"Nice Feet!"

My last three pair of running shoes have been rather bright colors.  Bright orange, yellow/orange, and blue. Each has been a different level of minimalist footwear.  While I live in a rather small town, and I teach school in this rather small town, I find that a lot of people, especially kids, tend to know who I am.  There's no anonymity in such a situation as mine.

When I started putting on these ridiculous shoes, it was, in part, because I wanted to be seen by cars on the road and by my "fans" in a race.  As I continued wearing these clothes and shoes, I've found some pleasure in just being boldly out there running in an area where obesity and a sedentary lifestyle abound.  Don't worry, I'm not that full of myself, but I like to think that I've contributed, at least in part, to the, dare I say, running boom of Tower City.  Not that there are people flooding the streets to run, but there are significantly more runners now than there was when I first started running.

When I first started this bright shoes and clothing thing, I was a little timid that my appearance would make me a laughing stock in the community.  But after a while, instead of jeers and laughing, I was greet by non-sarcastic shouts of, "Nice shoes!"  by former, current, and future students, and even by neighbors and complete strangers.  I now prefer bright, bold colors that draw some attention to my moving feet as runners are the best advocates for running.

Today was a little different.  As I have been exploring various minimalist footwear, I discovered the Luna Sandal which, as I have described in former posts, is basically a flat piece (4 mm thick) of rubber (soles made by Vibram) and held on by a leather strap that is wrapped and tied a certain way.  These sandals were designed by Barefoot Ted after research in ancestral footwear.  They are a throwback to how our ancestors ran and therefore encourage foot strength and a more natural running style.

So, I put these ridiculous looking (although I like the look) sandals on my feet and went for a three mile run today.  I'm sure I looked as goofy as the day is long in these sandals.  At some point, I ran by some former students, surely they'd notice these unusual running sandals and make some fun, but all I got was a "Nice Feet!"

You know what?  Do what you do, and stop thinking about what others think.  You might just contribute to a new, healthy trend, or you might just get a compliment on your feet.