If all goes according to plan, at some point today I'll be standing on top of this:
Presumably without quite as much snow this time, I hope. I'll post an update as soon as possible afterward, with a full report to follow next week sometime.
"Easy, then light, then smooth, then fast. Take care of the first three, and fast will take care of itself."
Resting in the meadow
Hitting the trails in VFF
At one with the road ... seriously"I'm running free, yeah ...
Can your shoe do this? 
Groovy! 
Old-school coolApproximately halfway through my routine 6-mile neighborhood run, I circle the perimeter of a local meadow. It’s about two acres in size, and I’ve probably run around it about 500 times without giving much thought to spending any length of time there.
That was before I had a 5-year-old daughter.
One day last spring, our family took a walk through the meadow, and our youngest daughter discovered her own little nirvana: a lonely rope swing hanging from a branch of the largest oak tree. The meadow is now one of her favorite destinations whenever we have free time, and one of my favorite spots to take her when she needs some independent attention away from her brother and sister.
When I’m there with her, I find myself considering the meadow through a 5-year-old’s eyes, and feel a profound appreciation for this little Carmel Valley oasis.
The oak which holds the swing is enormous, and looks like something straight out of a storybook. It’s somewhere between 200 and 300 years old; it’s undoubtedly had thousands of kids climbing its branches over the decades.
Its trunk is thicker than any oak tree I’ve seen in the valley, with twisting and curving branches that surpass the size of many independent trees in the area. The base of the tree is so sheltered and quiet, it’s exactly the kind of spot where someone like Rip van Winkle could fall asleep for about 20 years.
One medium-sized branch holds the rope swing, but there’s usually a bit of tree climbing to be done before my daughter takes to the swing.
Some of the branches reach more than 40 feet horizontally from the trunk, but somehow manage to keep their mass above ground. However, they slope down low enough that an ambitious kid can pull herself aboard – as you’ll notice my daughter demonstrating with her legs sticking out on the left of this picture.
Thankfully, the branch is still strong enough to support an ambitious grown-up tree climber as well.
Several dirt paths meander through the meadow, which have become my daughter’s favorite trails to practice her bike riding. I’ve also found them a somewhat convenient place to practice barefoot running, but that’s for a separate post someday.
On this particular afternoon, after watching me take pictures for a while, my daughter commandeered the camera to snap some photos of her own, so the rest of the post is thanks to her.
She kind of surprised me, in that she actually has a decent eye for framing a photo; I like the artsy way she caught her bike in the shadow of the tree trunk here.
The inevitable “Now YOU get on the swing, Daddy!” picture. Pretty hard to say no to that one.
The next picture deserves some setup, which will be explained by the following conversation we had just beforehand:
Her: Dad … why do you take pictures of your feet so much?
Me: I’ve been telling some people about running barefoot, and sometimes I put pictures of my feet on the computer to show them I’m really doing it.
Her: I want to take a picture of my foot with yours, too.
Me: OK, go ahead.
So there you go.
I’ve decided that it’s kind of cool to see pictures from the eyes of a child; even better is to see the whole world – whether it’s an oak tree, a sunny meadow, a simple rope swing, or anything else we encounter - from that perspective as well. Outings like this always make me wish that my daughter and I can do this sort of thing more often.
"No longer can we assume the Earth's resources are limitless; that there are ranges of unclimbed peaks extending endlessly beyond the horizon. Mountains are finite, and despite their massive appearance, they are fragile."
- Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia company founder
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Given the amount of scandal and corruption in the corporate world over the past few years, I find it very refreshing to be pleasantly surprised by an American company every now and then.
Half of my enjoyment in doing product reviews – which hopefully shows through in the published posts - is educating myself in the histories and corporate philosophies of the companies whose gear I’m testing. I love learning about how certain visionary people can shape the spirit and work ethic of an entire business around them, how humble operations with shoestring budgets eventually grow into industry heavyweights, and how a company’s origins are almost always reflected in their product offerings, no matter how large or multifaceted the enterprise becomes.
And with increasing frequency, I’m very interested to hear about a company’s sense of social responsibility.
I mentioned in my review of the Release shoe that Patagonia is a socially responsible business, but that description doesn’t nearly do justice to the extent of their commitment to a multitude of environmental, ecological, and human rights causes - or to how impressed I was as I continued to gather information. They contribute a staggering amount of money (more than $25 million thus far) to a wide range of programs, and they have a core belief that business and technology should inspire solutions to global crises rather than worsen them. It's the kind of story that makes you feel continually better the more you hear about it.
Unfortunately, it often seems that some companies today consider themselves eco-friendly if they have a recycling bin in the break room. Others proclaim social awareness simply as a trendy marketing tagline, or consider it a necessary burden of doing business in the public eye in the 21st Century. Patagonia, on the other hand, preaches responsible business practices with a missionary’s zeal, and keeps it as the primary tenet of virtually all their business decisions. (It’s always been this way for them; the above quote from company founder Chouinard was from 1974.)
Most importantly, they also turn the microscope upon themselves - which is where today’s video clip comes in. It’s the first of a 3-part series produced by Patagonia, which investigates the vast complexities and concerns that must be considered in today’s global marketplace. Company executives as well as representatives from various environmental and human rights groups also discuss how every consumer – even those of us half a world away – has an impact on the survival of those programs and initiatives.
Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend how our individual purchasing decisions influence the practices of large companies, but this clip helps put that issue in to a sharper focus. It also suggests a question regarding personal ethics: namely, whether we value social responsibility enough to pay a little bit extra at the cash register (or, more likely, in the online checkout cart - but you get the idea) in support of companies who actually practice them faithfully.
In my Release review, I made an offhand remark about Patagonia’s reputation for having expensive products; clearly, the issue is far more complicated than that. Is it better to buy a $100 pair of shoes from a responsible company, or an $80 pair from a company with a lesser (or perhaps just a lesser-known) commitment? It’s never an easy decision to make, and in the current economy, the choice is probably a larger dilemma than it’s ever been for consumers. I’m not saying you’re morally obligated to spend more money every time you go shopping - but more and more lately, I’m thinking there should at least be some kind of internal discussion on the subject before you hand over your hard-earned dollars.
So that’s my little soapbox speech for the weekend. Watch the video and consider all the factors for yourself. One final note: the video is lengthy – clocking in at almost 16 minutes – but since it’s a holiday weekend, I’m hopeful that you can spare enough time for it.
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The Footprint Chronicles: “What’s Done In Our Name” (click to play):
As a general rule, even the most dedicated barefoot runners aren’t completely barefoot people. Most of them aren’t even completely barefoot runners.
Alluring as the idea of living every single moment of our lives barefoot and carefree might be, life in the modern world is a far different reality. We have jobs, or go to churches, or attend formal gatherings where showing up barefoot is considered inappropriate. We eat in restaurants or shop in stores that have strict policies requiring footwear. Or we live in climates where exposing our toes to cold winter weather puts us at risk of frostbite.
Runners who embrace the concept face even more challenges and potential problems; although we extol the virtues of barefoot running, the process isn’t nearly as simple as just throwing away your shoes. You have to build up a tolerance of the activity very slowly, and there are about 100 different ways to injure yourself by progressing recklessly. And even if you do everything correctly and become a proficient barefoot runner, there will still be occasions when you would rather have something on your feet for the sake of comfort or protection.
In other words, even the most hardcore barefoot runners wear something on their feet sometimes, either while running or in everyday life. (It’s worth noting that for all the mystique of the Tarahumara runners who helped inspire the recent barefoot craze, even they strap on a thin rubber outsole for most of their running.) So it would be great if there were some sort of compromise: footwear that allows the foot to function as if it’s still bare, while providing just enough fashion and/or insulation on top for us to assimilate with the rest of society.
Five or ten years ago, our best option would have been a thin pair of flip-flops, which aren’t exactly the height of either formality or warmth. Fortunately, the landscape is different today, with several companies offering exactly the type of products that barefoot practitioners are looking for. The growth of this market has drawn an interesting mix of companies into competition with each other; some are longstanding industry giants, others are small family-owned enterprises. Some of the giants have created small offshoot companies specifically for the barefoot market, and some of the tiny family businesses have grown into major players.
Additional factors complicate the mixture even further: there are actually two separate categories of footwear aimed at the barefoot consumer; one is referred to as “minimalist”, and the other is called “natural” or “transitional” footwear. Sometimes the companies who make minimalist shoes refer to them as “natural footwear”, and most of the companies who make natural footwear call them “barefoot” shoes. Confused yet?
So what’s the difference between minimalist footwear and natural footwear? Who are the major players in the industry? Which kind should you use? That’s why I’m here to help. The following information will give you a basic overview, and I’ll have specific reviews of all of these products in the weeks to come.
Minimalist footwear
As you might guess, minimalist footwear means just what the name implies: the absolute minimal covering you can get by with short of leaving your feet naked. Typically, the underside of this style of shoe is very thin and flexible, made of some kind of fabricated (and usually puncture-resistant) rubber just a few millimeters thick. There’s no heel, no midfoot cushioning, no arch support, and nothing to give the shoes structure; in fact, most shoes of this variety can be rolled upon themselves like a sleeping bag.
There’s a lot of variation in this category of footwear, however, with some models designed for running, and others for everyday use. Some of the more prominent players are:
Vivo Barefoot: A small subdivision of Terra Plana, which is itself an eco-friendly offshoot of the very successful Clark brand footwear. They emphasize socially responsible manufacturing and have the most extensive product line among minimalist shoemakers. Some of their styles are formal enough to be worn to church or at the office, while others are perfect for casual get-togethers. They don’t have a running-specific model yet, but are developing a line of performance shoes scheduled for release in spring of 2010.
Vibram: I won’t take up much space with this, as I’ve already written extensively about Vibram. They’re a good example of a family business that hit the big time, and the FiveFingers is the industry standard for minimalist footwear for runners.
Feelmax: This small Finnish company is just beginning to make inroads among American consumers. Their styles have a casual athletic-shoe look to them, including one model (the Osma, pictured) that could easily pass as a traditional running shoe. Like a good pair of sneakers, they can be used for exercise or casual wear.
Feelmax Osma
Soft Star: A classic Mom-and-Pop business from the Pacific Northwest who have been making moccasin-style footwear for 20 years, and found themselves sucked into the barefoot vortex thanks to their philosophy of allowing the foot to function naturally. Although their moccasins were originally intended for casual indoor/outdoor use, many barefooters have used them for running, especially in cold climates.
ECCO BIOMActual exchange between my wife and me, shortly after my Vibram FiveFingers review was posted last week ...
Wife: So do you think you could run 100 miles in those things?
Me: Hmm ... I don't know. [pause] Yes. [long pause] Maybe. [longer pause] Um ... I don't know.
Wife: Seems like it would be pretty hard.
Such a thought honestly wasn't on my mind - this is supposed to be my self-imposed hiatus from racing, after all - but it usually doesn't take much to get me pondering things. And just when I think I'm out, some innocuous little comment is all it takes to trigger that familiar feeling of getting pulled back in all over again.
I really wish I had more impulse control sometimes. My crazy brain is going to get me in trouble one of these days.
(Maybe I should start with a 50 ...)
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