Barefoot Three Years

I switched to barefoot when preparing for a marathon three 
years ago. Both that idea and the minimum shoes I chose
were inspired by the book "Born To Run." It just felt such a
right thing to do, no matter how hard it was for the first
few months. Neither did I regret even in the toughest leg of
that race.

I haven't run much since the 2015 San Francisco Marathon. 
But the barefoot lifestyle has stayed. I wear minimum shoes
all year round and only temporarily slip into normal shoes, 
e.g., when going back to Beijing in the winter. Over the
past three years, I bought exactly one pair of shoes, for a
Christmas event.

Of the three pairs of Xero Z-Trek huaraches I purchased in
2015, the right M8 (i.e., Male Size 8) snapped at where the
strap joins the sole at the right back early 2018 (So it had
lasted almost exactly 3 years). The 5.5mm soles on the Blue
and Mocha M7s have been thinning out evenly at the balls and
unevenly (thinner outside) under the heels. A recent trip to
Mission Peak made me keenly aware of the less protection
at the balls, especially downhill. Pointy gravels seemed to
pierce through and I had to be extra careful.

Recently, I found ancient support of the barefoot lifestyle 
in the book "What Doesn't Kill Us."
      
      Instead of softening their feet with shoe or sandal, 
      his rule was to make them hardy through going
      barefoot. This habit, if practiced, would, as he
      believed, enable them to scale heights more easily and 
      clamber down precipices with less danger. In fact,
      with his feet so trained the young Spartan would leap
      and spring and run faster unshod than another shod in
      the ordinary way.

          -- Xenophon of Sparta, 431-354 BC.

Going through pain wasn't all fun but I seldom asked the 
question: is it worth it? To me, health is almost everything
and it is not just about myself. For the higher purposes, 
comfort, convenience, and conformity all can be sacrificed.