Take Your Shoes Off More Often
A Poem on Footprints and Barefoot Sprints
Do ever wonder about your footprints?
How they imprint the world as you move through it?
The story they tell, what does it say about you?
I think about these things as I walk in my beat up trail runners down to the beach for a training session
Today it’s barefoot sprints
10 x 160m
I can’t wait to paint the sand with my steps and see what the story reveals
First, to set the boundaries of sacred time and space
Light jog 1/10th of a mile in one direction, draw a HARD LINE in the sand
Turn around, jog back to my things then conquer another 1/10th of a mile
One more HARD LINE
I’ve created the arena, now to live through it for the next 3.8 miles
My feet make very little imprint on the smooth, wet, and somewhat cold sand
I run close to the water, you can grip the ground that way
No getting lost in sand dunes, I’m here to leave my mark
But not until it’s the proper time
1 mile warmup, easy steps, light steps
The footprints are quick and tight, shallow but confident
They tell the story that I’m ready to make my mark
First sprint, dig in, extend your legs, force your big toe DOWN
Now I’m making grooves, making waves, leaving the right footprints
Each time down the beach I see the story of the last time I came this way
When it’s a jog, the steps tell one story
When it’s a sprint, an entirely different one
Woven together, they tell the story of me
The more you see the imprints of your feet the more you feel them
I’m stretching the toes consciously
Flexing my ankles at will
Digging into the ground
EXPLODING OUT
Restraining
Finding the right pace
Exploring the proper depths
I don’t see the numbers on my running watch
The footprints mesmerize me and tell me what to do
Back and forth, fast and slow, all out and reserved
My feet were meant to walk and run
Now they jog and sprint
Effortlessly
Take your shoes off more often
Feel the ground
Move with purpose
What does the story of your footprints say about you?
This story says something about my feet and myself
I’ll leave that something up to you
See you on the beach