Posts Tagged ‘run’
My Take on Minimalist Footwear
From left to right: Hand-made Huaraches, Vibram FiveFingers Sprint, Vivo Barefoot Runners.
In recent years, there has been quite a bit of development of the so-called “minimalist footwear”. While the definition of minimalist footwear tends to vary from user to user and from manufacturer to manufacturer, basically, any type of footwear that is designed to simulate, as close as possible, the experience of going barefooted by still providing an acceptable amount of insulation and protection from the environment (at least part, usually the soles) can fall into the category of “minimalist”.
Shoddies simply don’t care…
I recently had a very interesting, and somewhat disturbing exchange with a friend of my partner’s, who happens to be a nurse and has also been training for a running competition. While I have always known this person has never been supportive of my barefooting lifestyle, I never thought she would be so closed to new information.
Out of Hibernation
I’ve been struggling with my weight over the last few years so, after turning 40 last year and a wakeup call from my doctor, I’ve decided to take charge. Knowing how beneficial barefoot running has proven to be, I thought I ought to give it a try myself. Of course, I’m no runner and I’m overweight, so I need to be sensible about the whole thing and start from the beginning: walking – power walking, that is.
Last week, I approached fellow barefooter Ryan Graham to get some pointers and he gave me some sound advice and info on how to get started. I got out for my first power walk last Wednesday and it really felt good! I’ve been getting out every second day since and I’m hoping to get out there on a daily basis, starting next week.
My take on CBC’s "Running Shoe Controversy"
Last week, I managed to sabotage a potential radio interview with CBC’s The Current when I told correspondent Jodie Martinson I had a few concerns about a previous piece The Current had run about barefoot running vs. shod running on May 11, 2009: “Running Shoe Controversy” (see part 3 down the page). I found quite interesting that Jodie didn’t seem interested to learn what my concerns were. Instead, she came up with what it seemed to me like an excuse, telling me they had received a good amount of feedback from their audience and that they wanted to do a follow up to the running piece that way instead. I was told this follow up piece was supposed to run on Friday, May 15th. Checking back on the show archives I found no trace of this follow up piece on that date. I’m curious as of when this piece will actually run…
My concerns about the May 11 story were similar to the concerns I have for many of these media articles; whether it’s TV, radio or print, many of these pieces seem to follow a common pattern or formula used to showcase something or someone uncommon or who’s going somehow against the social grain:
