This is in response to Fetish and TJ’s discussion on another thread http://www.barefootrunners.org/build2/forum-topic/foot-injury-can-barely-walkany-ideas?page=1
Because I am often the a-hole that Fetish describes, I feel a need to come clean. It is relatively easy for me to run barefoot all year long. I live in a very warm climate and run in a city with nice clean roads. If I lived in a cold climate I would wear shoes as soon as running became uncomfortable. If I ran regularly on trails or through any other difficult terrain I would also wear shoes. If running isn’t enjoyable I am not going to do it, period.
Rick is one of the only barefoot runners that I know of who runs in rough winter conditions. Most of the other barefoot purists live in a climate that is warm and conducive to barefoot running year round. So yeah it is easy for someone who lives in California to say just go barefoot to the runner in Maine, but if they were there I promise you they would be running shod as well. In my mind it is not tough to run barefoot in the extreme cold but foolish. The same way I would consider running ten miles for your first barefoot run is foolish.
You can be a barefoot runner and still wear shoes, they do not have to be mutually exclusive. My only wish is that when you can run barefoot you take advantage of it!
Because I am often the a-hole that Fetish describes, I feel a need to come clean. It is relatively easy for me to run barefoot all year long. I live in a very warm climate and run in a city with nice clean roads. If I lived in a cold climate I would wear shoes as soon as running became uncomfortable. If I ran regularly on trails or through any other difficult terrain I would also wear shoes. If running isn’t enjoyable I am not going to do it, period.
Rick is one of the only barefoot runners that I know of who runs in rough winter conditions. Most of the other barefoot purists live in a climate that is warm and conducive to barefoot running year round. So yeah it is easy for someone who lives in California to say just go barefoot to the runner in Maine, but if they were there I promise you they would be running shod as well. In my mind it is not tough to run barefoot in the extreme cold but foolish. The same way I would consider running ten miles for your first barefoot run is foolish.
You can be a barefoot runner and still wear shoes, they do not have to be mutually exclusive. My only wish is that when you can run barefoot you take advantage of it!