One day barefoot

I’m not sure which are my best
features, but I’m fairly certain they aren’t my feet. I have flat arches, my
toes crisscross, I have little strength or flexibility for downward dog, I
can’t sit with my feet tucked under me, and I can only point my toes in my
imagination. At any time I have at least one toenail turning black from running
or hiking. I have bunions and calluses and, well, you get the picture. More
that you wanted.

So it may come as a surprise that I
signed up to join the “One Day Without Shoes” event, at the request of my
friend Jordan Witte.

The official website says: ‘One Day
Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of
shoes can have on a child’s life. On April 8th, we ask people to go the day,
part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life
without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.”

I’ve been around people who spend
their entire lives barefoot, and while their feet may be tougher and stronger
than mine, very little of the rest of their life looks better. I am glad that
I’ve lived my life in shoes.

However, after spending last summer
reading the book, “Born to Run,” I
decided to give barefoot running a try. Since, in addition to all my other foot
issues, my feet are soft and tender, I knew I couldn’t really go barefoot. I
had to wear something on my feet.

So I started off by running one mile in my socks, on the grass in a
local park, one day each week. It felt better than I expected. In fact, it felt
so good that on my third attempt I went two miles in my socks. That turned out
to be a big mistake. I limped for days. Apparently a 100% increase in distance
was bad. I was embarrassed because I should have known better; I’m an
incremental sort of guy and I made a goofy beginner mistake.

But I stayed at it. I ran for a couple of months (still, one day per
week) in some cheap water shoes. When I wore those out, I bought a pair of Vibram
Five Fingers. Once I learned how to put them on, they were great. I’ve been
running in them three miles at a time, once a week.

But what is the point, you might ask? Not simply to toughen up the
soles of my feet (who needs tough soles), but to make my feet stronger, to
improve my stride and balance and to minimize injury. It was an intentional
attempt on my part to become a better runner. I’ve learned I can’t change very
much in my life, or change the world around me, by drifting through
life. Drifting worked for Forrest Gump, but it doesn’t work for real people in
real life. You have to be intentional.

When Jordan first invited me to join her
“One Day Without Shoes” event, I asked if my Vibrams counted. She said, no.

So I psyched myself to run today
completely barefoot, skin on the ground, for three miles. And I did it. I ran
on sidewalks and asphalt and on grass. The sidewalk was the easiest.

I’ll be honest; it was less than
pleasant. I had to stop often and pick pebbles out of my feet and remove
stickers. I had to keep a close eye out for acorns. When I got back to the gym
I had to put two Band-Aids on each foot to cover the broken blisters.

Being fifty-three years old might be
too late to start a barefoot lifestyle. My feet have been protected in shoes
for a long time. I doubt I will try true barefoot running again; at least, not
for another year.

But here’s the deal. For me, going
barefoot is a training technique. It’s an indulgence. It’s a choice. And I’ve
lived my entire life in a world with lots of choices. The point of the One Day
Without Shoes campaign is not to draw attention to people like me who make
(what you may consider to be) goofy choices. It is to focus attention on people
who really don’t have choices. For three miles, today, I felt their pain.

“I run in the path of Your
commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

To learn more about Berry’s newest book, “Running
With God:” http://www.runningwithgodonline.com/

Follow Berry on Twitter at @berrysimpson … Contact
Berry directly: berry@stonefoot.org