My first attempt

I went to Griffith Park today for Bareftoot Ken Bob's barefoot clinic. There were about 15 or so people and yes, we were all barefoot. We talked the general basics about barefoot running (bend your knees, don't act like a pogo stick, relax, relax, relax), which was really great for me. There were a couple of experienced barefoot runners there - being able to see them run and watch their stride was very helpful.

For me, the most important and eye-opening part of the whole experience was hearing Ken Bob talk about how to lift your feet off the ground when running barefoot. Shod runners push off the balls of the back foot. Barefoot runners should lift their foot and not push out. In the same vein, your whole foot should touch the ground. It doesn't have to stay there very long (according to Ken Bob, a barefoot runner should have a cadence of 180 steps/minute), but it should land flat.

As we made a couple of barefoot loops around the parking lot, I realized that I was running with a totally different form. My knees were bent, my hips were leaning forward (making my whole torso lined up) and my feet were lifting off the ground. It didn't feel odd or foreign, but I'm sure it will take some getting used to.

When I got home, the heels and balls of my feet were a little tender, but other than that, they were good! I'm going to ice them tonight and then lay low tomorrow. I'm already getting an urge to go out and try it again, but I need to give my body some rest. I want to start slowly so as not to overdue it.