I’ve been wondering if I’ll get shin splints from running on Friday. But I don’t think I will since I avoided heel-striking and other jarring motion. 

……….

……….

When I learned how “to run properly” at school, I was told things like:

• Knees up
• Legs outreach for long strides
• Land on heel 
• Roll the foot forward 

Bad, bad, bad, bad. 

———->>

Wait, why are they teaching us to fight natural movements? 

• Because we are highly dependent on shoes. 

“You say it like it’s a bad thing. We aren’t all smelly crunchy-rednecks like you, I like being (clean, soft feet, uninjured, fungus free, ring worm free, safe, cautious, prepared, etc) protected and warm on cold nights.”

• I really don’t see your point. Your feet are amazingly tougher than you think. The skin grows back stronger every time it is damaged. But, I cannot argue on fungus, yet there is medicine for that & you obviously listen to doctors – so you can take that. I’m the one scared of doctors’ uneducated advice — not you. 

“But what is the point of doing it in the first place?”

• Why do you wear shoes?

“I just explained (above text… blah blah) why I do, how about you now?”

• I believe it is good for my health. 

“Foot injury is healthful?”

• Kind of, yes. But not really, the healing is. 

“I really don’t see your point.”

Yeah, I see how you could still be under the illusion that total protection is better than minimal protection. But there are strong forces that act to brainwash you into believing that doctors know more about you than you do. But, until you investigate your body’s signals, you will never know. 

But that is a mouthful. 

• Touché. We are coming from differing views. While running barefoot as a child, I quickly gained ability to step on green pine cones with care, walk across acorns and rocks without a break in pace, and walk straight through piles of crap with slight pleasure as it disgustingly squished between my toes. While you just learned to strap large, pillowy, leathery casts to your feet and pound across every obstacle in your path. 

“That was disgusting.”

• Yep. But that wasn’t the point, I could wash them in a mud puddle, dirt, or whatever. You wear a cast — a protective barrier. 

“Damn right. Better than being slowed down by injury.”

• I feel like we aren’t convincing each other. But how bout this. I am forced into your shoe obsession by society. I wear shoes as required even though I think it is stupid in 95% of everyday situations. How bout you try my way even once?

“I like wearing shoes.”

…

That is the point at which I slowly turn around (assuming this was just an open-air engineering office discussion at work) and put my earbuds back into my ear cavities. Turn to my computer and let out a soft sigh. 

…

…

Easter morning, April 15, 2017, 9:22am