Running Naked!

Joy here...Imagine running outside in the buff...free from the "burden of clothes," the sun on your bare skin, the wind coursing over your body; you can feel your every step as you are connected to the world around you; there's no chafing of awkward clothing, and you feel as though you are one with nature, the way humans were meant to be.  This is the premise of a few new running events popping up throughout North America, like this one - "Try Running Naked" - from Runner's World magazine.

And while folks out there may be doffing their clothes and feeling the freedom known to few outside Eden or the local nudist colony, I think I'm a little too much of a prude to jump wholeheartedly into this enterprise.

The closest thing that I'd get to naked running is to join the ever-growing barefoot running movement.  Instead of entire nudity, I've opted for nudie feeling feetsies.  Somehow it seems just a little more "me."

Now you might wonder how I could run barefoot when you know that I live in a city.  You've seen the asphalt path where I run around the canal near my house, and you must wonder why anyone in her right mind would choose to subject the soles of her feet to such a beating.

Well, putting aside the question of whether or not I'm in my right mind, I can at least assure you that my barefoot running adventures are a little bit tempered.  You see, a while ago, I bought a bare of Vibram Five Fingers shoes, which are like gloves for one's feet.  And the day before yesterday, I went out and bought a pair of the Bikila version, which is specifically designed for runners.  There's just a little more support around the ankles, and a little more cushioning on the soles.

Yesterday, I figured that I might as well give them a shot.  So I slipped on these oh-so-comfy-you-don't-even-know-you're-wearing-them shoes and out the door I went for a 10minute run to get used to them.  And let me tell you:   It was awesome.  Like the naked runners who slip out of their clothes and feel the freedom of their nudity, my almost-barefoot feet contacted the ground in a way that really let me know that I'm running.  I'm running and running.  And after 10 minutes, I could feel the ache in my calves that even after 30kms of running in my regular shoes, I never felt.  Because, you see, these shoes force my muscles to work the way they were meant to.  We weren't meant to run with cushioning and support preventing our muscles from growing and working in concert together.  We were meant to move and feel the ground beneath our feet.  We were meant to adjust our stride with every undulation.  We were meant to fall lightly with each step.  In short, we were mean to run barefoot.

And maybe, just maybe we were meant to run naked too.

While I'm not ready to make that leap, I sure am glad that I made the leap into my Vibrams!

Over and out,
Joy (the clothed)