"I Am Standing On A Mountain High"

I'm trying out some trainers that mimic barefootedness without the bare feet.

Yes. I'm going back to nature. It's only a matter of time before you start to hear rumours of the hare-lipped hiker wearing nothing but a guitar on his back and his heart on his sleeve. That'll be me.

Hmm. Well, it might be a marketing edge, who knows. But I really am using those shoes. I'm trying to get back to the original gait we allegedly have as young children, and we used to have as adults too, before the fairly recent advent of thick heeled shoes, which involves far more weight on the forefoot, and far less stomping on the heel. The latter has lead, research has shown, to a lot more stress injuries. And I'm a sucker for a bit of research.

So walking up The Hill is actually a bit harder at the moment. Simply because I'm using muscles in my achilles and shin that weren't getting much of an outing. But the shoes provide protection to my feet, without stopping me walking or running naturally. And it feels good.

I've always hated running, but I think I'm going to enjoy, at least a little bit, running in a more bare-footed style. I had a sprint up a slope and that felt good too. Just the strength in the muscles needing to adapt.

You may think this is all yet another middle age thing. And you might be right. I'm 50 next year, and I want to run the Kintyre 10km next May. Not because, as I said, that I like running. But simply to mark it in some way. Trying to get all The Boys to run with me. Don't know if they will. Doubt I'll beat 'em. I'll be trying. It's a goal.

And now I've made it either a bit tougher, or possibly, a bit easier, with this Bare Footed thing.

The Kenyans Can. Maybe I can too.


The line "I am standing on a mountain high" is from my unreleased song Bone Dry. 

Fee Comes Fourth