Getting off on the right foot

As I watched Michael Sandler jog up the road, I thought, "I want to do that. I want to be that free when I run." I had battled against injury after injury, pain that seemed to make me stop, literally, in my tracks and I wanted to feel like how Michael looked -- unrestrained in his graceful movements.

I wanted what Michael had, but I wasn't sure I could get it. Michael, you see, was running barefoot. Sans shoes. There was nada on his footsies. Why, you ask, was I watching a man run barefoot up a mountain road on a warm, summer day in Colorado? I was writing an article for the Denver Post on barefoot running and had found Michael, a person who had been changed because he took off his shoes. Seriously, it was crazy how much his life and mentality had changed when he started running (and living) barefoot.

So, I'm going to try to channel Michael Sandler and am going to attempt to run barefoot. As I go through this journey, I'm going to update this blog with what I'm doing, how my body is feeling, other people that I've met who are as crazy (?) as I am, resources, etc. I'm very excited about jumping into this with both...feet! Stay with me and see how things go. There may be some blood and gore later on!

One small caveat -- I'm not going to start physically running without shoes until the middle of May. I am running a benefit race on May 15 for my aunt who died of breast cancer, so I don't want to mess with my body before that.