We had another great Barefoot Clinic on Tuesday 10th January with Matt Wallden from Primal Lifestyle – the shop was completely full. The evening is split into two with a presentation to start, giving the history, the science, the pros and cons plus the transitioning methods and times to start Barefoot Running. I have seen this talk several times and I love Matt’s approach. He looks at Barefoot Running from an evolutionary point of view. As he puts it, “Running shoes have existed for roughly 40 years but man has been running for hundreds and thousands.” He briefly outlines the body’s natural capacity to run barefoot but is very careful to stress the dangers of transitioning too quickly. Matt’s extensive knowledge in osteopathic medicine plus being a Holistic Lifestyle Coach and a Certified Metabolic Typing nutritional advisor adds so much.
The second part of the evening is a practical session outdoors. We all put on our Barefoot shoes and Matt starts to teach us to become more aware of our running posture and foot strike. Since injuries are common experiences with Barefoot Running we have to fine tune ourselves to listen to what the body is saying. Our gait, positioning, state of mind, stride and awareness are all so important. He gives us many training tips and watches each of us run and offers advice on the necessary changes we need to introduce.
To finish off we head back inside and Matt shows us several body strengthening exercises to support Barefoot Running. It’s just a great evening. People hang around a long time after the clinic is finished chatting to Matt to get even more personal help. If you are interested in Barefoot Running this will be of immense help... and it’s FREE. So come along to our next one!
Sahadeva Torpy
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“We recently attended the Barefoot Running Clinic at Run and Become's London branch. Matt gave an in-depth analysis of why Barefoot Running is such a great option, and more importantly, how to go about getting started. We both bought some Five Fingers and are ready to start our transition to Minimalist/Barefoot Running. We would recommend the course to anybody who has heard about Barefoot Running and wants to try it, or to people that have already started.”
“Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed tonight's clinic - great presenter and presentation, with a good balance between the presentation and workshop portions. I found it really helpful and everything very well explained. I will definitely be checking your website for other sessions.”
“Just wanted to say thanks for a very informative evening!”
“Just a quick note to thank you for putting on last nights Barefoot Running Clinic. I really enjoyed it as did my running buddy I brought along. I will see how I get on especially with the brand new shiny five fingers I bought last night. I have to say, I think putting these events on is such a brilliant idea for promoting your shop. Your website and store are so much more than that, for me they are an experience too. Well done and keep up the great work.”