Milestone IX

"IX" as in "9," milestone in the literal sense: I'm just cooling down from my longest barefoot run of nine miles!

In the same breath, I affirm my skepticism of this so-called "achievement," as I am not certain that I have necessarily become better as a result of running farther.

External goals for goals' sake seem foolish in this light; so often, we obsess with how fast or how far we run (or how much we have or do), losing sight of how we run (in essence, who we are).

We buy expensive shoes, straps, and braces to compensate for how we run (not to mention all the external solutions to life's inner problems), then spend more on big-ticket watches, heart rate monitors, and the like (more of the same) to give us external affirmation of how good we are - or think we are - "doing." But how are you being? Shorter still, how are you?

Questions asked and answered with every barefoot stride... I love it!

Raindrops are fallin' on my head

Five miles yesterday in the wet; a painful portion on harsh chipseal asphalt. I am amazed at the "true-to-life" quality of barefoot running: vulnerable, mindful, dependent upon addressing the heart of the matter (i.e. running form) rather than seeking to impose external "solutions" (in this case, wearing shoes!).

My feet were on fire after the run; the cool and wet seem to distract the senses of the soles - but splashing through the puddles was a playful plus! My soles are still sensitive this morning, but there is no sign of blistering or abrasion; just the reminder of the intense and prolonged overstimulation of bed-of-nails, chipseal running.

Barefooting makes you acknowledge your limits rather than pushing unwisely and unfeelingly through them. This promotes patience, strength, and growth over the long haul. I like it!

Only the beginning...

Tonight, I went for a seven-mile jaunt, barefoot, on concrete and asphalt. Not bad, considering I started barefooting just a few months ago.