the Altra Sampson with a flat rubber sole. Jessica: At present my favourite footwear for most excursions are my Soft Star Dashs like Michael. I also love the FeelmaxKuusas, but wish the synthetic material was more breathable. There is a benefit to minimal breathability and that’s keeping my feet warmer in colder conditions. Basically, I want to maintain as much sensory feedback from the ground as possible, but have just enough sole to take the edge off really rough terrain, like lava rocks or sharp gravel.
preach. And to learn from the earth and indigenous people, What other exercise do you do and discover a more natural, apart from barefoot running? healthier way to live and coexist Michael: I’m walking and hiking with our planet. I’m also training to gain the fitness necessary to barefoot even more than I’m travel the world and run and running. In addition I cycle two hike with indigenous people to three days a week, always everywhere, no matter the pointing myself up the steepest distance or duration. Just for hill I can find, and also love kicks I’m working on hills, to playing with my aerodynamics. run and dance straight uphill Lastly I do one-legged strength faster than I ever have before and core drills which are (I love running above tree-line found in our DVD, stretching thousands of feet above it (particularly with a foam roll), and lots of time on a rebounder, all). A last goal would be able to keep up with Jessica a type of mini-trampoline for recovery and over-all springiness on her sprints, and amazing manoeuvres through the forest, of the body. though that’s a toughie!!! Jessica: For the most part, I’m Jessica: I want my barefoot doing the same exercises as running and barefoot cross Michael, though he’s more training to become more and disciplined than I am. I tend more fluid. While Michael to do my cross-training runs like a powerful steady spontaneously when I’m out on locomotive, running mile after the trails – balancing on tree mile after mile, I’m a sprint-walkstumps, running across logs, sprint-hop-sprint-climb-sprint climbing trees, etc. In the DVD, kind of runner. I’m sporadic I call it “Nature Play.” running in short bursts, burning out, recovering and going What are your personal goals again. Shorter recovery periods with barefoot running? would be fun and being even more nimble and light so that in Michael: To spend more a flash, I’m on the ground and time running, walking, and next thing you know I’m up in a connected to the earth, tree. Perhaps my real goal is to practicing more of what we Page 38
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manoeuvre like a ninja. Finally, a couple of questions for you to answer together: What’s a typical day like in the life of Michael and Jessica? Michael tends to head for the hills for an early morning run/ photo shoot, while Jessica hangs back to keep the business going. From there it’s an early-morning meditation, sitting on the earth, followed by time at our computers (sitting on grounding pads). We usually break mid-day for a raw-food lunch sitting on the front lawn (plus plenty of green smoothies through the day). Then we may head out to a farm to pick some greens, get a little more work done, then it’s out for a late afternoon/ early-evening run with the sunset out on the trails (camera always in tow); then back to unwind. We try and do as much as we can outside, and without electricity whenever possible, and keep the driving/ travel-time to a minimum. Every day we ask what’s the smallest eco-footprint we can make. What are your plans for the immediate future for RunBare and longer term plans?
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Autumn 2012
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