A conversation with… Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee What’s your recipe for your favourite run, i.e. terrain, weather, place, time of day? Michael: Getting up hours before the sunrise, heading uphill to a high elevation trail, bringing the camera, then running in the dark until the sunrise; stopping to take pictures of “the show,” then sitting and doing a mediation with the sun, before running back home again with a permanent grin glued to my face. long with the release of their new DVD, Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee took a few moments out of their hectic schedule to answer a few questions for us about their thoughts and experience with barefoot running. Here’s what they said: What aspect of barefoot running do you enjoy the most?
Jessica: My recipe includes having no expectations for time nor distance and sometimes even which route to take. To keep running fun, I try to approach it like a child. Children never plan out their playtime. They seldom map out a course before they head out and they don’t bring a stopwatch either. They play until they’re tired. As for favourite terrain, I love dirt
Michael: Connecting with the earth and the incredible freedom and feeling health and joy it gives me. Dancing barefoot on the road or the trails, I feel like a kid again! Jessica: For me, it’s an opportunity to unplug from the material world and plug into the natural world, which is healthier for the mind, body and spirit. The extra awareness I perceive from my surroundings through my feet help me stay present in the moment. And like Michael, suddenly it feels like playtime .
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Autumn 2012
Barefoot Running Magazine
trails (or muddy trails if it’s rained) and trails with soft pine needles. Occasional obstacles like big boulders and tree roots are fun to manoeuvre around too. Both Michael and I love wide open landscapes, the feeling of being on top of the world, and crisp clean air, so we’re usually both happy anywhere at high altitude. Any time is a good time to run as long as I’m not fatigued. What’s your favourite minimalist shoe? Michael: First, I always look for shoes without a rubber sole to give me the greatest electrical connection to the earth, and feel of the terrain possible. That’s also why I’m barefoot over 90% of the time, but if I need to be in a shoe, then it’s terrain dependent. For the most part it’s a Soft Star Dash moccasin with a leather bottom, and if the conditions are incredibly gnarly, then it’s