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The first Mac that I remember having was an LC back in my high school days, circa 1996. My older brother managed to pick one up for our family from somewhere and I used it for designing Hypercard stacks (remember those, anyone?), playing with digital pictures and eventually even connecting to the Internet. It had a WHOPPING 4 MB of RAM and a 40MB hard drive that eventually got so full with *compressed* files that I later upgraded it to an 850MB drive. I remember thinking that I would NEVER come close to filling it.
Since then we've used/I've owned a PowerMac 7300, Powerbook G3 (400Mhz "Pismo"), Powerbook G4 (1.25 Ghz aluminum - still have, bad hard drive), iMac G4 (800Mhz "sunflower") and Power Mac G5 (Dual proc 2.0Ghz - currently use).
Our next buys will likely be a new hard drive for the Powerbook G4 and eventually a MacBook Pro.
Thanks for the great question! -
Great question! Thanks for asking.
I know that more "famous" barefoot runners than myself like Barefoot Ted and Barefoot Ken Bob have their core tips for starting out running unshod, but I'd be happy to come up with a few of my own.
So, Barefoot Michael's 3 Top Tips for Starting Out Running Barefoot:
1) Walk Barefoot.
Wait. Did I say that right? Indeed, dear reader, I did. If you have to crawl before you can walk, you've got to walk before you can run. Your feet are likely very accustomed to being encased in shoes, some of which haven't been to friendly to your paws. I always recommend that you first reintroduce your feet to your head. Walk on surfaces you're not used to in order to get your mind used to all the sensitivity that's built into your soles. You don't just want to start running on a part of your body that's been shielded away for a long time from most sensation. Not only that, but your feet need some time to strengthen up. Walk up and down stairs without shoes. Do some exercises barefoot. Go outside and walk a hilly park barefoot. Reacquaint yourself with your feet before you EVER start running on them.
2) Get Ready to Hurt...For a Little While.
Whether you're a runner now or not, your body is going to take some time to adjust to the different muscles and joints that are used when running barefoot. Start out running barefoot for no more than a couple of minutes. That will be enough to leave your calves sore the next couple of days. That's okay, it always happens. Likewise, the pads of your feet may be a bit raw. That's also normal and the beginning of the process to thicken the soles on your feet. Each time you run barefoot your calves will get a bit less sore and your soles will be a little less rough. Give barefoot running some time and the soreness and pain will go away and leave pleasure in their wake.
3) Don't Think Too Much.
Unless you were trapped in a box your whole childhood, you ran. And when you ran, you likely didn't think about it. Why? You were having fun then, and you can do it again now. My point is this: You already know how to run. What's more, you know how to run barefoot. You just have to get yourself back into the "groove" and let your body do the rest. Now, something very important to remember is that you CAN still get hurt. Nobody will ever tell you that running barefoot eliminates all possibility of injury. If they do, they're lying to you. Listen to your body. If your "gut" is telling you something's not right and that pain is more than just soreness, rest. If it gets worse, rest more and get it checked out. -
Thanks for your question!
At this point it's hard to say when I'll return to running. Though my doctor wants a follow-up at four weeks, it could be a total of six to eight before I'm back out there. That could mean that I don't start running again until April. After that, it could take a while to recondition my legs to the point that I'd be ready to run an organized race.
As of right now I'm tentatively planning for my first race back to be the Hospital Hill 5K here in Kansas City on June 5, 2010. That should give me plenty of time to recover from the stress fracture and recondition for the race. Let's all cross our fingers. -
Thanks for the question, Jake! We DO encourage our kids to go barefooted a lot. Research has clearly shown that children's feet should be uninhibited as much as possible while they're still in the process of growing.
Do they go barefooted everywhere all the time? No, but if my wife and I don't perceive a risk of the kids hurting themselves due to inattentiveness of the environment around them then we'll generally let them go unshod.
If we do have them wear shoes, we try to make more flexible "minimalist" footwear available that allows their feet to breathe and move naturally.
In the end, we want our children to grow up knowing that shoes are NOT usually necessary and that they're feet are healthier overall when not confined in footwear.
Smiles,
Michael
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Barefoot Michael’s Bio
I'm a dad, husband, Christian, runner, Mac user and media pro who goes barefooted whenever possible because it's really quite comfortable, healthy and safe.
I reserve the right to not answer a question if I find it inappropriate or off topic.
