Barefoot Running Step by Step

Earlier this week I attended a meeting of the OC Triathlon Club which featured guest speakers Ken Bob Saxton and Roy Wallack. During the presentation, Ken had all of us take off our shoes and socks and run several times around the building. On the hard surface with no shoes, my body automatically adjusted my posture, gait and cadence using feedback from my bare soles. "Wow!", I thought. "I know my mechanics are not perfect, but if this is how your body is designed to run, then I have been doing it all wrong. Not even close!".

After the presentation I bought the book, which has cool autographs and ink-pad footprints by both authors inside the front cover. Although I may never become an exclusively barefoot runner, I am certainly going to run barefoot until I master the technique. After I learn the proper form, it won't matter whether I do it barefoot or in shoes. I'm excited about the possibilities, because I really miss running and this is something that may allow me to run without being injured all the time.

From the back cover:

LEARN BAREFOOT RUNNING FROM THE MASTER!

Almost overnight, barefoot running has exploded onto the fitness scene. However, it involves more than simply taking off your shoes. In fact, everything you've learned about barefoot running is probably wrong - unless you've learned it from Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton. The leading instructor and proponent of unshod running, he has completed seventy-six marathons barefoot, survived an astounding marathon-a-month challenge in 2004, and gone on to top that with sixteen marathons in 2006, including four in a fifteen-day period - all barefoot.

Barefoot Running Step by Step separates the facts from the hype, outlines Ken Bob's personal techniques, and details the latest research on the newest trend in mankind's oldest sport. Whether you run barefoot occasionally, part-time, or full-time, you'll find methods for improving your form, staying injury-free, dramatically improving your speed and performance, and having more fun.

THE BENT KNEE: The hidden secret to perfect running form. how this crucial adjustment will keep you running stronger and injury-free for life.

VIBRAMS AND MINIMALIST SHOES: Barefoot running is not a transition from shoes to minimalist shoes to bare feet. It's the other way around. Why you need to run barefoot before you use other footwear.

START FROM THE HEAD: Proper barefoot form doesn't start at the feet. Discover how to get the correct body biomechanics.

EASE INTO IT: The steps you need to make the transition from running in shoes to barefoot running as painless and easy as possible.

IMPROVE SPEED: Barefoot running's injury-reduction benefits are well-touted; however a new landmark study proves that barefooting - even part-time - can make you faster.

Barefoot Running Step by Step is filled with series photos and illustrations that show you the "do's" and "dont's" of barefoot running, the latest research, and Ken Bob Saxton's personal experiences and insights for running barefoot for life.

Left to right: Me, author Roy Wallack, friend Darrell Groff, author Ken Bob Saxton