Running Form Isn’t Black and White

I’ve had a little extra free time lately (Pure Michigan…), so I’ve spent some time on the barefoot forums. As has been the case since they first came into being, there’s a mix of regulars with tons of experience and a few newbies. The conversations with the newbies are interesting. There’s a strong tendency to do the following:

1. Ignore advice from experienced barefoot runners.

2. Begin giving advice based on their limited experience.

3. Read More...

Don’t Hide Behind Fancy Tools

How many times have you seen these situations:

The parents of a six year old kid buying a $150 alloy bat and $80 glove for their kid’s first foray into tee ball.
An overweight middle-of-the-pack triathlete spending $10,000 on an ultralight carbon-fiber bike to theoretically shave a few seconds off their mediocre finish times in a sprint tri.
An aspiring writer in a coffee shop typing away on a $2,000 Macbook Pro.
A homeowner installing a wireless doorbell using a $700 Dewalt Read More...

Buy the Cheap Bike: A Lesson in Simplicity

My friend Trisha is on the brink of moving to California. In the process, she’s buying a bike and asked her Facebook friends for a bike suggestion. The suggestions were predictable- buy a Trek, Specialized, Cannondale… whatever. Many recommended going to a bike shop to get fitted.

I recommended a Huffy from Walmart.

Was I serious? A bike from Walmart?!?

Indeed!

Here’s my rationale:

1. You save money. The bike will cost a Read More...

Goofy Facial Hair: A Fall Tradition

Fall has become the season for dudes to grow facial hair. For me, the tradition started as part of my Northern Michigan heritage. Each fall, deer hunters would grow large, unruly beards. The hair provided warmth and a degree of camouflage. Sadly, I stopped hunting before I developed the ability to grow the unruly beard.

When I started teaching (and coaching football), I grew a goatee. That eventually morphed into the traditional Autumnal beard. To fully celebrate Read More...

The Left-Handed Barefoot Runner Theory

Today (August 13th) is Left-handed Day, a day to celebrate southpaws. It seemed fitting to rehash my long-standing theory on the correlation between left-handedness and barefoot/minimalist shoe running.

We know about 5-20% of the world population is left-handed. Based on informal observations, the percentage of left-handed barefoot/minimalist shoe runners far surpasses the general population. We’ve had several minimalist gatherings where the vast majority were left-handed. The list includes barefoot/minimalist runners such as:

Jesse Scott
Robert Shackleford
Christian Peterson
Krista Cavender
Pat Sweeney
Kate Read More...

Ask Jason!

I’m preparing to fly to New York City to hold some clinics at the Merrell tent during the REI Summer Streets event in SoHo tomorrow (Saturday), which means a fair amount of down time in airports and hotels. What better time to have an “Ask Jason” post!

Here’s how it works: post your question in the comments section, and I will answer it as soon as possible.

Feel free to ask about anything, including:

Barefoot running
Minimalist shoes
Ultramarathons
Trail Read More...

The Thermal Chimney Hat: The World’s Greatest Hat for Ultrarunning?

Hats. Most runners wear them at least some of the time. My preferred hat has been a desert camo boonie hat, which has performed admirably. Could there be a better solution, though?

My recent discovery and subsequent discussions on moisture-wicking materials and thermoregulation piqued my interest in hats. Specifically, a discussion on Barefoot Ted’s Google Group led me to try a stray sun hat. That same discussion also led me to consider modifications that would make Read More...