Many moons ago, fui un soldado del Ejército de los Estados Unidos.
During my time in the army, I did two tours in Iraq - and during those two tours I met many people. One of the interesting things I noted was that the people who lived and worked in Baghdad and the surrounding countryside were kind, genuine, hard-working people who loved their families...nothing like what I had been told to expect in my pre-deployment training - but I digress; this is not a post about my opinions on war or the US government...it's a post about feet, ankles, calves and shoes.
I was with the cavalry, which meant we went out into the communities and surrounding areas every day. Most of the time, it was IED patrols, TCP's, rooftop OP, raids, escorts, QRF etc., but occasionally we would just be on street patrol missions, which gave us time to get familiar with the locals. We had dinner with neighborhood Imams and sometimes with our interpreters' families, we would check out local shops (I got a guitar from one that made life much more bearable for me) - and often enough, when we got the chance, we'd play football (soccer) with the kids out in the neighborhoods...which is where this story takes its inspiration.
You see, I learned something from those kids that has stayed with me now for decades. They played soccer against soldiers with heavy boots, in dusty, rocky fields - all with no shoes. I used to marvel at their tenacity and strength and - particularly because the army had policies against being barefoot in any capacity or at any time except while sleeping basically, I remember laying at night and dreaming of my life in the future, where I would be free to toughen up my wimpy little tenderfeet.
I didn't take any pictures back then and couldn't find any online...at least, not of Iraqi kids. I guess it turns out they're just as tough in Africa. So there you see it (above)...this was the inspiration that changed the way my feet interact with the earth that supports them...although for a few years as I finished out my contract, I actually forgot about the fascination.
When I got out of the military however, I began pondering biomechanics. Particularly, I concerned myself with foot/ankle mechanics, and my constant knee pain. Since exiting the service, I'd found that I couldn't run much more than a mile before my knees would be exploding with pain. I remembered my curiosity about barefoot life, and wondered if maybe our ankle joint was meant to absorb the brunt of the impact when we are walking or running...essentially, I wondered if the shoes they claim protect our feet were actually causing us to destroy our own knees. I looked to nature, and saw that every other creature in nature demands much more from their ankles than us shoe-wearing tenderfoots.
I decided that the correct usage of the feet/ankles would likely be to stay on the balls of the feet, with the heel always off of the ground.
The first time I set out on a barefoot run was in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. I made it about 100 feet tops, and realized I wasn't even going to be able to walk a mile without shredding my feet...but I had seen the kids...I knew this was not impossible, but rather a matter of strengthening. So I ventured out into the streets, barefooted, at least once a week...basically as soon as my feet healed from the previous excursion, I went out and tried to go a little further.
After a while, my feet became strong enough to handle walking a few blocks without hurting, so I decided it was time to start running - and what I found was that there was a second act of conditioning that would need to take place - my calves could not sustain the effort of dampening the impact of landing after each stride without striking my heel.
I remember by the end of it all, I used to be able to run on blacktop or concrete for miles. I'd often come home, sit down in the front yard, and pull the thorns and glass shards from my callouses. Occasionally something would go deep enough to hurt - in which case I would just sit down and pull it out before continuing - but most of the time, I didn't even notice things sticking in there.
So here we are, now it's been more than a decade. I've had kids, changed careers, and ultimately gotten out of the practice. Fortunately, I have the memory of knowing that I can do it, which makes coming back to it feel a little less overwhelming, but my feet are no longer tough like they once were, and my calves are no longer used to the heavy labor of toe-running.
I've been going around Greenfield Lake on my lunch breaks this summer, instead of playing guitar by the water. Don't ask me why, it's just what I'd prefer to be doing for some reason. Most days I walk, but at least once each week I try to run the whole 5 mile track. Eventually I'd like to be able to run the whole track, every day.
I tried going barefoot a month or two ago, but was discouraged by the exceedingly rough terrain out there. The path itself is made of a coarse blacktop with rocks jutting out all over, and the path is surrounded by trees that drop hard little nuts and shit everywhere. I started wearing these over the last couple weeks:
They allow me to stay off of my heels while still protecting my feet from the rough surface, but I had an idea for an alternative shoe that would help train me to stay completely off of the heels while running - and since they don't sell the kind of shoe I had in mind, I decided to use an old pair of shoes to make some for myself.
I started out with this old pair of Sketchers. The soles fell off a few years ago, but I saved them in case I ever wanted an old pair of shoes, either for leather or for some kind of ridiculous shoe-project...to be honest, I always assumed it'd be the former.
Nonetheless, I had done my long preparations, and my arduous efforts had clearly paid dividends.
I cut the old brown shoes in half, creating a curved edge that follows the natural curvature of the foot. I kept the tongue and lace-holes in case I wanted to tighten them...everything was planned so perfectly.
I spread Liquid Nails adhesive across the bottoms of the cut insoles, reinserted them, then put the running shoes on and pressed them into place.
I removed the laces, and decided once the soles were in place that I would use this blue paracord instead.
I found a scrap of leather that would just barely be enough.
It came up a little short on the right shoe, but I went ahead and used it anyway.
I prepared the leather sole with duct tape on the bottom side. I would use this to hold the sole in place while the glue dries...perfect planning.
I pressed the sole to the shoe, ensuring proper alignment, then I put the shoe on and wrapped the tape snugly around my foot.
While the soles dried, I redid the laces with blue paracord in a "bar" style lacing pattern.
I like to use a soldering iron to cut off the excess cord; it helps lock it all together.
24 hours later, the soles were firmly attached to the shoes...my wild invention was complete, and it was time to take them for a test run!
DRUMROOOOOOOOOOLLL, PLEEEEEEEAAAAAASE!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAND…they suck! 🤣
…yep, better off barefoot!
Fortunately for me in this case I have spent some time breaking my feet in on these rough surfaces, but usually I bring a pair of shoes so I can put them on when I start to wear out.
It was harder to stay on the balls of my feet with the new toe shoes on than it was with nothing - but in fairness, this was mostly because they kept slipping down/off. I think some straps would help make them a little more usable, but in the mile or so that I wore them, I never felt like they helped keep me off of my heels any better than wearing thin soled shoes and telling myself not to let my heel hit. However, I did notice that they sucked while standing still, and they were shitty when I cross over loose, gravelly terrain or areas with lots of acorn shells and crap on the sidewalk.
All-in-all, I would rate this as possibly my worst DIY invention ever - and the best part is, I bet no one would be surprised to hear that 🤣
Thanks for checking out some more of my work! I apologize if this one felt like a waste of time hahaha - I started documenting at the beginning of the project, and when it completely flopped, I thought at least it might be worth a laugh :)
As always, I hope you enjoyed witnessing as much as I enjoyed creating!
© Photos and words by 
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