Barefoot Running Part II / Yoga?
March 2, 2009Alright, I thought I should give you an update on the barefoot running deal. If you go back to the 10/19/08 blog “The Healthiest People on Planet Earth”, you can read how I got on to the idea of running barefoot and the Tarahumara Indian connection, etc. To sum it up really quickly though, my 10 year old son was having chronic achilles problems and I was doing research on how to help him, and I was looking for a way to personally run without pain.
So in my research, I stumbled upon the Tarahumara Indians and their ability to run throughout their lives (up to a 100 miles in a pop, even in their 60’s) with nothing more than sandals on, or barefoot. I’ve never been much of a runner because everytime I did my back would hurt, my knees would bark, and I’d get a wicked headache. So, about 4 months ago, I started running barefoot and now I declare myself an official runner. I’m up to about 3 miles 4 days a week…PAIN FREE. I’m loving it.
I think it’s because I’m running basically barefoot, without the “aid” of all the padding/cushioning of running shoes. Therefore, I can’t pound down on my heels and jar my whole body in the process. I have to run with shorter strides, more upright, and more on my toes.
I say I’m running basically barefoot. Actually, I’m using these things called Five Fingers by a company called Vibram. Vibram is an Italian company that manufactures the soles of shoes. If you look at the bottom of your shoes right now, there’s a good chance your wearing their product. Anyway, I guess one of the sons of the Vibram family is a world class sailor and he was looking for an improvement on the boat shoe. In conjunction with the company’s tech guys, this is what they came up with. They had no idea that ultra marathoners (100 mile plus) would start using their slipper as a “running shoe”.
Basically it gives your foot a little protection from glass and stuff but you’re still running “barefoot”. I love them, and like I said, can now get the runner’s high without pain. My son is wearing them too and his achilles issues have vanished. I knew those Indians were on to something.
On a totally unrelated subject, I read that Russell Martin is into yoga….maybe he’s been reading my blogs? Smart man….here’s the article.
Joey Kaufman By Joey Kaufman
February 1st, 2009 1:48 PM
Catcher Russell Martin hopes to be more consistent in 2009.
It’s time for the National League to watch out, as Russell Martin’s new offseason regiment of yoga could make the twenty-six year old catcher even more dangerous:
Russell Martin, the hard-nosed catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has taken up yoga.
That’s right, the native of Chelsea, Que., best known for his dogged blue-collar work ethic and play-through-all-pain intensity, has made yoga an integral part of his off-season workout regimen for the first time this winter.
“I’ve never felt better,” he said.
Fear not baseball fans, the soon-to-be 26-year-old isn’t planning to trade in the tools of ignorance behind the plate to pursue the ultimate goal of unifying the body, mind and spirit into oneness.
Rather, the two-time all-star is searching for new ways to keep his body healthy and strong throughout the 2009 season, eager to avoid the late-month swoons he’s experienced in each of his first three big-league seasons.
“Last year, I remember all the way through spring training and the beginning of the season even, my body was tight,” Martin recalled last weekend at Baseball Canada’s annual awards banquet. “When you’re a baseball player, you have to feel loose and that’s kind of like prehabilitation, that’s what my dad calls it.
“That was my main goal, to do some yoga, still do my explosive movement type stuff, because that’s all it is in baseball, reaction-type stuff, and flexibility. All those things, with a consistent work plan during the season, instead of seeing my numbers drop towards the end, hopefully I’ll see more of a stability and a consistency. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Evidence of what can happen when Photoshop falls into the wrong hands…
I saw a video about your barefoot shoes:
http://www.jackjohnsonmusic.com/video/
Go to bonus videos and click on “jj casuals”, second from top on right.
Sweet.