We all have them:

Flat, podgy, arched, bunioned, blistered, soft or smelly….

FEET

Whether trotting on stilettoes or shovelled into wellington boots they are rarely ‘nude’; 100% on show.

But what I had not really considered was that at one stage, back in our dim tuber/impala-guzzling past, they were splendid leathery tools, pounding the savannah and streaking across plains.

Enter, ‘Bare Foot Running’.

Now read, “Born to Run”, by Christopher McDougall.

Score: A****

It’s altered all my preconceptions about those fleshy ‘plates of meat’ at the end of my legs and started me thinking about a completely new way of running…

In McDougall’s word’s, “Springy legs, twiggy torsos, sweat glands, hairless skin, vertical bodies that retain less sun heat- no wonder we’re the world’s greatest marathoners”.

Introducing, Jonno Gibbins professional bare foot running coach from Cornwall, UK,

“Barefoot or minimal running is all about technique – cushioned running shoes prevent the 200,000 nerve endings in the sole of each foot from doing their job i.e. sensing the forces acting on the body (proprioception). And that causes runners to heel strike.”

Heel strike, helps create the statistic that 8/10 of today’s runners are suffering from injuries.

Completely altering our running technique in the next three months, just before embarking on a 5000 mile run, is probably not the greatest idea! But we’ll definitely be investigating the techniques with Jonno. Even if barefoot running isn’t for you, it’s definitely worth remembering….

“Just move your legs. Because if you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are”. Christopher McDougall

And here are a few Barefoot Running reviews…….