This was a self portrait that I took for a photography class in college. We visited a specific location (Parowan Gap) and our assignment was to create a photograph that reflected our experience without actually including a photo of the place. My experience was that I was very much at home while the other students were not comfortable in the desert without phone service. To convey this, I thought about what I do when I come home. The first thing I have always done when I come home is to take off my shoes. This was taken before I understood the benefits of going barefoot. It just felt right!
You may have heard of the book “Born to Run”. It was a New York Times bestseller some years ago. The story was all about the theory of how humans evolved to run and that many of our ancient ancestors hunted by running their prey to death. The book follows an ultrarunner who finds his way into the Copper Canyons of Mexico among the Tarahumara tribe of Indians. They are a running tribe and often run over a hundred miles through incredibly rugged terrain. I have my own theories about running but that is a post for another day. Another main theme of the book is about how the Tarahumara don’t need expensive and padded running shoes to run these long distances. They use sandals they make out of old tires and leather lacing. The book discusses some research that supports the idea of barefoot running and the fact that many running injuries could be caused by our shoes. This sparked a huge surge of people trying out barefoot running and many new companies came out with minimalist shoes that allowed people to run while still having some protection without providing too much structure.Continue reading