"The Barefoot Book" winner!

Using random.org, Rebecca was chosen as the winner of Daniel Howell's "The Barefoot Book!"  Rebecca, just send me an email at robillardj "at" gmail "dot" com, and I will get it out to you as soon as possible!

Burning River Initial Report, The Barefoot Running Book Pre-order, and The Barefoot Book giveaway!

Burning River

Well, I finished the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run this weekend!  While I did not meet my goal of running the entire race barefoot (I decided to wear huarache sandals after mile 33.3), I did set a 100 mile PR (27:48 or so).  

It was an awesome weekend!  Tons of thanks goes to my excellent crew consisting of my wife Shelly, Jesse Scott, and Barefoot Art.  I met a ton of wonderful people, got to spend time with friends I don't see often, and experienced the full Burning River course.  A full race report will be forthcoming, but here are a few highlights:

• I wore a kilt for the entire race,
• My "Mike's Hard Lemonade and chia" iskiate worked as planned,
• I realized drinking 92 ounces of beer the night before a race and getting four hours of sleep is a bad idea,
• I am considering abandoning my goal of running a barefoot 100 miler and focusing on getting competitive,
• I am very good at powering up hills, but equally bad at running down hills,
• I need to do more back-to-back long runs to reduce the amount of walking after the half-way point,
• I am capable of a pretty good kick, even at the end of a 100 miler.  Thanks to Jesse's inspiration and Shelly's leadership, I managed to crank out a 12:00 pace for the last 4.8 miles, highlighted by a 6:45 sprint over the last 100 yards.

Photo courtesy Laurie Colón

The race report will be written over the course of this week and will be posted here.  Check back often. :-)

In other news...

The second edition of "The Barefoot Running Book: A Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running" is almost done!  I am very excited; this edition is a significant improvement over the first edition.  To celebrate, I am offering it for only $9.99 + shipping and handling for about two weeks.  For those that order it, the book should arrive from the printer around the last week in August.  I will ship them as soon as they arrive.

The book can be pre-ordered here: CLICK HERE

Finally...

Just a reminder- you can win a copy of Daniel Howell's excellent "The Barefoot Book" by following these directions before August 4th (this Wednesday). 

Review: "The Barefoot Book" by Dr. Daniel Howell

"The Barefoot Book: 50 great reasons to kick off your shoes" is an absolute must-have for all barefoot runners.  If you are a barefoot runner or ever plan on running barefoot, this must be in your library.  This book is so valuable, this could effectively end the review.  Okay, I'll share some details...

Daniel Howell is an anatomy and physiology professor at Liberty University.  Daniel is also a fellow Society for Barefoot Living member and experienced barefooter.  His educational background provides the perfect framework for the topics contained within this book.

This book systematically makes a case for barefootedness.  Daniel starts by dismantling the "logic" used to justify the use of shoes.  I was familiar with the ideas presented in this section, but still found it to be extremely persuasive.  

The next section includes testimonials from a variety of people.  It is always entertaining to hear stories of people "seeing the light".

The next few sections talk about foot anatomy.  While I was vaguely familiar with this information, Daniel's explanations definitely expanded my knowledge base.  His expertise as an anatomy and physiology professor really shines.  

He includes a section on shoe construction, the effects of a raised heel, and the effects of shoes on developing children.  This section would turn Imelda Marcos into a dedicated barefooter.

Howell also includes sections on barefoot walking, hiking, and running.  I was pleasantly surprised to find his advice to be perfectly aligned with my teachings.  Even Howell's terminology is the same.  It appears as if there is a growing "standard" that is widely recognized in the teaching of barefoot running.

Finally, Howell dispels many myths about the barefoot lifestyle.  This section is especially useful as many of us will have to justify our decision to buck social mores.  He also includes a synopsis of the significant lawsuits that involve barefootedness.  

The book can be purchased from Amazon here: BUY ME!!!

Also, Daniel was kind enough to give me a copy to give away to one of my readers!  Here's how you can enter:

1. Become a Google Friend of this blog by clicking on "Follow" button in the right column of this blog,

2. "Like" The Barefoot Book's Facebook page by going here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Barefoot-Book/269343107104?ref=ts and clicking "Like"

I will randomly choose one Google friend on Wednesday, August 4th, crosscheck to confirm they "Liked" The Barefoot Book Facebook page, then contact the winner for a mailing address.  Good luck everyone!

As long as you are in the "Liking" mood, I'd appreciate you also liking The Barefoot Running Book's Facebook page!