Running "Free"

About a month ago I read an article on the Tarahumura (1) in Men's Healthy titled "The Men Who Live Forever" by Christopher McDougal. The Tarahumara are practically immortal: their incidence of disease is just about zero in every category. They can run 40 or 80 miles at a time. Tarahumara like to eat salty snacks and beer - almost exclusively. They live to be 95 or 100 years old and 65 year old Tarahumarans can still run 40 miles at a time. On their feet are thin sandals lashed high around their calves with leather straps. Their secret - barefoot running style. They don't warm up, don't stretch. They don't need orthotics and air-cushioned Nike heels. Just leather on the bottoms of their feet. The author of the article reported his size 12 foot rebuilt into a size 9. His arch came back. And he found himself running longer and easier than ever.

I instantly adopted this because it all just clicked with me. I could not run barefoot because rocks and stones still hurt. I don't have the skillz needed to make a pair of Tarahumara shoe-sandals. So I bought the Nike Free - a minimalist shoe that replicates barefoot running.

Now I'm running all the time. It's a revolution, baby!

LOG: 8/15/2006, ran 2.0 miles while pushing Marylin & Jimmy in the jogging stoller; weight 177 lbs