Barefoot for Boots? I know... a little ironic :-)

Barefoot is Best by VIVOBAREFOOT

Jimmy Hart, of Go Barefooting, shared this video on his site.

While it is a little ironic to have a shoe company celebrate barefootedness by titling an ad 'Barefoot is Best,' VIVOBAREFOOT brings up 4 myths of footwear for kids debunking the need for supportive, stiff shoes for our developing children's feet. Terra Plana makes foot health a primary goal with their VIVOBAREFOOT line of shoes, and they have some great options for our little ones.

I've been an advocate for soft, flexible footwear for my children ever since I saw how poorly 'regular' shoes effected my first of four children's gait. Check out the video, and pay a visit to VIVOBAREFOOT's Kids Line.

VIVOBAREFOOT kids - Barefoot is Best from VIVOBAREFOOT on Vimeo.

An eBook from VIVOBAREFOOT & Barefoot Coach, Lee Saxby

(No Longer Free but Still Worthwhile) Barefoot Running eBook

Hopefully, this is not an April Fool's joke, Jason :-) Jason Robillard of the Running Barefoot University is offering the second edition of his barefoot eBook... spreading the love.

Hello all,

I decided to step up my efforts to reach more people to spread the word about barefoot and minimalist shoe running by giving away the pdf ebook version of the second edition of The Barefoot Running Book for a short time.  The ebook will be available to download from now until about 8am EST tomorrow (Saturday, April 2nd).  This is the link to the post that explains WHY I'm doing it.  The actual download link is near the bottom of the post.

http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2011/04/01/why-barefoot-running-university/

This is the full version of the book, not just a sample.  Please share this with anyone you think may be interested (friends, family, clients, customers, etc.)  If you think it would be useful, please consider posting this on Facebook, Twitter, your websites and/or blogs, or any other medium that will reach people that may be interested.  

Each of you have played some role in this movement... for that I thank you!  I sincerely believe this will be the year barefoot and minimalist shoe running really changes the entire running world.  

Best regards,

-- 
Jason Robillard
Barefoot Running University
Grand Rapids, Michigan
http://barefootrunninguniversity.com

Thanks, Jason. You continue to be a fantastic advocate for barefoot running!

Update on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 12:01PM by Nathan Smith

Hopefully you took advantage of Jason's free eBook while he made it available. If not, it is still a great resource worth purchasing. The links in the above post should take you where you need to go to find it.

Finally on Twitter

That's right. I've been twitter-pated! What can I say? It's springtime.

I'm not sure why I have not taken the leap prior to now. Twitter looks to be a fantastic resource for connecting with the barefoot and minimalist community and keeping up to date with the latest news and gossip. For example, I found Chris McDougall and Barefoot Ted along with the Barefoot Runners Society, Living Barefoot, the Primal Foot Alliance, toesalad.com, and runbare.com. I also found a number of fellow barefoot bloggers. Cool stuff.

So come for a gander, follow me @inbetweenmytoes, while I figure this social networking out. Time to tweet (text-based post consisting of up to 140 characters).

Coming Soon...

Stay tuned for some exciting developments.

In the coming weeks:

• Vibram FiveFinger Giveaway!
• Summary of my year exclusively in Vibram FiveFingers... How toe shoes have changed my feet and my life.
• Vivobarefoot Aqua Review
• OeTzi3300 Troop Leather Boot Review

In the coming months:

• Minimalist Running Shoe reviews and comparison (over a dozen models).
• Barefoot Book Reviews.

Update on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 9:39PM by Nathan Smith

While my heart and head had the above grand ideas, my health has had other plans. I hope to be able to return to the online community in the near future as running barefoot/near-barefoot is still a very important part of my life.

Barefoot iPhone App

Merrell introduces the first-ever barefoot running training and education application for the iPhone. The free and funapplication takes enthusiasts on a forty-day adventure into the world of barefoot form. From posture tips, body alignment and barefoot walking, the ultimate challenge for barefoot newbies will end with a 1.5 mile barefoot run.  Enthusiasts are invited to download the free application and start the barefoot challenge.

And, with a launch date of March 1st newbie barefooters will have plenty of time to take the 40-day training program and participate in an International Barefoot Running Day event on May 1st.

-Emily Snayd (HFS Communications)

Update on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 12:49AM by Nathan Smith

Sadly, at the time of the introduction of Merrell's barefoot running ap, I had lost my iPhone, no way to test it out for you. I now have a new iPhone, and the first ap that I downloaded was this one. 

At first glance, the ap appears well thought out. Users work through a progression with media-rich guidance into the realm of barefoot running. Being a non-beginner, I lost patience quickly when I found that I had to complete the previous sessions in order to unlock the next ones. While an important fail safe for those who have not developed muscles, ligaments, and padding for the transition to minimalist shoe or barefoot running, it would be nice to have access set up to cater to all levels of barefoot runners. There are lots of barefoot runners, myself included, that could benefit largely from more direction/education. How about letting us skip the first sessions?

An 8/10 toes up for the barefoot beginner. I'm sure if I had patience to get through the forced time limits and see what lies beyond I would like what I saw and increase the rating.

A 5/10 for the more experienced barefoot runner who, admittedly, this ap was not designed for. The ap is missing an outline of the training and a way to start wherever they feel would benefit them most. Even those of us who can run 10+km in bare feet could be reminded of the basics.

A Couple of Running Firsts

My first run on my new/used treadmill, 10 miles... go big or go home, right? Smooth, sturdy, and exciting. The novelty, I'm sure, is what carried me through the hour and a half of hill intervals in my basement, or maybe it was the thought of the alternative, minus 25 degree celsius winter charging across the frozen streets outside. 

My first run in my Utilikilt... why not? Running in it in my basement is a safe place to start out, right? Well, not exactly. I didn't have to worry about conservative neighbors spying me in my 'odd for a farm town' get-up, but I did have to worry about chaffing in places I haven't previously. While the kilt was a little on the heavy side, it was comfortable to run in, at lest until about 8 miles. The 8.5 ounce cotton-poly twill isn't the softest fabric to be rubbing up against your privates. Perhaps with a little modification in the way of chamois in the crotch area, my Utilikilt could become great trail running garb.