Barefoot running = Trusting God

So I ran barefoot for the first time outside today and it was quite interesting. After reading Born To Run by Chris McDougall, I was convinced that god made our bodies with the intent to run and he gave us everything we would need to do it.

I decided I would go minimalist after reading the book and that my Nike Frees would be the only shoe I would ever wear for running aside from some winter shoes. I changed my running form and the way my foot landed. I also made plans to buy some Vibram's Five Finger shoes. It would be many months between reading the book and buying the shoes, which I recently acquired. I ran barefoot on the treadmill a couple times and it felt great. I wasn't ready to run on the ground though.

I sometimes walked home from high school without shoes. There was something about it that felt so freeing. This was pretty nasty to do in the city streets of Chicago but that rebelliousness was apart of what I liked about it. I tried to have that mentality today but instead, I was cautious with every step.

Was is that I was afraid to hurt myself? I didn't trust that my feet would react the way a hand reacts to touching something too hot. Or was it that I didn't trust the ground? The ground is man made so that would make sense but my feet are divine creations and the human body is capable of many things that man might never understand.

I didn't realize until the end of my run that I had issues trusting myself, trusting my instincts. I was second guessing every step. It was only when I didn't think too much about it or when I let my body relax into the walk/run did my feet do what they were designed to do: run! When stepping on sharp or hard objects, the feet naturally adjust. They redistribute weight. They tread lightly as if the kiss the ground.

Don't get me wrong. My feet feel a little funky right now but my calves don't hurt as badly as they did from the vibrams. Most of that also has to do with being more form conscious and not doing too much too soon which is what the toe shoes make you think you can do. My Achilles tendon isn't yelling at me either.

I want to become a better barefoot runner. I want strong feet. I want a natural way of living. I won't give up my Vibrams. I have to disagree with Barefoot Ken Bob on his disdain for them. I think they're great for people who live in the inner cities or cold weather places were running barefoot isn't ideal. I have a feeling though that since he lives in sunny Cal he has no idea of the apprehension and the lack of "pebble" paths city dwellers face. In the city, you never know what's on the ground!

However, I do live in Minnesota now and it's summer time so I do hope to be able to access more nature friendly environments for running. This is yet another thing I will do to keep me spiritually connected to who I am.