It’s almost a year now I  got into barefoot running. The last couple of months before my partaking in the Atacama Crossing 2010 I had been a bit more cautious. But once back from the Chilean desert I got serious about it, carefully building up the distance again.

I run barefoot a couple of times every week now, alternating with ‘minimalist shoes’ and running shoes. In the future I also want to try running on moccasins, mukluks and sandals.  

To be honest, at the moment, the “athletic part” of barefoot running is of no importance at all. It is a spiritual experience. You feel every little stone, you feel the wet grass in the morning, you feel the dirt and mud. At times I even find a beautiful flower between my toes.

The connection with the earth is something we are not used to anymore, our modern day jumbo shoes give us brutal power, but no finesse, no balance.

Going barefoot has proved to be a fantastic step in a new direction to me.

I am grounded again.