I've taken up running again and I noticed my new unused trainers nearly disintegrated at the seams. They've been in storage for a long time and under hot conditions so the glue appears to have perished. Instead of waiting to buy a new pair and in the spirit of just doing it I went for a barefoot run and I really like it. The feet took a few weeks to get over the blisters I created but they've healed and seem to be tougher now, though on hot days I'm probably cooking the soles of my feet too so I'm careful to choose specific surfaces and take advantage of soil and grass wherever I can.
As is the case with much of my life these days, I think about things and then it drops into my data stream and so this presentation on barefoot running turned up on fora.tv last week. It starts off with some dance but settles into the topic after that.
I really like the no ipod, pseudo psycho geography, plain shorts and contact with ground feel. I get a fair bit attention from people which makes the runs more fun and fly by quicker than if I was kitted out with brand labels, jogging software and expensive trainers. It's just me, some shorts and ...well that's it really. Feels good and might not be for everyone but is working out for me.
