Jason Robillard

This has got to be the strangest guide to running I have ever come across. Okay, to be fair it is chock full of useful information and thensome. Hey, you even learn the names of clouds...as in cirrostratus and stratocumulus. I kid you not. But. But! But, it's all organized in a bizzarro way. Here's an example: you are reading all about wilderness dangers (because nature can kill). Robillard is covering what to do in cases of ticks, snakes, even cougars. Then all of a sudden he jumps to information about foam rollers and stretching. Just when you think he's moved on from the hazards of nature he returns to tripping on tree roots and the importance of learning to fall correctly. More safety information. The stick/roller information seems really out of place. Having said all that, one look at the table of contents and you know this isn't your typical runners' guide. I would say beginner runners shouldn't attempt to use this book as a serious guide. Serious ultrarunners will know everything he's talking about and I would say, the more experienced the runner, the funnier Robillard gets.… (más)

When my good friend of many years recently told me about his new passion of barefoot running, to say I was skeptical would be an understatement. The whole notion seemed utterly fringe and ridiculous. Still, he recommended I read two books before making up my mind, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and this one, The Barefoot Running Book by Jason Robilliard. Okay, I'm convinced. The idea of un-protecting my foot in order to strengthen it and prevent future injury sounds counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, the science is slowly backing up this claim. The barefoot and minimalist running movement is part rebellion against profit-seeking shoe companies, part searching for why running injuries have increased exponentially in the past 50 years, and part exploration of a different kind of natural approach to running. A simple primer argument is this: Children are encouraged to spend lots of time barefoot in order to build up their foot posture and muscles so why is the same practice discouraged once we get older? I'm a new convert to the practice so I reserve the right to change my mind down the road. So far my experiences have been exhilarating! There is an emotional connectivity to the ground that surprised me, like I used to be asleep while running.

The book itself is very good, offering numerous tips on getting started and all the while the author constantly (and rightly) reminds you to take it slow. The how-to subject matter can easily be condensed down to half the size or more since a lot of progress in barefoot running is self-discovery, but the extra anecdotes don't diminish the book at all. His trail journal of the Hallucination 100 is an especially good coda for the book.… (más)