I Am (Now) a Barefooted Runner!

If you've read anything here or know anything about me, you could easily say that I love to go barefooted. The sensation of grass underfoot. The cool floors in the local Walmart. It's awesome! There has been one "hitch in my giddy-up," however. That's barefooted running.

The heart has been willing but the mind has been weak. Each time I've gotten ready to go out there totally unshod there have been so many excuses not to.

It's too cold.

My feet hurt on the asphalt.

I don't run as fast barefooted.

Whine.

Whine.

Whine.

Now a lot of times I've sucked it up and gone out there unshod. The runs have been pretty good but my feet end up feeling sore and roughened up afterward. I've doubted whether I can keep it up or if I should just resign myself to the fact that I'll be a runner who sticks to Vibram FiveFingers.

After a couple of months of that thinking, I have managed to make a positive turn. I've decided that if so many others can run barefooted exclusively, why can't I? I really do prefer it more. I really do feel like my feet hold up just fine.

So I've decided to be an exclusively barefooted runner. To use a cliche', it feels right on so many levels: physically, mentally and spiritually.

I welcome you to follow my progress on DailyMile.com where I am, surprisingly, BarefootMichael. For quick updates of my latest run, check out the DailyMile widget in the column on the right side of this blog.

Thanks for reading. If you're a fellow DailyMiler, I'd love to be friends with you. Just send me a request on that site. I welcome anyone's comments or questions below.

Simple Rebuttals to the Shoe Police's Complaints

After getting stopped at Target recently for going barefooted, I thought of a few points I could have made to the manager in rebuttal to his reasoning for why I should be shod.

I thought it might be helpful to new and seasoned barefooters to have a "quick list" of points to make if the standard complaints are brought up while out and about in public. Each should be prefaced by something respectful and understanding along the lines of, "I appreciate your concern, but..."

Excuse: "It's a safety issue."

• Accidents happen and I realize that I take on risk when going barefooted into your establishment. If I were to injure myself and sue, no judge would find you liable.
• Customers usually go barefooted when browsing for shoes or trying on clothing. So they are also a safety risk and should not be allowed to do that?
• I have no greater risk of slipping and falling on a wet floor than many people who wear shoes or flip flops with smooth soles.
• If a tiny sharp object even remained on the floor after a cleanup, and if I didn't spot it and avoid it, it is highly unlikely that I'd be injured. Such an object would be so small that it would do no damage.
• If you are concerned about sharps left on your floors that would be big enough to injure me, you should train your employees better.
• What about the safety of your floors if a service animal enters? They can also fall on a wet floor or step on a sharp. According to ADA (in the U.S.), you are not legally permitted to request that they wear booties, so you are essentially giving me less consideration than some animals.
• My bare hands are at just as much or more risk of injury as my feet. I could hurt my hands on a broken corner of a display, cracked glass item, or something else. Should I also be required to wear gloves?

Excuse: "It's a health issue." OR "It's against health code."

• There are no health codes or laws that require that I wear shoes as a customer.
• I won't put my feet up on the table or displays just like I wouldn't put my shoes up there.
• My feet are cleaner than most people's shoes. I clean my feet at least daily. How often do you clean the soles of your shoes?
• I am not going to pick up diseases off of the floor through my feet.
• I'm more likely to get someone sick by coughing on them than through my feet.
• I'm more likely to get sick by someone coughing near me than through the floor.
  

Excuse: "The other customers don't want to see your bare feet."

• How would my feet be less offensive wearing sandals or flip flops?
  
• Then you need to ban all sandals, open-toed shoes and flip flops from your establishment.

Excuse: "It's indecent to go barefooted."

• What is indecent about feet, a part of the human body ?
  
• TV shows are allowed to show bare feet when private areas and curse words aren't allowed. Many people on shows from reality competitions to Sesame Street go barefooted.
• Decency is in the eye of the beholder and a vague concept. I find a lot of clothing that other customers wear to be indecent, but you allow them here. I may even find some of your products indecent, yet you sell them.
  
• Is it more decent for someone to come in with dirty clothing, nappy hair and smelling of body odor so long as they wear shoes?
  
• People used to think that it was indecent if women wore pants and black people used the same restrooms as whites. Society has become more understanding of many things that were once thought to be "indecent."

I welcome your comments, including anything you believe I should add, change or remove. We'll see. :-)

Photo: http://www.dawndance.org/volunteering.html

'Target'ed For Bare Feet

This is one of those blog posts that I don't like to write.

Tonight I went into my local Target store to buy a couple of sippy cups for our two-year old daughter. I, of course, went barefooted because I'd been in there several times before without incident while unshod. Unfortunately, this trip did not end the same way.

As I walked back up the main aisle to the front after choosing some cups, I was stopped by an assistant manager named, ironically, Michael and a security guard who accompanied him. Michael courteously informed me that I would not be able to continue shopping in bare feet.

I asked him why, and he responded that it's a "safety issue." I asked him to clarify that. He told me that he couldn't risk me possibly stepping on something if they didn't clean up their floors well enough. I carefully said to him that he probably needs to do a better job cleaning up his floors, then. He brushed that comment aside. I then shared that I understand that I take on any liability if something were to happen, but he still said that he can't allow me to take that risk.

See. Spot. Barepawed.

I told him that I've been in that store several times AND been seen by other employees and nothing was ever said. I brought up that nothing is posted at the entrances prohibiting bare feet. I even mentioned a time that an employee specifically gave me a heads up because of a broken light bulb that had been cleaned up the night before. She wanted me to be aware that something might still be in the area. That said, everything ended up being fine. He was apologetic but stood firm that I could not shop barefooted.

I asked him if I could just go check out and he allowed it.

As we walked toward the front -- security dude still in tow -- I calmly informed Michael that I prefer to go barefooted for the comfort and health benefits. He shared that he thought that's "totally awesome," but that they've had that policy for "a long time." I shared my disappointment and he was very understanding.

Later, after checking out, I went to find him again. I told him that Target needs to post something at the entrances if they're going to have such a policy. I told him that I don't go barefooted into places that have signs posted but that I never thought it would be a problem at his store. He said that he'd speak to the store manager about it.

I can't explain how disappointed I am about what happened. Besides second-guessing what I said and what good points I forgot to bring up, I'm upset that I've touted Target so much as a barefoot-friendly place and now they're not. At least mine isn't.

I think that, at a minimum, I'm going to write a letter to the store manager. I really would like to go back and speak to him/her in person. After further thought -- and reminding from a fellow barefooter -- I need to question why it's okay for a barefooted service animal to be in the store but I can't be. I need to ask why it'd be okay for me to walk around barefooted as I try on clothes or shoes but the rest of the store is off limits. I should ask if I need to wear gloves to protect myself from potentially sharp displays and products or to avoid getting germs from merchandise that who-knows-how-many people have touched.

Sigh.

I welcome your comments or suggestions.

The Origin of "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" Policies

We've all seen them, whether we're barefooters or not. As you walk into your local grocery store, restaurant or other business, it's right there on a sign near the door: "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service." Many businesses continue to use this policy to keep out those who they feel would be a detriment to their operations. But where did this policy start? Why doesn't it say, "No pants?" And what about the claims that such policies are "by order of the Health Department?" Well, I have some answers.

Follow me, if you will, back a few decades to the oceanfront. Areas like Atlantic City were bustling with people. It's a mix of surfer dudes, beach bunnies, energetic kiddos and tourists. Inside one of the many shops along the boardwalk, a married couple on vacation from the midwest is looking for souvenirs to take home. Shortly after, a surfer dude walks in wearing only his swimming trunks. His wet feet have dragged sand into the shop, spreading it across the floor as he goes to one corner to pick up a tube of lip balm. He glances at the couple and nods, saying, "Hey." The tourists, uncomfortable with this guy, decide that maybe they want to take their business somewhere else.

Businesses obviously don't like it when something -- or someone -- takes business away. For many small business owners, too many instances like this would cause a hardship. Eventually they might have to even close up shop forever.

To prevent such a terrible fate from occurring, these same beachfront shop owners posted "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" (NS3) policies. They worked well, addressing any dude, bunny or kiddo who dared enter with sandy feet and/or an exposed belly. If surfer dude wanted lip balm, he'd have to put on a shirt and sandals to look a little more "decent" and keep from dragging a bunch of sand in.

That's also why the signs never say "No Pants." Shop owners apparently saw swim trunks as being okay. Throwing on a shirt apparently would cover enough of a swimsuit-wearing woman to be acceptable without making them wear shorts or pants. Because the NS3 signs still make no mention of pants, it makes me wonder if current policies are just old ways of thinking being carried over without critical analysis.

So that's where these policies began.

At some point they geographically spread far away from the coasts and can be now found in nearly every locale. Sometimes they now only say "Shoes Required" or "No Bare Feet," but the message remains the same: Your bare feet are bad for business. Business owners today, especially those not on the coasts, often don't understand where NS3 policies began and have adapted their reasoning. Instead of keeping sand off of the floors and keeping tourists in their shops, management now claims it's a safety issue. I've addressed safety a number of times on this blog, so all I'll say is that most businesses are very safe to go into barefooted. This argument holds no water...or sand.

Something that popped up along the way was the addition of statements like, "by Order of the Health Department." I don't know if there used to be actual health codes prohibiting bare feet in businesses, however there aren't any now. The good people at the Society for Barefoot Living have done a lot of research on this issue and have discovered that no state in the U.S.A. has any regulations prohibiting bare feet in business establishments. Likewise, I have not heard of any local health departments throughout the country that have such regulations.

As far as I'm concerned, current NS3 policies are outdated and not well thought out. While I completely understand that any business has the right to implement such policies because they want to, I don't think that it is right to do so. I, as a barefooter, am not going to do anything with my feet that people don't do with their shoes. In fact, I personally recommend against putting bare feet or shoes up on chairs, tables or other areas where feet aren't normally supposed to go.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about the origin of NS3 policies. Keep an eye out around your area and see how many businesses still have posted policies that prohibit bare feet and bellies but are cool if you don't wear pants. If you really think about it, it's all very silly. I think it's high time that we responsible barefooters are allowed to bare our soles when we are out and about. We'll wear pants or shorts as a compromise, 'kay?

Photos: Barefoot couple courtesy of barefooters.org, NS3 sign taken at by me at a local McDonald's restaurant. It bears the words "No Bare Feet by Order of the Department of Health."

Quick Review: Vibram FiveFinger Sprint

My third pair of minimalist shoes (after the Vivo Barefoot Dharma and Aqua styles) came on a significant day in my life. On Aug. 5 of this year my wife and I also welcomed a brand new baby girl into our family. I will be reviewing the former here, because the latter is perfect and needs no review. :-)

As a barefooter, I was very interested in trying on a pair of Vibram Fivefingers and putting them through their paces to see just how good of a "barefoot alternative" they are. I have worn them a lot and for many different uses -- and therefore taken longer to post a review -- because I wanted to find out just how versatile a set of toe shoes can be. The answer? Very.

Style

The Vibram Fivefinger Sprints are like no other footwear...except other Fivefingers. Anyone who has worn these in public knows that they get looks and a lot of comments and questions. What's fortunate is that they're almost always positive in nature. People seem really drawn to the idea of toe shoes. For me personally, I've never been self-conscious while wearing these, though I know others are -- or would be, and that's why they don't buy them. (looking in my wife's direction) I think this line of shoes is very stylish and unique.

Quality

The build quality on Fivefinger Sprints is very good. All seams feel very secure, the materials seem to be of good quality, and the shoes even hold up well in the laundry. No complaints here. They may not be as "green" as the Vivo Barefoot shoes, but they're just as well built or better.

Cost

Some see the cost of these shoes as exorbitant. To me, $80 USD seems reasonable considering the research that likely went into designing them, the materials used to build them and their overall quality. For all the things you can do with these Vibram Fivefingers -- and I'm only commenting on the Sprints -- and the length of use that you can likely get from them, I believe these are priced at an okay price point.

Fit/Comfort

The Vibram Fivefinger Sprints are very comfortable footwear...for an item of footwear. As for a hat, they don't work so well. But seriously, I like the fact that these shoes are a lot less on the foot than any other standard shoe-styled footwear. I tell people that they kind of feel like a second skin with a very flexible protective sole. If you get the right size -- which the chart on Vibram's site is very good to help you accomplish -- all is well. I would suggest finding a local store, if available, to try these on and get just the perfect size before you plop down your hard-earned nickels and dimes. I think once you get them on you'll be hooked.

Barefoot Sensation/Movement

Going barefoot so much before wearing minimalist shoes spoiled me. Nothing can replace the feeling of bare sole on the ground below, so I have to take a mental step back and review these on their merits: a flexible shoe with an ultra-thin, durable sole.Vibram Fivefingers certainly get closer to a barefoot feel than either of the Vivo Barefoot shoes that I've tried. With your toes able to flex individually and a very flexible structure all around, natural foot movement is far greater than any other footwear I've worn. The open top of the Sprints also helps your foot feel a greater sense of freedom than other shoes, giving this style of Fivefingers a bit of a sandal-type quality. Because they fit so snugly on the foot, they do feel like a sort of second skin, so you sometimes forget that you're wearing them.

This is where I drop in my word of warning: Vibram Fivefingers are VERY good at giving enough sense of going "barefoot" that anyone who's used to regular shoes and wants to try going barefoot would likely stop here if they tried to use them as a gateway shoe. They are that comfortable. But there really isn't anything like putting a bare sole to the ground. I recommend to any barefooter -- or someone who wants to begin barefooting -- to get comfortable with being totally unshod first. Rediscover and get to know your feet and how awesome they feel without anything on them before you jump into Fivefingers. That way you'll be able to know and remember what you're missing even when wearing such comfortable footwear.

Like other minimalist shoes, you can definitely feel the ground below better than "normal" shoes. When I went camping recently, my feet felt well massaged as I walked across the gravel and acorns covering the ground of our campsites. In Fivefingers it was fine. Barefoot it was uncomfortable.

Fivefingers are great for those places where bare feet are not usually allowed. I wore them recently to my son's pediatrician visit.

The Final Words

My Vibram Fivefinger Sprints have become my "go-to" footwear when I know I can't/shouldn't go barefoot, such as businesses that have a "No Shoes, No Service" policy. I've literally walked, run, mowed the grass, hiked, shopped and more in these shoes and they've always risen to the challenge. I obviously still prefer to go barefoot, but these are a good alternative if footwear is required. While they may lose "style points" in some peoples' minds, they certainly make up for it in function and comfort.

On the Web: VibramFivefingers.com

Twitter: @Vibram5Fingers
Fan Sites: BirthdayShoes.com and VFF-Friday.com

Next Review Coming Soon!: Terra Plana Trip Clips

An Autobiography of the Beginning of a Barefooter

During my time as a "barefooter," I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know others who like to go sans shoes. Through Twitter, Facebook, this blog and other sites I've been able to connect with and get to know lots of people who go barefoot in one way or another. For some it's just going barefoot around the house. For others it's a way to improve their running and decrease injuries. For many it's a lifestyle that crosses real and figurative boundaries.

As I've come to know others there have been some requests for me to tell my story and how I got into barefooting. I thought, as the weather gets colder and many of us take a "break" from barefooting for the autumn and winter months, that this would be a good time to fill you in. Now let me see...

(Cue flashback and harp sounds.)

It was the Spring of 2005. I was living with an old buddy from church and college activities to help him pay the mortgage on his new house. In the summers previously I'd come to embrace wearing sandals and flip flops. Before then I'd mostly worn shoes during the summer. The thought of exposing my feet was undesirable for quite a while, but one day -- like my acceptance of drinking ice tea -- I just decided I'd enjoy life and summers more wearing sandals.

Ever since I started wearing flip flops I drove barefooted. I "knew" at the time that it was "illegal," like so many people are told, but I found that I didn't feel as safe driving with flip flops on. The flops would slide around on my foot causing me to feel unsure about my grip on the pedals or my ability to have enough control over them.

At some point in late May or early June of '05 I put in a Web search: "driving barefoot illegal." Though I can't say for sure, I may have questioned the law or wanted to read it for myself. Lo, and behold, right there near the top of the search results was a link to the Society for Barefoot Living's Web site.

Besides being comforted to discover that driving barefoot is perfectly legal, I was fascinated by this group which I'd just run across. "These people hike barefooted?" "They go in public without shoes?" "Isn't THAT illegal?" So many questions, and all the answers were laid out right there. The site showed that going barefooted is a good thing and can be very safe.

A certain photo album on the SBL's site got my attention. It was of a small group of folks who decided to go barefooted around New York City. I thought to myself, "If they can do that, why couldn't I go barefoot other places besides home?" It was time for me to give barefooting a try.

My nephew's birthday party was on a weekend in early June of 2005. I decided to spend that entire weekend barefooted, and I did! Well, I technically was barefooted all weekend, however I didn't do much. I mostly stayed home, but I did go out in the driveway barefooted to get in the car, drove unshod and attended the kiddo's party sans shoes as well (pictured). I was proud of myself. Despite the questions from family at the party as to why I didn't have shoes on, I had a positive barefooting experience for an entire weekend.

Over the next four years leading up to 2009, I explored barefooting off and on. I never started going barefooted in earnest, but I would go unshod around the house and other "safe" places more often than I previously would have. When I shopped at Target -- I don't know what it was about that store -- I would slip off my flip flops and shop barefooted (all while staying in the more out-of-sight aisles to avoid being spotted). At summer Middle School Camp, where I was staff, I would walk barefooted around our lodge and do other tasks in "safe" places without shoes. Any time I wore flip flops I would drive while they sat unused on the floorboard. All in all, you might say I was a "closeted" barefooter.

Well in early 2009 my feet came out of the closet, so to speak.

It was late February or early March of this year when I somehow rediscovered the SBL's Web site. Knowing that it's comfortable, and after reading up on the health benefits of going barefoot, I decided that I was going to become a tried and true barefooter...as much as possible. I posted to my Facebook status on March 4, "Michael is officially ready to stop wearing shoes ALL the time. Bring on the nice weather 'cause my feet need to breathe!"

It had begun. On March 20 I posted to Facebook, "I'm thinking that with the weather being so nice this weekend, I might go barefoot most of the time. Even out and about in public. Who's with me?" And I generally did. Though it was a rainy weekend, I wore flip flops into wherever we shopped or went and then would slip them off.

Over the course of this Spring I grew in my barefootedness. I began posting to Twitter about going barefoot. I'd kick off my flops at various places and started going into places without shoes on at all.

It was at my son's school carnival on May 2 that I feel like I cemented myself as a "barefooter." Except for the muddy petting zoo at the very beginning, I walked around the whole event barefoot. At the end of the day, two of my wife's co-workers -- she worked in the same district -- began talking to me about why I wasn't wearing shoes. After explaining myself and sharing its benefits, one of them said, "I think it's really great that you're doing that. You're doing what you feel is best for you, no matter what anyone else thinks, and I really admire that." Two days later I changed my Twitter username to "barefootmichael," and the rest is history.

(More harp sounds. End flashback.)

Today, I go barefooted or wear minimalist footwear about 99% of the time. At home or other people's homes I go 100% barefooted, indoors and out. When out and about I go either barefooted or wear my Vibram Fivefinger Sprints. They are usually worn in places that have a policy prohibiting bare feet. Occasionally, if I don't feel like taking the time to put on the Sprints, I'll wear flip flops for very brief trips into stores when I don't feel like or have the time for being hassled. That's the other 1%, because I don't consider flip flops to be minimalist footwear.

There's one hitch in my giddy-up: Unfortunately, I am required by policy to wear shoes and socks at work. That said, I have switched to wearing Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot shoes exclusively there. I hope to transition to Vibram Fivefinger KSO Treks over the coming year or so as finances allow. I work in a hospital where people regularly wear strange footwear (e.g. clogs, Crocs, Z-Coils, MBTs, etc.), so I think I'll be able to get away with them.

I hope that you've enjoyed reading a bit about how I got into going barefoot. I challenge you, even though it's a bit cool outside, to try going barefoot one step more than you're used to. Pick sometime when you'd normally wear socks or shoes and just take them off. See what you think. Rediscover the feet that the good Lord gave you. Reconnect with the sensations of the floors and ground all around you. Give it enough time and you will be positively transformed.

I welcome your questions or comments below.

I Tweet Because I Am

You may know that I not only blog, but use the social networking site Twitter. If you follow me already, that's great! If you don't, check me out sometime as @BarefootMichael.

This morning a fellow barefooter contacted me through a private message to inform me that I post so much that they cannot sort through it all. As a result, this person that I consider a barefoot "friend" unfollowed me, choosing not to get my posts as part of their feed. This was upsetting to me at first, hurting me personally. I was shocked that someone who also enjoys going unshod wouldn't support someone who shares the same thinking, no matter how much they have to say.

I polled my Twitter friends: Do I "tweet" too much? The responses were very supportive overall. Most said it's not a problem, and I even got one response that I need to tweet more -- however I'm not sure that one was totally serious.

A couple of followers did share that I tweet too much, one saying that I "push the limits of excessive tweets." Another shared that they'd have unfollowed me too, if I wasn't so "interesting." Very good feedback.

One message got me thinking, which sparked this blog post. They suggested that "the issue with your tweets might be related more with topics than frequency." That clarified things for me.

I may be "Barefoot" Michael on Twitter, but going barefoot is only how I keep my feet. As my bio on Twitter states:

"I'm a dad, husband, Christian, runner, Mac user and media pro who goes barefoot
whenever possible because I was born that way."

So I will not only tweet about barefoot topics, though that's certainly something that I like to talk about. I am also a dad, so I'm going to share things about my kids. I am a husband to a beautiful woman who also follows me on Twitter, so there's times that I post things that I know she'll find interesting. I am a Christian, so I will occasionally share about my faith. I am a runner, so I'm going to share about the challenges and accomplishments of those experiences. I am also a Mac user and media pro, so sometimes I'm going to share about techy things I find interesting or are related to my job. Finally, my location shows that I live in the Kansas City metro area, so there are times that I'm going to talk about local goings-on.

I don't have the time or interest to post to multiple Twitter accounts about each thing that I am. Doing so would always leave out a part of me, and that's not who I am. That said, I have things to say about a lot of topics, so I may post more than other people do. I apologize if that seems excessive.

I follow more than 350 users on Twitter and find myself ignoring a lot of what many of them tweet. In the end, however, I am also interested in a lot of what they ALL have to say. Likewise, I appreciate the more than 500 followers who keep up with my tweets.

If part of me is no interest to you, I hope that you'll find enough that is. Follow me if you'd like, but you're always going to see the big picture of who I am.