Recently, I watched the documentary _The Perfect Runner_ which details how we're physically equipped to be some of the best endurance runners in the world. In the time between our near-monkey ancestors descended from the trees until we started developing our brains (and using tools), our species had to survive somehow. We could quite easily have been food for a fair few animals (since this all originated somewhere in Africa), but somehow our species has managed to survive and evolve. The film outlines how walking on two legs instead of four conserves a lot of energy enabling us to grow much more intelligent. But this intellectual development to thousands of years to reach the point where we even discovered (the use of) fire. So what came in between? On a personal level, I have never been fond of running. It's always felt like a drugdy experience, something I never understood why one would undertake. I always felt heavy after a run, my legs would be heavy and my knees especially sore (on the plus side, I've never had major knee problems). But the film questions the way in which we're taught to run today, by examining the style of running in the pre-tools human era. Or rather, they observed how we run in our natural garments: barefoot. Barefoot running has in some ways become a whole movement of its own, there are several groups that propone barefoot running, and it makes sense. The simple argument is: if we couldn't run barefoot, how can we run with shoes? Moreover though, my question is: how does one come about becoming a barefoot runner, when one has been cushioned up in shoes the entire life? I was brought up wearing shoes. Given that I've lived my entire life in Denmark, one needs shoes for the winter, but throughout the summer it's possible to go barefoot. Indeed, there have been summers where I've gone without shoes as much as possible. A very specific thought I struggled with for years was how much it hurts to walk barefot on pebbles, but given in a couple of months' time one can get used to it. I would deliberatly walk barefoot on pebbles in an attempt to get used to it. I recently spoke to my brother about this, whereupon he remarked that he used to run across pebbles without problems. When he was young, he never had problems with a rough surface. *The Plan* I need to strengthen my legs and feet in order to get used to running barefoot. For basic strength I have taken up skipping rope. The little skips I believe resemble the landing mechanism of forefoot running. I've started out with 10 minutes of skipping a day, which so far really tightened up the back of my calves (_gastrocnemius_ in Latin). I started out with skipping in the days between 12/12-2012 and 20/12-2012, and for about a week I did each day ten minutes of skipping. The goal is to do a full ten minutes of uninterrupted skipping, but not being the best in the world I often trip and have to start over. But right now I'm focusing on simple technique and endurance development. On December 20, 2012, we left for Calgary for the holidays, and I wasn't very much active during that time. However, yesterday (2/1-2013) I started up again and skipped eleven minutes without any problems. This was a welcome feeling of improvement, even though it's a minor one. Furthermore I purchased a pair of _Vibram FiveFingers_™, which I'm hoping could help with the transition to running barefoot. The goal is to be able to run completely barefoot. Personally I'm a little against something like specialised shoes, but given that I'll be running in (sub-)urban environments, it's probably a good idea to have some sort of protection. Yesterday, after the skipping, I felt like I had more energy, so I decided to go for a very small run, remembering the advice I'd received from the mother of an old friend that, when getting used to barefoot running it's wise to start out with very small distances, something akin to less than a kilometer. So I ran the length of the street from our house to the one end and back. Being a tiny street (by Canadian standards) this works out at 350 meters, totalling 700 meters for the first run. To be honest, my calves are very sore today, so I'll restrict the exercise to the skipping. For now I think a mix between skipping every day and running a little every other day will be the start. I have no clue whether or not this is a good plan of action, but I want to take it at my tempo, and let my instincts decide. And they're telling me that this running business should not wear me out every time I engage in it. There is certainly a bonus involved in this skipping though that I've felt in my arms. The rotational movement involved in swinging the rope can be felt in my chest and the muscles in my shoulders and arms, which is also welcome. I guess there's a reason why boxers engage so much in it. However, given that running seems to be so ingrained in our natures, it feels silly not to explore it. It almost comes across as a kind of primal instinct which I'd very much like to explore. Running should be fun and the ultimate goal is to let it become just that.