12/07/2015
Steps 8408
Water 5
Au
Naturale.
As
a teenager in suburban 60's America, I was an oddball, and going
barefoot wherever possible
just
added to an unconventional reputation I've enjoyed through the
decades.
In
the late 70's, I even entered races barefoot, usually just to watch
jaws drop. But it did give me my first 15 minutes of fame, and I
never failed to mention Abebe
Bikila, who
was the first person in history to win 2 consecutive Olympic
marathons, running barefoot.
That's
your's truly Sep. 1979. Notice the difference in how the
front landing feet are positioned.
Why
Barefoot
This
may stem, at least in part, from an attempt by my parents to correct
my “pigeon
toed”
stance as a child, with very expensive, restrictive shoes and
inserts. It failed miserably, giving me the appearance of your
typical dork in school. But being Pigeon
Toed,
enhanced an already superb sense of balance that would allow me to
work easily at heights that most people feared to climb. Even with
shoes, I could run along walls and beams like a squirrel.
I
was also born with exceptional blood flow in my feet. This gave me
the ability to go barefoot in snow, walk on fire, and glaciers, and
other attention getting stunts. But wearing shoes and socks was like
tossing a blanket over and electric heater. Even now I seldom wear
socks and wear cheap canvas dock shoes even in winter.
Going
barefoot also enhanced my sensory input, which allowed me to enjoy a
world, most people never felt. Like watching the sunrise, as everyone
else slept.
And
after going barefoot for any length of time, any shoes feel like lead
weights.
Social
Turn Around
As
a teenager I was often laughed at, except the time I won a 100 yard
dash against a car!
As
an adult, I often had to deal with health and safety inspectors, anti
barefoot laws and a general fear of nature that continues to grow
exponentially as each generation builds on the fears of its parents.
( But that's another post.)
But
with many things in my life, it has been another “I
told you so” moment
in recent years, as one study after another points out that shoes
really are not that great for your feet.
And
after nearly 40 years of being ahead of the pack, trends are changing
and people are now starting to take their shoes off to walk, run and
exercise.
There
are even products like Xero
Shoes that
give people the foot protection they want while still allowing them
to go, for the most part, barefoot.
So
it's not too late folks, the grass is out there.
Like
to sign says
No
shirt, No shoes, Enter
KRASH
PlaceMarkBooks.com
