Where My Journey Started

I was surprised after yesterday that my feet just don't feel as sore or bad as they did yesterday.  I definitely was missing the soft comfort of shoes for a while.  But today they feel a lot better and the draw of shoes has lessened.

It poured out late afternoon for about 15 minutes.  Afterwards I saw a lot of people walking around barefoot, though it didn't seem to last long.  On the walk back after the evening concerts the ground felt totally different then it had in the past few days.  While earlier it felt hard and unyielding, after the rain it felt softer.  It felt like the earth had become a sponge and had soaked up much of the rain.

This makes four straight days of being 100% barefoot, a new record for me and I'm proud I've made it thus far.  I will have to continue being barefoot until I return to this location to see how my feet have changed over the course of yet another year.  To think this is one of the places I started my barefoot journey and was first place where I was spotted by a friend while I was out in public barefoot.  It was just a random day I had chosen not to wear my shoes.  I hadn't yet even thought about being barefoot all the time, but had seen several people barefoot and wanted to join them in their freedom.  I didn't realize it at the time, but this one day set me on the path for my decision to be barefoot 100% of the time when possible.

Campout Day 3 - Miss Wearing Shoes

Day three and we are all still alive.  Today I notice that my soles are sore.  They certainly have been abused the past few weeks from the high mileage in Manhattan to the rough terrain in Missouri.  Now I'm giving them yet another workout. 

We are in sight of one of the rockier walkways.  I watch the shod people casually stroll down the hill, chatting with their friends and paying no heed to where they step.  Occasionally I'll see a brave soul carrying their shoes walking down the path and I notice how they pay much closer attention to the ground in front of them.  I feel a little envious at the freedom of movement the shoes give and contemplated writing an Ode to Shoes.  I have to remind myself that I have just started on this journey and haven't been truly 100% barefoot for all that long.  My feet will toughen up eventually, though there will always be some disadvantages to being barefoot, just as their are disadvantages to wearing shoes.

So far I have managed to resist the temptation to wear my shoes.  It probably helps that I my only shoe option is my Xero shoes, which don't offer that much protection and I haven't gotten use to the strap between the toes.  Also, my desire to continue my conditioning is a lot stronger than my desire for temporary comfort.  Too wear shoes for just a few patches of tough terrain just doesn't make sense, especially when most of the campground is relatively barefoot friendly.

On the way back from the second night activities, my daughter was leading the way and I actually had to ask her to slow down.  In the dark I needed to go much slower.  Thankfully I have the time to take it easy and we are on vacation and there is no need to rush.  Maybe that is truly another advantage to barefoot walking in this hectic age we now live in.

Campout Day 2 -

We are camping at Gunstock Ski Resort in NH.  This is my second day at being 100% barefoot.  There is no indication that I will be required to wear shoes at any time while at the campground.  My only concern is the few rocky paths we use and from last year I remember a rocky section of ground for about a block while your entering the Revival stage area.  So it will be a matter of me being able to handle the rough terrain.

Today my right foot had a very itchy spot where the blister use to form between my big and second toes.  I found myself constantly rolling a small rock or something under this spot to sort of itch it.  It does not appear to be another blister.  Other than that I feel pretty good considering I hadn't run much lately.

With three kids to watch ages, 3, 8, and 11, I hope to get out for a run at least twice while here.  My daughter can watch the kids when needed, but since the two younger boys are foster kids I need to be a little extra careful.  It is also both boys first time camping, so they haven't gotten the hang of the whole thing yet.  My daughter on the other hand has been camping every year of her life, so is becoming a camping pro.