Barefoot Running

Barefoot running is going through a sort of revolution right now. This is partly due to the recent success of Christopher McDougall's book "Born To Run," which is still on Best Sellers Lists' and circulating wonderfully. In addition to this, the release of Vibram's Fivefingers has torn apart the running shoe business, stripping it back down to the basics; a place where it should be.
The idea behind Fivefingers is a basic running shoe. You don't need all the cushioning that is prevalent in modern running shoes, which is overkill and also flat out wrong. We already have all we need when it comes to running...we have springiness and elasticity in our legs, both things that absorb and naturally cushion the impact of the ground. Your feet need to spread out when you run, reaching for the ground to stabilize your stride.
As a child I used to run around barefoot on my parent's property. I loved the way the earth felt under my feet and how I felt more in tune with nature. It just made sense. Having grown up it only makes sense to re-live that feeling. Once again, now when I run I run with a smile, a smile that was absent when I would wear modern running shoes because all the sensation was lost in the shoe.
It is funny how, as a Capitalist society, we are drawn towards the latest new thing. I admit that I fall victim to this sometimes too. Sometimes what we need we already have but it isn't until there is monetary value that we forget about it. People have been running for centuries barefoot while running with modern running shoes only since the 70's. What changed? Well, the business of running was born.
All I can do now is fight against this by running barefoot and running barefoot with a smile; a natural smile, a natural run.