are a large company and the rules for
all clubs have to be consistent.

Kind Regards

Matthew Bridle

Well, it's nice I got a response though it's clear he didn't actually read my email properly. I was also very disappointed, though not surprised, that his response was one of the two fob-off responses I predicted I would get. As is common with any query about policies, people who: don't know, don't want to know, or couldn't give a monkeys will always respond with an all-encompassing fob-off excuse - in this case "hygiene" - just ask your council why something is so . The other response I was expecting was "health and safety", both of which are questionable in the case of being barefoot in a gym.

My full query wasn't answered either, so I responded:

Subject: Re: General Enquiry - from davidlloyd.co.uk
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:23:32 +0000
From: Colin Seymour
To: Matthew Bridle

Hi Matthew

Thanks for your response.

I wasn't actually questioning running barefoot in the gym, but merely utilising the gym barefoot.

Thanks for your response, though I'm disappointed the response is the very predictable "for hygiene reasons". It had to be this or the equally predicable "for health and safety reasons", both of which are questionable and neither consistently enforced.

I understand the need for an attempt at consistency though; thanks for answering this part of my query anyway.

My question regarding moving between the front door/change rooms and the warmup/cooldown/stretching area hasn't been answered. Must I wear shoes for this short transition and in this area? I'm particularly concerned
about IN this area as this area is where people train core strength and balance, both of which benefit significantly from being barefoot. I note this area doesn't enforce a "clean shoes" policy (like the shower/pool area) so who knows what kind of stuff is being trampled in on people's trainers and then transferred to their clothes, hands and then onto the gym equipment to be picked up by others.

If so, would your front desk staff be happy to look after my shoes whilst I go out for a run each time?

Kind regards,
Colin

PS The online version of the Members' Handbook and the printed copy
don't match with the online version including a few typos too.

I just wanted some clarification on this final point as this is when I'm most likely to be barefoot in the gym and the most appropriate place to be barefoot. I knew what the response would be, but I had to ask just in case I was wrong, after all this is a company that apparently prides itself in it's highly trained and educated instructors.

The response...

From: Matthew Bridle
To: Colin Seymour
Sent: Monday, 13 December, 2010 3:33:35 PM GMT +00:00 GMT Britain, Ireland, Portugal
Subject: RE: General Enquiry - from davidlloyd.co.uk

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your response. It is regrettable that you feel the response is predictable. Unfortunately these are the reasons.

You would need to wear footwear to warm up /down. The reception team would happily hold on to your footwear for you whilst you run outside.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards

Matthew

... but nice to know his receptionists are happy to hold onto my Vibrams whilst I go out for a run. I wonder if this will change when my Vibrams start getting their own "personality" .

So as you can see, I've been given the classic fob-off response, which really doesn't surprise me. Given people's ignorance about the benefits of barefoot, I had to ask. The whole talk of being interested in their member's views etc is bollocks. They're here to make money and expect everyone to just shut up and abide by the rules, even if they are very vague, inconsistently applied and not even explicitly documented.

So to summarise...

1. Can you go barefoot in David Lloyd gyms?
   NO you can not go barefoot in David Lloyd gyms, though this will of course be contradicted by the gym themselves when it comes to things like pilates and yoga, because "hygiene" is selective .
2. Why can't I go barefoot, even in the warmup/cooldown/stretching area?
   Well, from what I can pick up from the responses of the two managers - they don't think it looks nice (hence it's part of the "dress code" rule). Neither do huge fat obese arses in lycra or ancient knobbly knees in shorts, but they're certainly not going to enforce a dress code here.

I guess in order for this statement on the Complaint Escalation page (you need to log in to the members' lounge to view this)...

... to have any sort of meaning I'd have to raise a formal complaint and escalation. I certainly don't think this is worth being that petty about, but I think I will have a hunt around for the suggestion box so I can make a suggestion about their dress code policy. Come to think of it, if you're a member of a David Lloyd and wish to spend more time barefoot whilst working out, please let me know and I may just put up a suggestion request we can all use.

If you're a member of the David Lloyd team reading this, why not raise the suggestion in your next team meeting. Barefoot is good for you. It makes you stronger and fitter and healthier and the air-time you feet get actually reduces the numbers of bad bacteria and fungus on your feet. The benefits out-weigh the risks. Whilst you're at it why not ask for a team barefoot training session with Lee Saxby so you can all enhance your skills and understanding of going barefoot or join me for one of my barefoot runs - you will be expected to be barefoot too.

Oh yes, and I think I may be on a VIP list (or is it a hit list?) at the gym now as ever since this email correspondence all the instructors who previously didn't say a word to me and barely acknowledged my existence are all suddenly saying hello, asking how my run was and even popping up out of nowhere where ever I am only to very quickly disappear - me thinks they're checking up on me. Maybe I'm being paranoid and they're only being polite now they know I'm around quite a lot.

Today I ventured out for my very first "very cold barefoot run". It's been a bit late coming as last week saw large parts of the UK covered in snow, and if your area wasn't covered in snow, it was freeeeeeeezing. My area was a bit of both - we had a light dusting of snow on two days and then sub-zero temperatures for the rest of the week.

I've been doing a fair bit of reading on cold weather barefoot running and I've drawn a line in the sand (or should that be snow) as to when I will and will not head out for a run barefoot. That line is 0°C. This is technically freezing point or water at sea-level and if the air is this cold, there's a very good chance the ground and water on it will be too - probably colder once you add the salt and grit.

On Monday I went out in Vibrams as I had scheduled a fast tempo run along the Thames which would take in quite a long section of pavement that was quite heavily gritted. It was also bordering 0°C so I didn't want to risk it. Today it was definitely warmer, so I decided I'd brave the cold and I'm glad I did. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

Following the Owen McCall's very good tips, I

1. over dressed: tights, long sleeve t-shirt, close fitting windbreaker, beanie and gloves
2. warmed up inside: dynamic warm ups from Brain Training for Runners with some kettlebell swings

... and then headed out a little on the sweaty side. Normally I'd strip off at this point but I held back and stayed wrapped up for my entire run. My body and feet soon cooled down a bit in the 1 mile to the field in which I did my 6x600m intervals at 3k pace. The cool down wasn't dramatic and I soon found my feet warmed up again too.

The coldest part of the run was running on grassy sections no one else had passed over that day. The grass was still a little dewy and cold, but thankfully not frozen.

Bar the very strange looks I got from people I passed, my first very cold barefoot run turned out to be a great success and provided the temperature is above 0°C on a given day and I'm not running through heavily gritted areas, I'll continue to do my runs barefoot this winter.