I love to run

...although, I feel like I need to qualify that statement. I hate running on tracks, or down the road, or most of the time for leisure's sake. There are simply better things to do with my time: lift kettlebells, practice olympic weightlifting/powerlifting/strongman/gymnastics, or eat, or read, or eat some more, or drink beer. I'd definitely rather drink beer than run 400m sprints... But, I love to run on trails, and I love to run in my Vibram Five Fingers. Something about sprinting through trees, the sharp unpredictable turns of the trail, jumping over logs, climbing up rocks and hills that seem impossibly steep... the experience is visceral. Especially when done virtually barefoot (thank you Vibram Five Fingers).

I feel like this is the way we were meant to run, as quickly and unpredictably as we can. Doing this I get the sensation of running, not for running's sake, but for a purpose. Sprinting full tilt up and down steep hills, leaping over logs like hurdles and running until I can't anymore, I feel like I'm tapping into some primordial instinct; something akin to evading a predator, or being one myself. I feel compelled to run a hill as hard as I can simply because it's there, or tear right back down it in the same manner. I feel like a child again, out there in the woods, away from the city, society, work, and social norms. Out there I run and laugh, and the harder I run the more I marvel at the experience of it.

We've somehow missed the point, ambling along on a treadmill while watching television and feeling like we've actually accomplished something. Running wasn't meant to be done in a fixed track with an inch of padding under our heels. Barefoot running is a growing fad right now, almost to the point of being trendy, and shoe companies are taking notice. At the forefront is the Vibram Five Fingers, which are quite literally gloves for your feet. Nike Free is a step between traditional running shoes and Vibrams, with very limited cushioning. A brand called Inov-8 (innovate) makes all of their shoes with the natural function of the foot in mind, with their running shoes being another step in between Nike Free and the Vibram Five Fingers. This is one of the rare fads that I can get behind, because the benefits of barefoot running (which forces proper mechanics) have been raved about for years, and now people are finally starting to catch on. There was never a prevalence of running related injuries until the "running shoe" was invented, which changed the way people run; to their detriment. I'm very excited to see data on running related injuries in barefoot runners compared to traditional running shoes. I expect to see a steep decline in knee and lower back problems in the barefoot runners. Almost immediately.

-James