One week until St. Louis Marathon!!

54 miles this week:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending4-2-06.htm

Ran in various temps this week including one snow run. Not much snow,
except on bridges as I would cross Indian Creek.

50 miles:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending3-26-06.htm

First of all, I would thank VibramUSA for the opportunity to test their
new Fivefingers barefoot shoe. My first impression was their lightness
of weight along with their flexibility. The well-molded sole truly
resembles a bare sole. Best of all, the shoe fits like a glove once on
the foot (if a more snug fit is desired, tighten the adjustment strap
on the back of the shoe accordingly). The first few times slipping the
shoes on I did notice that it takes a little negotiation to get each
toe in their respective compartment. However, after a few times of
slipping them on and off, the toes seemed to find their way without
much guidance. ...

For the entire review with pics, go to:

http://www.barefootrunner.org/vibram/vibram.htm

Best Regards,

Barefoot Rick

A hair over 50 miles:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending3-19-06.htm

BR

We only have one left at home. She is 15 and she goes barefoot
whenever she can. Thanks again, Raymond!

BR

--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Raymond Tan" <raymond_tan@...>
wrote:
>
> You are welcome, Rick.
>
> I don't know if you'd be interested in the following link, or
whether or not
> you have children, but here it is - Parents for Barefoot Children at
> http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/index.html Has some good articles which
I think may
> apply to adults as well....
>
> Raymond
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: 08:28 PM SGT, 03/19/2006
> From: "Barefoot Rick" <barefootrick@...>
> To: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [BarefootRick] Re: Barefoot Quotes
>
> Thanks Raymond. I had never seen that site. I have added it to my
> favorites.
>
> Regards,
>
> BR
>
> --- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Raymond Tan" <raymond_tan@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Rick
> >
> > Here are some good barefoot quotes.
> > http://www.geocities.com/jetwalkers/quotes.htm
> >
> > Raymond
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > Raymond's Personal Home Page:
> http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/
> >
> >
> >
____________________________________________________________________
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Raymond's Personal Home Page:
http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
>

You are welcome, Rick.

I don't know if you'd be interested in the following link, or whether or not
you have children, but here it is - Parents for Barefoot Children at
http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/index.html Has some good articles which I think may
apply to adults as well....

Raymond

------ Original Message ------
Received: 08:28 PM SGT, 03/19/2006
From: "Barefoot Rick" <barefootrick@...>
To: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [BarefootRick] Re: Barefoot Quotes

Thanks Raymond. I had never seen that site. I have added it to my
favorites.

Regards,

BR

--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Raymond Tan" <raymond_tan@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Rick
>
> Here are some good barefoot quotes.
> http://www.geocities.com/jetwalkers/quotes.htm
>
> Raymond
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Raymond's Personal Home Page:
http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
>







Yahoo! Groups Links










----------------------------------------------------------
Raymond's Personal Home Page: http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/


____________________________________________________________________

Thanks Raymond. I had never seen that site. I have added it to my
favorites.

Regards,

BR

--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Raymond Tan" <raymond_tan@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Rick
>
> Here are some good barefoot quotes.
> http://www.geocities.com/jetwalkers/quotes.htm
>
> Raymond
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Raymond's Personal Home Page:
http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
>

Hi Rick

Here are some good barefoot quotes.
http://www.geocities.com/jetwalkers/quotes.htm

Raymond


----------------------------------------------------------
Raymond's Personal Home Page: http://www.geocities.com/raymondtanrjs/


____________________________________________________________________

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/
FB964B71FA78759D8625713500219A6E?OpenDocument

or here's the PDF version if that link won't behave:

http://barefootrunner.org/news/06postdispatch.pdf

or here's the text version with no pics:

---------------------------------------------------------

Marathoner hits his stride in bare feet
Kathleen Nelson
POST-DISPATCH
03/18/2006

Rick Roeber has run more than 5,000 miles barefoot over the past
three years.
(Courtesy photo)

Even though thousands will take the starting line for the Spirit of
St. Louis Marathon and Half-Marathon on April 9, Rick Roeber should
stick out like a sore thumb. Or at least a big toe.

Roeber will be the barefoot guy.

Naturally, your first reaction is shock. Why would anyone want to
deal with the possibility of hot pavement and shards of glass, rusty
nails and loose pebbles, step after step after step? But thinking
about what comes naturally gives Roeber's stance some credence. All
of our predecessors on the evolutionary ladder did just fine without
shoes.

Consider T-Rex. Big T relied on his teeth, which evolved into such
efficient shredding machines that he didn't need to rip his prey
apart with his front paws or legs, or whatever they were. Eventually,
his front appendages shrunk to those pathetic little stubs. Feet
haven't slipped a rung on the devolutionary ladder just yet, but ...

"Shoes lull us into a false sense of security, and they encourage bad
running technique," said Roeber, who claims to have shed chronic knee
pain when he kicked off his shoes. "If you give someone enough
support and padding, they can run any old goofy way they want."

The word "goofy" pops to mind when first talking to Roeber, but,
really, it's unfair. He remembers in loving detail the joy of running
through the grass barefoot as a kid.

Roeber has racked up more than 5,000 barefoot miles since 2003. He
swears that the worst injury was "this recurring pain in the heel,
the result of a piece of glass that had been in there for three
weeks. Got a needle and dug it out. It was no big deal."

Even modern medicine isn't ready to debunk his position. Dr. Mark
Halstead, a sports medicine specialist at Washington University, is a
runner and has many patients who are runners, though "none admit to
running barefoot." He hasn't shed his own shoes but sees the benefit
of barefoot running as a training tool.

"Shortly after we learn to walk, we're put in shoes, so we can't
tolerate the hot pavement or pebbles," Halstead said. "The foot
really is bio-mechanically efficient in and of itself. It's reflected
in the shoe companies now."

Researchers at Nike have discovered that a bare foot lands more
evenly than a shod foot, spreading the impact and pressure over a
larger area and forcing the body into proper alignment. The company
has developed a shoe, called the Free, the sole of which provides
more flexibility and less structure.

Makes one wonder whether Phiddipedes, the guy who keeled over after
running from the plains of Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C., had so
much as a pair of sandals to his name. Barefoot running has a couple
of contemporary advocates in Abibi Bikila, who won the 1960 Olympic
marathon barefoot, and Zola Budd.

Neither was as vocal as Ken Bob Saxton, Roeber's mentor, who should
have played Tom Hanks' stunt double in the running scenes of "Forrest
Gump." Saxton has been featured on TV and in magazines, touting the
virtues of barefoot running.

Roeber, on the other hand, shuns evangelizing about the joys of
barefoot running. He'll be happy to talk to anyone who notices. The
chatter never interferes with his run, though, because he's not out
there to rip up the course.

"If I'm an evangelist of anything, maybe it's of having fun with
running, not taking yourself too seriously," Roeber said. "Unless
you're an elite runner, you're basically not going to win any prize
money. So you might as well go out and have fun."

Halstead agrees with Roeber that a weekly barefoot run, worked up to
gradually, could be a good training tool, and some people will adapt
easier than others. Roeber and Saxton are among the lucky ones.

St. Louis will be Roeber's 16th barefoot marathon and 34th overall. A
resident of Kansas City, Roeber, 50, ran the St. Louis Marathon in
2001 - with shoes.

"I like the course," he said. "What I've noticed is that the hills
aren't steep but long. It's very well-attended, especially through
the West End. The alternative lifestyles like to get carried away."

On April 9, they'll find a worthy and likable hero.

Special thanks to Eileen H. for sending these my way!

http://barefootrunner.org/reports/06stpats/morepics.htm

India sounds like a barefooters' dream. Thanks for sharing!

BR


--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Barefoot Traveller"
<barefootingindia@...> wrote:
>
> It's summertime again – at least in South India! I'm just back from
> a trip to Tamil Nadu, and as usual, I was traveling barefoot – with
> no footwear in my backpack. Summertime in India means: Temperatures
> have crossed the 35 C° mark and the pavement gets REALLY hot, at
> least between 12 noon and 3 pm. No wonder that the sight of a
> ferengi (foreigner) walking barefoot on a tarred road caused a
> considerable amount of curiosity among the locals: I don't know how
> often I heard the same question – "You're walking barefoot? Isn't
it
> too hot?" My answer remained the same: "Not at all, I'm used to it"
> I said, giving the curious shopkeeper, innkeeper or street hawker a
> big smile. Don't get fooled: People are wondering how a FOREIGNER
> can bear the heat, but that doesn't mean I'm the only one roaming
> around on bare soles! Not at all: It has been long since I've seen
> SO many people walking barefoot - happily and carefree! At the bus
> stand or railway station, in the market or in the fields, in the
> village or in town… People of all ages, men, woman and children,
> villagers and sadhus as well as college kids and well-dressed
> businessmen… Their dark feet are dusty but healthy. They walk with
> self confidence, and the characteristic widened gap between the big
> and the index toe shows me why: They're USED TO a life on bare
> soles! Walking barefoot in the heat – it's normal for them! No
harm…
> Well, same with me! J My strong bare feet are evenly tanned,
> the "gap" is there too… And my soles are tough, REALLY TOUGH! The
> constant exposure to hot tarmac, gravel and sharp rocks only adds
> additional layers of protective leather – one after the other.
> Walking barefoot in the heat of the summer – it's NO PROBLEM for
me,
> I'm feeling totally comfortable! Which shows: Our feet are MEANT TO
> BE BARE, and as soon as we free them from their prisons (shoes)
they
> start to adapt to our new, barefoot lifestyle, regaining their
> natural strength and toughness! An article somewhere out there in
> the WWW puts it this way:
> "As much of that early walking was probably done barefoot. No one
> knows when the first shoes, probably sandals, were invented. But if
> you go outside barefoot a lot, you may notice that the bottoms of
> your feet get tough (and dirty) and you can walk almost anywhere
> without hurting them. People who walk barefoot all the time - and
> about a billion of them live on the planet today - develop a thick
> layer of keratin on the soles of their feet. This is the same
> material that hair, horns, and claws are made of. With their
> toughened soles, they can walk over rocks, thorns, and even hot
> coals (though not many people try this)."
>
(http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4128/is_200502/ai_n95208
> 30)
> For more information on the joys of living barefoot, visit the
> extensive Link-section of my Yahoo Group "The Barefoot Traveller's
> Tepee" with more than 130 links (growing!) about all aspects of a
> life without shoes:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/links
>

It's summertime again – at least in South India! I'm just back from
a trip to Tamil Nadu, and as usual, I was traveling barefoot – with
no footwear in my backpack. Summertime in India means: Temperatures
have crossed the 35 C° mark and the pavement gets REALLY hot, at
least between 12 noon and 3 pm. No wonder that the sight of a
ferengi (foreigner) walking barefoot on a tarred road caused a
considerable amount of curiosity among the locals: I don't know how
often I heard the same question – "You're walking barefoot? Isn't it
too hot?" My answer remained the same: "Not at all, I'm used to it"
I said, giving the curious shopkeeper, innkeeper or street hawker a
big smile. Don't get fooled: People are wondering how a FOREIGNER
can bear the heat, but that doesn't mean I'm the only one roaming
around on bare soles! Not at all: It has been long since I've seen
SO many people walking barefoot - happily and carefree! At the bus
stand or railway station, in the market or in the fields, in the
village or in town… People of all ages, men, woman and children,
villagers and sadhus as well as college kids and well-dressed
businessmen… Their dark feet are dusty but healthy. They walk with
self confidence, and the characteristic widened gap between the big
and the index toe shows me why: They're USED TO a life on bare
soles! Walking barefoot in the heat – it's normal for them! No harm…
Well, same with me! J My strong bare feet are evenly tanned,
the "gap" is there too… And my soles are tough, REALLY TOUGH! The
constant exposure to hot tarmac, gravel and sharp rocks only adds
additional layers of protective leather – one after the other.
Walking barefoot in the heat of the summer – it's NO PROBLEM for me,
I'm feeling totally comfortable! Which shows: Our feet are MEANT TO
BE BARE, and as soon as we free them from their prisons (shoes) they
start to adapt to our new, barefoot lifestyle, regaining their
natural strength and toughness! An article somewhere out there in
the WWW puts it this way:
"As much of that early walking was probably done barefoot. No one
knows when the first shoes, probably sandals, were invented. But if
you go outside barefoot a lot, you may notice that the bottoms of
your feet get tough (and dirty) and you can walk almost anywhere
without hurting them. People who walk barefoot all the time - and
about a billion of them live on the planet today - develop a thick
layer of keratin on the soles of their feet. This is the same
material that hair, horns, and claws are made of. With their
toughened soles, they can walk over rocks, thorns, and even hot
coals (though not many people try this)."
(http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4128/is_200502/ai_n95208
30)
For more information on the joys of living barefoot, visit the
extensive Link-section of my Yahoo Group "The Barefoot Traveller's
Tepee" with more than 130 links (growing!) about all aspects of a
life without shoes:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/links

50 miles this week:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending3-12-06.htm

Had a blast and still managed to come in 6th in my AG out of 69!

Thanks for reading!

http://barefootrunner.org/reports/06stpats/06stpats.htm

BR

I will post a report later, but this pic shows the kind of fun I was
having today (3/11/06)!

http://www.mararunning.org/stpat06.html

BR

Been out in Reston Virginia the past couple of days on business.
Although the weather has been relatively nice, there are signs of snow
plows doing their winter duties with a vengeance. In Overland Park
Kansas where I work, and Lee's Summit Missouri where I live (about 25
miles distance) I see little difference in the ferocity of snow plowing
as what must happen here in Virginia. While there are some rocks and
pebbles thrown from snow plows onto sidewalks in Kansas and Missouri,
they litter the sidewalks here in Virginia. One would actually be
better off, in some places, to run in the street for comfort sake
(unless of course one disdains the discomfort of being hit by a car.)

Ah, for Springtime to throw back the covering of Winter's blast! Once
areas such as Reston (and the Kansas City area for that matter) get
some good frog-strangling rains that will wash everything down, it is
still like playing "dodge ball" (dodging the ball of the foot, of
course) from rocks and debris. What helps even more, is when the mowers
start mowing, cause when they go over the sidewalks they throw all that
loose debris elsewhere.

BR

The beans have been counted. 45 miles this week:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending3-5-06.htm

Accountably Yours,

Barefoot Rick!

Thanks Donna! To borrow from Rod Stewart, Every picture tells a
story, don't it?

BR

--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, "Donna Perrin" <donna@...> wrote:
>
> Great pictures.  Thank you for sharing :-)
>  Donna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Barefoot Rick
> Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 10:23 PM
> To: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [BarefootRick] Photo Page of WET & WILD Cowtown
Marathon ...
>
> http://www.barefootrunner.org/reports/06cowtown/morepics.htm
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>

Great pictures.  Thank you for sharing :-)
  Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com [mailto:BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Barefoot Rick
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 10:23 PM
To: BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [BarefootRick] Photo Page of WET & WILD Cowtown Marathon ...

http://www.barefootrunner.org/reports/06cowtown/morepics.htm






Yahoo! Groups Links

http://www.barefootrunner.org/reports/06cowtown/morepics.htm

The following was taken from the RW Training Extra email that I
receive. This is a truism, whether a barefooter or a shoddie:

"When you practice running with a lighter, quicker turnover, you become
a faster, more efficient runner. An increased cadence also decreases
your risk of injury, because your feet spend less time pounding the
pavement. Try counting the number of times your right (or left) foot
hits the ground during a 30-second period. Jog for a minute or two and
repeat the 30-second drill eight times, trying to increase your count
by one or two footstrikes each time."

(Not crazy about the word "jog" but you get the idea.)

BR

Ya know, Ryan, after Cowtown I think I would adjust real well living
up there in the PNW with all you Nor'westerners. Jon and your tales
of all the rain must make barefoot running a lot of fun when the vast
majority of shoddies would have frowns on their faces.

Thanks for reading! It was a blast!

BR

--- In BarefootRick@yahoogroups.com, ardydub <ardydub@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the wonderful posting, Rick! I loved
> reading it and your race report. Congrats!
>
> Ryan
> Vancouver Barefoot
>
>
> --- Barefoot Rick <barefootrick@...>
> wrote:
>
> > 55 miles this week:
> >
> >
> http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-26-06.htm
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>

Thanks for the wonderful posting, Rick! I loved
reading it and your race report. Congrats!

Ryan
Vancouver Barefoot


--- Barefoot Rick <barefootrick@...>
wrote:

> 55 miles this week:
>
>
http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-26-06.htm
>
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

55 miles this week:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-26-06.htm

It always amazes me the marked difference of current weather conditions
in the U.S. just a few hundred miles away. It is even more noticeable
to me when I fly. When I left Kansas City Friday morning the skies were
clear. Arriving in Dallas/Ft. Worth an hour and a half later the skies
were threatening and rallying for what would be a huge soaker for the
north Texas area. ...

Complete Report:
http://www.barefootrunner.org/reports/06cowtown/06cowtown.htm

Thanks for reading!

Barefoot Rick

http://barefootrunner.org

A grand week of varied surfaces, temperatures, and conditions.

53 miles:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-19-06.htm

BR

It's all of 12 degrees right now at 3 p.m. cst here in Lee's Summit
Missouri. I opted for 3 miles on the treadmill today since I already
had 45 miles for the week. Warmer temps are coming next week.

BR

Visit my website: http://barefootrunner.org

here in the midwest today! Tuesday I ran in tank top and shorts. Today,
the temps were in the mid-20s with wind chills in the single digits. I
wore tights and a spandex long-sleeve shirt which was a little chilly
the first mile, but then I got comfortable even heading into the stiff,
north wind. The sidewalks are seeming a bit less cluttered with salt
and road gravel from the lack of snow plows the last few weeks. It
became a relaxing 9 min. pace run once I got into it. Ended up doing
about 8.5 miles today.

This week, I have ran over 5000 miles since I started running barefoot
on 10/21/03 (actually 5041 miles this week).

And, the way I did was stacking a bunch of weeks together, one after
the other. This week, 51 miles:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-12-06.htm

Still having a blast while I'm bean counting!

BR

A most excellent week of running all types of surfaces ... concrete,
trails, limestone, tree roots, asphalt, leaves, mud, and even horse
manure!

Report includes some pics!

52 miles this week:

http://barefootrunner.org/06weeklymileage/weekending2-5-06.htm

BR