Barefoot in Colorado

For those who know me, I live near Saint Louis, Missouri. The weather is very humid and can get quite miserable in the summertime. Perfect for barefoot exercise. My wife and I left Missouri on September 17th on a week-long, much needed vacation to Colorado. I have been walking the older dog (we kenneled the puppy with our vet) and walking barefoot in the mornings (frost this morning) has been quite refreshing.

One thing I have noticed about the mountain air, it is very dry, which has led me to have some recurrences of my infamous nosebleeds. It is a good thing that I was wearing a dark shirt, so it didn't look too bad. I can't wait to return and step up the intensity of my barefoot walks. Surely it will feel like a heatwave!

More when we return!

9-11

A day of contemplation and remembrance.

I did go out for about five minutes walking barefoot. I even burst through with a short sprint and it didn't feel bad (note: I didn't say that it felt good, I meant that it wasn't painful). I have been reading more on barefoot exercise (both pros and cons) and it does make a bit of sense. Early man didn't have shoes. I like getting more feeling out of my walking.

Day Two

Another day gone by and I repeated my barefoot walk down the block and back as I did last night. It is amazing how much sensation you lose by having shoes on your feet. It was said to take things slowly and slowly I have taken them: I don't break a sweat (yet), I am just slowly introducing the barefoot world to my insulated feet.

It isn't all bad.

The end result is what I am shooting for. Thanks for coming along and keeping me company.

Day One

I am great at beginnings, it is the follow through that often turns out to be less than stellar. I have read that with barefoot running, it is wisest to start out slow and steady. After all, it is just your bare feet that you will have as your equipment.

And this equipment is attached.

After working thirteen hours, I got home and took the new puppy, Avari, out for a stroll down the block and back. I wore no shoes, and, to be fair, neither did she. I am trying to get acclimated to feeling the earth and surfaces below me, and I realized, as I walked, that shoes really have a way of insulating you from those feelings.

Now, this blog is not only about my venture to achieve barefoot running full-time, but also about getting back into the shape that I was in before (and I was a 30+ miles a week runner). I limited myself on the food that I ate, having a "sandwich" that was made up of a tortilla, some thinly sliced corned beef (Buddig) a few slices of Swiss Cheese. For supper, I had a Wendy's Jr. bacon cheeseburger and a few Bud Lights (yes, a somewhat stressful day). The good news is that the calorie count is under 1,000 and I feel great.

One day down, a lifetime to go!

Barefoot Makes Sense

Back in the day, I was an avid runner. I began running in 1986 as a way to control my weight and stay fit. I subscribed to Runner's World magazine and participated in a few 5K runs. My times were slow, but I was enjoying myself. Running became a therapy for me as well as my first marriage disappeared, but running was always there. I recall one morning at the depths of that marriage in which I had my longest and most memorable run. It was 4 degrees outside, I wore little more than a lightweight running jacket and thin pants, but I felt invincible.

And I was.

For a time.

Two marriages later and quite a few pounds heavier, I was traveling home from our campsite/timeshare and I was listening to a program on To The Best of Our Knowledge about running barefoot and it made a lot of sense.

I had always been a "heel striker" when I ran, but this program talked about having more of your weight centered and not as much stress on your body. It all intrigued me an got me excited about taking up the sport. The costs will be minimal and I will keep the record of my progress here on this blog. Contact me for any questions or suggestions as I make this transformation.