Full of hatered. Mostly directed at running.

I hate running; always have. I hated running the bases in baseball, I hated running in soccer, I hated running in my sad attempt at playing lacrosse, I hated running in gym class. I hated gym class the most. We had to run for five minutes straight and I thought it was torture. I hated it so much that I memorized Monty Python song Oliver Cromwell which took exactly 5 minutes for me to sing so that I wouldn't have to run one second longer than I had to; it also helped me pass history class. I hated running the timed mile at the end of the semester, I hated how the person keeping track of my laps lost count and tried to make me run an extra lap for the timed mile. I hated that I got sent to the principal's office for telling that person to eat shit and die.

I loved that gym class was the last time I would have to run. Once I finished fall semester of my Sophomore year I never ran again; I have yet to run for more than a mile straight. I did other things to keep in shape: Rock climbing, lifting weights, martial arts. So long as it didn't involve running, I was down. The last time I ran was over ten years ago.

So why the change?

There are only two things I hate more than running: Spinach and the fact that I hate running. I know, and have always known, running is really good for you; its one of the best damn exercises you can do. I was always jealous of those who got up in the morning for a 3 mile jog and were able to finish said jog without feeling like they were going to die. I just figured something aren't for everyone and running just wasn't for me.

This opinion started to change after reading Running After Antelope by Scott Carrier (which was also the first time I heard of the Tarahumara, but more on that later). The book covers a lot of material and worth reading if you have not already. It introduced me to the theory that we evolved to run upright on two legs so we could have more control over our breathing while we run. This allowed us to run further than four legged animals and the theory of Scott (and his brother) was that humans would chase down prey until they were too tired to run away. Enter the Tarahumara, who claim to do exactly that. This book, despite Bruce Springsteen's best efforts, convinced me that we were born to run. Made to run. Running is what we do. Running was/is for me and everyone. But then why did I hate it?

I didn't like how it felt. Not the tired, ache-y, short of breath feeling. Don't get me wrong I am no big fan of that feeling either, but I got that feeling rock climbing and lifting weights; its not that big of a deal. I hated the feeling when my feet hit the ground, how my legs felt as I propelled forward, I hated how my body physically reacted to running. It was around this time that barefoot running started showing up in my life. It was mentioned in the Carrier's book, it was on NPR and it just showed up here and there. But I was living in LA and I did not want to run barefoot there. Or anywhere for that matter. I just didn't like the idea of cutting up my feet.

So what brings this up now?

So far I have been lucky with my metabolism and have been able to stay fit with little effort. But now that I am older that is starting to change. Also, I am going to be applying for a military position soon and if I get it I know I am going to have to do a lot of running in boot camp so I might as well get used to it now. And the most pressing of reasons: My wife wanted to start running. So starting tomorrow this life long hater of running is going to give it another shot.

So why is this blog called Running Barefoot-ish? You clearly stated you don't like the idea of cutting up your feet.

Today on the bus I was going through m.npr.org on my smart phone and I came across this story: A shoe for barefoot runners. For those of you too lazy to click the link the shoe is basically toe socks with a rubber bottom. Now after reading a lot of reviews from barefoot runners they all say that these shoes are as close to actual barefoot running that you can get without going barefoot.

So here's the run down of what this blog is about. I am going to start running in a cheap pair of regular running shoes. This is for three reasons: 1. I want something as close to a control as I can get 2. I want to experience that feeling again so when I switch to the vibram I have something to compare it to 3. When I went to order the vibram from the website they were out of stock.

Come December I plan on having a pair of vibrams of my very own and will start my venture into the world of barefoot-ish running. This blog is to track my progress, give an honest assessment of this growing trend in running from a true beginners perspective and to discourage me from quiting by making my failure more public.

Tomorrow's the first day and I am spending tonight re-memorizing the lyrics to Oliver Cromwell. Wish me luck!