Second Barefoot Running Post

Why am I posting today, on a day when I'm cross-training with Kung Fu and not running?

Well, rest days are part of being a beginner barefooter.  Running on the pavement slightly abrades the soles of my feet (hence the "sunburned feeling" I wrote about yesterday, and on rest days the skin is growing back stronger.  I heard that from Michael Sandler (Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth) at a barefoot running workshop of his I attended several weeks ago.

Last night -- as I wrote in the first post of my new blog -- the thought of stepping out on my sensitive slightly abraded soles didn't seem too appealing.  But overnight it is amazing the repair job the body does.  My feet feel closer to ready for another little barefoot run.

I was at the park today, and I saw a long tree-lined path that beckoned to me.  I felt like kicking my flip flops off and just running there.  But I know that I have to build this gradually and should resist such an impulse for now.  As I walked along the paths in the park, I couldn't help but notice how clear they were, pretty clear of debris, actually.

I am surprised to find out how clear the sidewalks and pavements are around here.  Is it because it is a suburban-type area and people walking along with shoes have kicked stuff out of the way?  It reminds me of how the main roads are clearer after a snow storm because there are more cars there.

I also, even when walking shod now, have become more aware of the different surfaces I'm walking on.  Yes, only a few times out there barefoot, and an awareness of something taken for granted grows.  It's almost like there's information out there -- just like the barefoot running people say -- that would be gathered by the nerve endings in our feet that give us information about the earth beneath us -- that gives us feedback about where we are that helps us be more present to where we are.  It gives us a feeling of exactly where on the planet we are standing.