Running for Pleasure

(Photo Credit: Elissa Lechtenstein)

I have been a runner my whole life but my junior year of high school I was suddenly struck down by a knee injury.  I was told by several physicians that there was nothing physically wrong with my knee but every time I ran two miles I felt a stabbing pain.  Heartbroken, I thought I would never be able to enjoy a long-distance run again.

Then, in an airport in South Africa, I discovered the book Born to Run.  During a two hour layover, I read the first few chapters on the floor of the bookstore.  The book changed my whole perspective on running and coping with injury. Injury has a physical component but can be avoided with force of mind.  Running properly, our bodies can withstand treacherous terrain and temperature.  But often, we run with the wrong form and for the wrong reasons.  Running is not about weight loss or competition.  Running is about love.  As Christopher McDougall writes, "running is the heart of what it means to be human."

Although running has been commodified, Christopher McDougall explains that all we really need is our feet and heart.  So I decided to test his theory.  I put my sneakers in the back of my closet and started running barefoot.  It was not easy at first.  The soles of my feet were cut up and blistered at the end of every run.  But upwards of four miles and no pain in my knee.  The soles of my feet quickly callused and now I can enjoy my long-runs.  I start in sneakers but as soon as my knee begins to ache, I take the shoes off and go bare.

It goes against everything we believe about running.  We think we need sneakers and gear but if I learned anything from the children in South Africa, it's that sneakers don't help you run any faster or healthier.

For more information on barefoot running, check out Christopher McDougall's website!