I wanted to laugh.  I wanted to throw my head back, shaking rain droplets, and bellow my pleasure to the sky, arms spread wide and joyful.  I wanted to howl out to the world, I’ve figured it out, I’ve found the path I’ve been seeking!  Buuuut, I held back.

For the last few months, every long run I’ve done has been on the trails, “barefoot,” in my Vibram FiveFingers KSOs.  The difference between how I feel after a barefoot run versus a shoe run is an ever-widening gap.  Shoes: sore, tight, stiff the next day.  KSOs: some muscle fatigue, but no pain, and a desire to go do it all over again.

I ran last fall in the KSOs on pavement, only two miles.  I forced my body to run like I was in shoes, jamming my heels into the sidewalks.  Big surprise, I hurt.  Once I was on the trails, I let loose a little bit and let my natural body mechanics take over.  Instant difference.

Tonight was an experiment.   After running about 80 miles on dirt, I was ready to try on pavement again.  I set out to do four - and ended up doing five.  I let my feet land the way they wanted to - mid-foot, rolling along the outside, absorbing the shock.  I pushed off from my toes instead of rolling off the ball of my foot.  It took about a half mile to get into the rhythm, but once I found my groove, it was AMAZING.

My back straightened.
My shoulders were loose.
My feet zipped along at 91 strides per minute - the “magic number” of elite runners.  Never before have I been able to keep it higher than 80.  I counted probably 8-10 times, and every minute, exactly 91.
My miles were a consistent 8:10, and I cruised at a perceived difficulty of maybe 4/10.  Maybe that high - maybe.
My breathing was light and even.  I’m sure that if I had stopped, at any point during the run, my breathing would have been barely more than it is at rest.

Can I really credit the Vibrams for this?  Yes, I think I can.  In 1500+ miles in shoes over the last few years, I have never had a run as *perfect* as this one.  I have never experienced the sheer ecstatic happiness that I felt on this run.  I had my epiphany tonight.

This run was glorious.  It was awesome.  It was fun and amazing and full of love of running.  I was a crazy, half naked man running down 80th Avenue, grinning wide and open-mouthed at confused people in their cars.  I passed Mr. Moehrke in his wheelchair on 75th - I said, good evening, and he said, “Hi, how are you?” and I yelled “FANTASTIC!” as I ran past.   “Beautiful!” came the reply from behind me.  This run was glorious.

I might never buy another pair of running shoes again.

NOW PLEASE NOTE
If you have the pressing urge to tell me my feet are going to fall off, that my tendons are going to explode, or whatever horrific injury I am bound to experience unless I wear shoes, please save it.  Seriously.  Running shoes have only been around for about 40 years, and since they were introduced, running-“related” injuries have increased exponentially.

You’d think that after all this time and advanced research, Nike might find a way to reduce shinsplints or ITBS or plantar fasciitis.  But that’s not the case.  I’ll try to reign in the preaching, but I will happily talk my fool head off with anyone who wants to know more.  A great place to start is the book Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall, which I recommend to any runner, even if you’re not interested in barefooting.

Humans ran barefoot for over two hundred thousand years.  Good thing no one was around to tell them they were doing it wrong, or we’d never be able to argue about it on the internets.

I consider myself a champion of evolution. Ever since I was a wee lad - which technically includes most of high school - I’ve been an avid learner of evolutionary theory. In college, I finally found my academic paradise in the geology department studying paleontology. How beautiful it is to look at a series of fossil bones and bone fragments covering hundreds of millions of years and seeing the changes over time.

Not too long ago I had a conversation with a family member. He related how he had seen a “world-renowned” scientist on TV, and he had said that there was absolutely no evidence for evolution. I was shocked. I knew the scientist he was referring to [though the name escapes me at the moment]. This “world-renowned” scientist who apparently has all the answers is a molecular biologist. Why is this relevant?

First off, how many people believe the Theory of Gravity? That’s right. It’s a THEORY that keeps you from rocketing off the planet. I would venture to guess that everyone who isn’t a Lawsonomist believes that gravity exists. Would you believe that there is almost no evidence for gravity? That’s right. We have no idea how gravity works. We don’t know why it works. But everyone accepts it as truth.

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I hate you, Jack Horner, because you are a shitty scientist.

PLEASE STOP.

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