May 11, 2010
“What do you think about all this minimal running stuff?”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
“How so?”
“I’m old enough to remember running shoes with flat soles, no heel lifts, one of two colors and they wore out quick.”
“Before Nike?”
“Yeah, I’m that old.”
“Wow.”
“But what about the barefoot or five-finger-toed bear claws or whatever?”
“The Kenyans and Ethiopians grew up running barefoot and now they wear shoes.”
“Well, since you were young telephones and overseas marketing were invented along with airplanes, sweat shops in hot foreign climates and marketing campaigns and email.”
“Don’t forget Twitter.”
“You know, I watched Abebe Bikila run the Olympic Marathon in Rome in his bare feet. And NOOOOO, I wasn’t there…it was on TV, black and white mind you, but electronic and everything.”
“So barefoot is pretty good.”
“Don’t know about that. In Tokyo he wore shoes.”
“Seems like the minimal thing and those Mexican Indian guys are making a big comeback. From the book and all. And of course everyone hates the newest evil empire led by the Dark Knight Phil.”
“Yeah, I remember when the Evil Empire was either the Russians or the phone company.”
“Oh well, ‘nuff of this talking crap. Let’s run some miles.”
“Trails or flats?”
“How you feelin’?”
“Tired, old, slow.”
“Like usual.”
“Yeah, why is that do you think?”
“I can guess but I just don’t know.”
“Hard tellin’, not knowin’.”
“I guess.”
“Trails and hills?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
After a few minutes on the trail, up hill, there was no more conversation.
Photo Credit
“Barefoot running Shoes” courtesy of Boing Boing
Recent Michael Lebowitz Articles:
- Rain In The Desert
- Tarmac Meditations #78: Longest, Furthest Yet.
- Tarmac Meditations #77: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
- Tarmac Meditations #76: Big Steel Rails
- Tarmac Meditations #75: Interval Training
- Tarmac Meditations #74: Nickname
- Tarmac Meditations #73: It Rains here in February except sometimes it snows. Part One
- Tarmac Meditations #72: Grace is Where You Find It
- Runnin'
- Tarmac Meditations #72: Overnight Summer had Ended
About Michael Lebowitz
So are you gonna get the five-fingered shoes? At a five-fingered discount?
It is the way of my people…although we usually refer to it as “off the truck” pricing.
::snort::
Yeah, my people have a different name for it.
That photo is freakin’ me out, man!
nice piece.
But OHMYGOD those feet!
Glad Tar Meds are all in one place,
I am eager to read more soon.
Thanks Michael and Life as Human staff!
weary now from a day of nothing and so to bed.