barefoot : as safe as bare-hand

a wonderful weekend camping with friends in Epping forest meant i forgot i was meant to be resting my feet.

instead, i walked in the forest, gathered wood, stretched and strained putting up the tent, and jumped about playing Frisbee.

so my heels are a bit sore again, but nothing too bad.

however, i did get a cut on my toe (because, of course, i was barefoot), and this raised a host of imagined "i told you so"s in my mind. proof positive that barefoot is not just weird, but dangerous!

which set me thinking...

i and a number of my friends got small cuts on our hands from the wood. there were a couple of minor burns or scolds. one leg was bruised. 

none of which caused any particular alarm.

where necessary plasters where deployed, but for the most part the injured soldiered on without a second thought.

so why are feet any different?
if you use something, it may show a little wear and tear: hands, cars (thanks red car, who dinked our car's door), and yes, even feet.

but bodies are designed to heel, and with sense no real damage is done.

Apparently there is a common risk of enjoying barefoot to much...

...and it seems i have made this mistake.

for the last week i have been hobbling and limping and generally suffering for really sore heels. not the underside,  the soles of my feet are feeling great, but the back, where the tendons and stuff join the bones.

the 'and stuff' there points to the problem in part - i am trying to re-train and strengthen my feet without a proper understanding of what i am doing.
so now i can't run, although i am getting better at walking again.

i think this is a problem that has been brewing whilst i was walking in my VFFs, as my feet started hurting earlier in the year. the extra strain of the running has done the rest.

so - i need to go back to basics.
i have bought this very interesting looking book, which i hope will bring me safely back to the path.
fingers and toes crossed!

morning run

same 1 mile route weaving around my neighbourhood, in 7:50 this morning.

i was running in my VFFs today, and really missed the feel of the ground. however, i was able to concentrate more on technique, and they will help me open out the distance faster than bare feet proper will allow.

so - a bit faster, a little bit softer.

the biggest positive, however, is that i got out of bed for a run on a work day. a first for this lazy bed-head...

also been doing some research about running barefoot, looking for help with style and safely.
birthdayshoes seems like a great resource, so i have some homework now.

Flights of fancy

Last year having decided to try my arm at archery, but not being able to join a club, i took a course to learn how to make a primitive longbow: that is a simple flat bow, with no recurve or other fancy bits.

Three days in beautiful Lakes countryside at Woodsmoke saw me learn how to use an axe and a hunting knife, producing a working bow.

I had never done any carpentry before this, so i was hugely pleased with the result (and not a little surprised) - my 6 foot ash stave was hacked down into an elegant bow, which shot straight and powerfully. 

But still having no club to shoot at, it now hangs on the wall.

The next task was clearly to learn how to make flint arrow heads...

Another long weekend earlier this year, this time with the wonderful tutoring of Karl Lee, saw me turning stone into beautiful arrow points, just like our ancestors, through Europe, Africa, the Americas...

This is white flint transformed into a tang and barbed arrow head.

Karl wasn't just a patient teacher, but also generous with his knowledge, and his stock of feathers - he knew my next task was to make the arrows...

I had made a couple of arrows when i made the bow, but felt uncomfortable at the thought of openly carrying a lethal weapon together with ammunition on the train back to London, so, sadly, i donated them to someone on the course.

But from September i will finally have a place to shoot, so i thought i should make some more arrows...

Clearly i have a retro thing going on, so wanted good wooden shafts, traditional points (the flints are for show for now), and natural feathers.
With supplies to make 12 arrows, over the weekend i made the first 4.
The points are black armour-piercing jobs (think Battle of Agincourt), the feathers are cock pheasant wing feather donated by Karl, held in place with (artificial) sinew. The feathers on two arrows have a twist and two are straight. The twist should create a rifling effect, spiralling the arrow as it flies. This should make it fly straighter. Although, it may be a while before i shoot well enough to properly see which is best...

Again, really happy with the results. The arrows look amazing. Will know in September if they work.