Reconnecting with the natural way

For someone who spends so much of his life walking in the woods you might find the title of today’s blog slightly strange.

As always I will explain.

On Saturday my partner took the kids and went off to meet up with some friends for a walk nearby.

Minttu and I had a little window for a good adventure. It has been a little while since we were last out for a run. But then again it was Saturday and I knew the woods near Sognsvann would be super crowded on a sunny Saturday.

I hatched a plan and made some simple rules:

1. Barefoot shoes.

2. 50 minutes.

3. We will limit ourselves to an area of wood just behind where we live which is always deserted. An old quarry from the end of the 19th century which is now overgrown woodland.

4. Only breathe through my nose.

And so off we ran into the woods. With the ice and snow now gone, we were able to see the myriad of tiny paths criss-crossing the area.

We ran and ran without any particular goal or destination. Constantly changing direction and paths I must have been like the nightmare sheep for my poor border collie.

She was desperately trying to anticipate my next move but even I did not know it until the step before.

With barefoot shoes you are solely focused on the next step. Land on an awkward root or sharp rock and you could be looking at a fractured metatarsal. Both this and nasal breathing clearly reduce the speed of the run, but it is the natural foot plant and pace at which are ancestors would have hunted.

Whilst not allowing myself to breathe through my mouth, I have to find the rhythm and limits of my current physical shape. Readjusting the whole time when you feel like you need to gasp for air.

It is these techniques that helped our ancestors cover great distances and run their prey to death through exhaustion.

By not giving myself a predefined route or destination to achieve, I am simply having fun. It is impossible to achieve a personal best when you are zigzagging over every possible different trail, and to remember the route you have run is just unrealistic.

I run for the love of running, not to get fit, not to lose weight, not to boost the ego through bettering a previous time on a given run.

Why not try it?

If anyone is interested or would like recommendations on good places to try this, please just let me know.

Doggies: Jello, Quila, Oscar, Lexi and Ibsen