Running barefoot

I finished reading a book Monday night that I had been lent by a friend from work. I had been enjoying another series of books I was reading but my co-worker thought I might be interested in reading this one that he had to offer. He told me it was about a tribe in Mexico that ran barefoot.
He happens to sit just a little way from me at work so I had heard him talking about running barefoot and how he actually has done it on a few mornings through a golf course close by. I had caught small bits of conversation about how much better it’s supposed to be and all. I never really joined in on the conversations because I have absolutely no desire to run barefoot anywhere. None.
So you can understand how totally skeptical I was to take the book he was offering me to read.
But I did take the book and I read it. I do that. There are so many books I never would have read if it wasn’t for these friends that think enough to offer me something I never would have picked up myself. And I never would have picked up this book based on what my friend had said about it.
It turned out the book to me wasn’t nearly what he had described. Yes, it was about an evasive tribe in the Sierra Madres that run long distances (I’m talking ultra running) in the mountains with only a small strip of rubber on the bottoms of their feet. But, to me, that wasn’t what the story was about.
In the end, it was a tale about how much more you can achieve by enjoying what you are doing as you do it. To me the story permeated with the idea that most people are more likely to become successful if they appreciate what they are doing as they go. They are successful because they are not doing it with an eye on the prize but with the freedom and genuine interest to get better because of how good they feel when they do it.
This tribe ran long distances with a sense of camaraderie, some healthy competitiveness and a happy attitude. They were able to go long distances because this was a way for them to come together and celebrate. They weren’t out to win a big race or to break any records even though they did that along the way.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started to read this book. I didn’t know what I would learn from the Tarahumara tribe. I will definitely thank my friend for lending me the book.
It’s nice to know how much better I can do when I am running barefoot.
Even if I am wearing a good pair of running shoes.
TT