Why the Mobile Yogi Runs Barefoot

by Vincent G

Barefoot running isn’t a new topic.  It has always been permitted in the arena of professional running, and the iconic magazine Runner’s World magazine has been covering the topic on and off for at least five years. But what is new about barefoot running is the fact that it is becoming quite popular among regular people. I am among the growing crowd of newcomers to the this corner of the running world, and I feel as if I’ve been reborn.

Pardon the pun, but I stumbled on barefoot running quite by accident when I went outside the house to dump vegetable peelings into the compost pile after doing some yoga. I know some folks are probably thinking “oh, he’s one of those.” But let it be known, I grew up in a household where going barefoot was an ultimate no-no. To be present anywhere in the house without footwear (never mind going outside!) was a very punishable offense. So going barefoot was as odd for me as it was for anyone.

I recall running across the grass and then down the dirt driveway; it was spring and it was raining. I’m not sure why it felt so invigorating. I had mostly given up on running a few years before because my feet would hurt and no matter how much I stretched my legs before and after a run, my thighs would tighten up and ache like when one does intense leg presses or squats. I was also worried about wearing out my knees, which also creaked after a good run, something that shouldn’t have set so soon; after all, I was merely in mid 30s, not even middle aged.

I secretly wondered what it would be like to run barefoot. Many Africans did it all the time. And many Africans won marathons in America. Hmmm. Either way, I couldn’t get over how good it felt. I began walking barefoot to the mailbox every day. Soon, the pebbles on the driveway didn’t hurt. So I began sprinting. Suddenly, going to get the useless junk mail in my box became a highlight of the day.  That was a few years ago. I moved to Denver and found its many sidewalks were quite kind to barefooting and I began going barefoot at home all the time. I still ran with shoes, and I still hurt when I did, so running just wasn’t fun.

Until I read about Michael Sandler in the Denver Post last summer. A pro athlete  who’d taken to barefoot running as therapy and now did it all the time. I couldn’t stop thinking that there were other people who might not think I was crazy for wanting to run barefoot. So a few days later I snuck out at 5 AM  and ran barefoot on the sidewalk. It felt so oddly good-it wasn’t bad on my feet…and my legs didn’t hurt at all. I did a mile and a half in a relatively short time-about ten minutes. I couldn’t understand why it didn’t hurt at all and why it felt so good. So that’s when I did some more reading.

I learned that the feet when free of shoes can flex and that they works in tandem with your legs as the greatest shock absorber ever made-no pounding on the knees. And finally, my thighs didn’t hurt at all. I also found that there were medical doctors who were backing this up, and also that runners who had been sidelined by more severe versions of pain I’d been experiencing were finding that they could run again pain free by running barefoot. I gradually increased my running distance, as it does take some time to toughen your feet for greater distances, and now I run barefoot most of the time. I finished my first barefoot race this November, my first race since my days as a third stringer on the high school track team. It’s funny, I’m now 38 and I run without shoes, and I’m faster than I ever was as a young guy on the track team. Knowing this makes it easy to conclude that my recent race will be one of many I’ll run in the future. Running barefoot is anything but crazy. Anyone who wants to enjoy running and do it in a healthy way would be crazy not to try it.

To follow more stories by Vincent G, check out his blog at http://cahptain.wordpress.com