Even Sesame Street is into barefoot!

Even Sesame Street is on board! Just saw this via the Running Barefoot blog.

I've been more or less "traditional shoe"-free for almost 3 weeks now and I must say, it feels fantastic. Already it feels odd and unnatural to wear "regular" shoes. Even the smallest heel feels as though I am standing on a incline. If only I could go barefoot or wear my VFFs (the foot gloves) everywhere! I did cave and get a pair from the Vivo Barefoot line which look more like regular shoes and only has a 3mm sole. (Apparently, they use Kevlar to make the thin soles puncture proof.  So if I am ever threatened with an assassin, I can just whip off the shoes to use as shields. It's always handy to have dual-purpose clothing.) Luckily, I've been able to wear the VFFs to work most days which for walking is almost as good. There are advantages to working in a trailer!

The Vivo Barefoot "Odette"

The running part I'm taking much more slowly.  After doing a lot more reading on the subject, I am trying to focus on "training" without any shoes at all since the accepted wisdom seems to be even the minimal soles of the alternative footwear doesn't give your feet enough feedback to learn the proper form. I've taken the dogs out for their walks sans footwear a few times. Oddly enough glass and rough pavement are a breeze; my nemesis are ones I remember of old - the sandburs! Land on one of them at just the right angle and OW! Those suckers go in deep!

The park in my neighborhood though seems to be bur-free and so that is my preferred barefoot playground. The dogs and I run and run all over  and it is so much fun, I can do 20 minutes of running without even noticing. It's funny how running as an exercise (e.g., in my mind, punishment for overeating, etc) can be so painful and drudgery while running as part of a soccer game is just fun.

I am also listening to Born to Run  and hearing stories about the Tarahumara and their sheer enjoyment of running and life is inspiring. After years of believing that only certain people had the bodies to run, it is freeing and encouraging to discover that humans are made to be runners. We can outrun any other species over the long haul because we perspire, allowing us to cool off while we run. Women also seem to have an advantage when it comes to long distances, possibly because of our fat stores! (Ironically, women were not allowed to even compete in the Olympics for the marathon event until 1988 because the general consensus was that women were not physically capable of running long distances. It makes sense though when I think of some of the marathon-like labor stories I've heard. Talk about long distance!) If only the Greeks had known, they could have just sent a woman to warn the people of Athens...

Just thinking about things like this while running, experiencing all the sensations - breeze on my face, the textures of the ground - makes me feel so connected to my body and I can almost understand what ultrarunner Ann Trason means when she describes running as "romantic". Although I'm not heading out for any ultraruns...or even marathons anytime soon, exploring running as fun has opened up a whole new world for me.