I've been looking at ways to get into decent shape lately. Yesterday while roaming the internet I found this article about something called "barefoot running", which turned out to be exactly what it sounds like - barefoot running. In the wakes of this I found this lecture by Christopher McDougall, where he speaks about the native tribes of South America and how they are able to make ten-mile runs every day at the age of 95 and keeps kicking our asses whenever it comes to marathons.
I have always been a fan of the idea that the human body is so much ingeniously designed than anything we can ever invent to improve it, so when I entered the gym this morning for the usual Wednesday morning workout I decided to try it on. I stepped on the treadmill, set on a medium pace and started going.
Half a kilometer later I had to step off and have a break. My calves were on fire. There are clearly more muscles in my legs than I knew, and it seemed like I haven't used half of them until today. Yet it was an interesting feeling. Light and easy steps, just like when you were a kid running barefoot through the grass. This is running, for real.
You don't believe me?
Try it.
To stay on topic, maybe I'll try running barefoot, just not outside. That could be painful.