Originally presented at a Lifely workshop as stimulus for the topic of "Innovation".
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Some words on barefoot running [and life].

How do you run?

This is my answer.

[clears throat and turns on mic]

Running is not a brute act; chasing the kilometers unsustainably to breaking point.

Running like a soldier bravely into battle is not the only way.

So many of us run like every stride is a struggle.

I see it in the parks and the treadmills of life.

Every breath a gasp towards some perceived finish line or horizon that may just be [unknowingly] a stepping stone to another.

Plod plod plod - huge breath - "just do it, just keep going" - till the end. But when is the end?

Running (I have some to realise) - requires a different track.

My version of running is one that is gentle and happy; ideally that is loose, relaxed, and open to more than one route.

Running is a steady achievable progression where your goals are not out of whack with your wellness and your capability.

Running requires all of you, not just your legs and a chest beating determination.

Running requires a the whole-body you. A syncronised cascade from your toes to your top. It is the progressive renovation of a good foundation.

How do you stand?

How do you walk?

How do you hop? [because that comes before running]

How do you hold your torso?

Swing your arms?

Rotate your hips, pendulate your legs, bend your knees, relax your calves, land softly with a"pita patta" effect.

So..How do you "reprogramme your run"? [Because that's what I've set out to share with you today - come on Ben, get to the point].

Of all the things I could say right now, I'll end with where we start. It starts with unleashing your feet from the foot coffins they've dwelled in since the beginning of time.

Natures biggest innovation stands right before you.

33 joints, 26 bones, the two of them accounting for 25% of the bones in your body.

I'll go on.

More than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Skin loaded with nerve endings and receptors (like your hands but more so) allowing you to respond to the world seamlessly.

There is no place else, besides the inner ear, that is more important for your balance and movement.

Your feet, your bare naked feet, are your first response to the world, yet these poor things have been shamed and locked up for so long.

So without further a do: reset your feet,  reprogramme you run, and connect to that deeper attuned toolkit that's in it for the long run.

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