The Barefoot Running Book, by Jason Robillard

I've been following Jason Robillard's blog, Barefoot Running University, and recently had a chance to meet him in Fort Worth at one of his barefoot running clinics.  If you've read his blog, attended one of his clinics, or had the chance to meet him at a race, you'll know that Jason loves to run and is a passionate evangelist, spreading the good news of running.  In my estimation, his promotion of barefoot and minimalist running is an outgrowth of that passion.  He believes that running is best enjoyed with less on the feet, and wants to help other people discover that.

Jason is a spokesperson and consultant for Merrell.

Jason first published The Barefoot Running Book in 2010.  This new edition adds to and expands on the original, making it a more complete and up-to-date resource.  If you've read Jason's blog or attended on of his clinics, you won't be surprised by much of what you read.  Although Jason prefers barefoot running, he is very realistic about wearing footwear appropriate to the surface on which you're running.  Through trial and error, and personal preference, every runner should seek the footwear that provides the best foot flexibility, ground feel, and protection, depending on the terrain.

By the same token, although there are many schools of thought on running form, Jason's take is try them out, see what works for you.  He writes that he's learned something from Chirunning, the pose method, and others, but he's not tied to any one method.  He encourages the reader to do as he did: check them out, experiment with the methods they promote, and find what fits you best.

His laid-back, do-what-works-for-you tone may detract from the book for readers who like firmness and certainty.  But for the runner who wants an introduction to barefoot and minimalist running, The Barefoot Running Book is a perfect place to start.  It's simple, practical, and realistic.  It may not be "everything you ever wanted to know about barefoot running," but it definitely points you in the right direction.  Now take those "foot coffins" off and run!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy.

Barefoot running clinic

For some time now I have followed Jason Robillard's Barefoot Running University blog.  Jason, the author of The Barefoot Running Book, is on tour with Merrell promoting barefoot running and Merrell's line of minimalist footwear.  Tonight he stopped by Backwoods in Fort Worth for a barefoot running clinic.

Jason at another clinic.

After his talk and Q&A session, about 30 of us took a short run with Jason.  Backwoods provided some Merrell road gloves for us to try out.  I tried out a pair, and liked them OK, but similar to the Vibram Bikila, they have a stiff midsole, which, since I'm used to running in Vibram Sprints, I didn't like so much.  I ended up pulling them off and running barefoot.  Back at the store, I tried on the Merrell Trail Glove; I didn't buy a pair, but that might be my next trail shoe.

If you have any interest at all in minimalist running or barefoot running, check out Jason's web site.  He is one of those rare minimalist runners who was running barefoot before Born to Run was published.  He had been traveling around, doing barefoot running clinics, when Merrell asked him to help with educational assistance to go with their new line of minimalist shoes.  Jason's easy-going demeanor and his "I'm just a regular guy who runs" attitude will help even the most skeptical runner consider that barefoot running might be worth a try.

Kudos to Merrell for promoting good running form and caution on the transition to barefoot/minimalist running; they've shown responsibility for providing education through Jason and on their website.  And kudos to Jason for being in the right time and place for Merrell to approach him about being their barefoot running ambassador.  He's living his dream of being a "running nomad," traveling the country with his family, living in their RV, running in beautiful places and spreading the gospel of barefoot running.  Not a bad gig!

Barefoot Running on NPR--again!

Last month, Diane Rehm had a show dedicated to barefoot running (I noted it in my blog here.).  Last night, I happened to hear another show called "To the Best of Our Knowledge", which had a feature on running.  It wasn't all about barefoot running, but most of it was.

The first segment was an interview with Christopher McDougall, who told stories from Born to Run, and, of course, talked a bit about barefoot running.  Then Gretchen Reynolds talked about health and running, including a response to the interviewer's question about barefoot running.  Then Jason Robillard, a long-time barefoot ultrarunner discussed barefoot running.  Finally, the presenter read selections from Haruki Murakami, a novelist and runner who never mentions running barefoot.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable program for any runner, barefoot or not.  I downloaded the whole show from itunes; you can also stream it and find out more about the interviewees at the website, ttbook.org.