Hi GoodLife, I know you have been checking in on me. Please call me. I would love to have a talk with you about your policy, my reasons why I run barefoot, and maybe, just possibly, we could come up with an understanding. I actually like your gym, the equipment works and the place is pretty clean, so I would like to carry on using the place for my cold weather running days. I would really love to go barefoot on the treadmill though.
Feel free to ask me questions, quiz me on all things barefoot, you might decide, I am pretty good guy, and not a poop disturber.
I had a great run on your treadmill tonight, and not wanting to cause any trouble, I wore my Five Finger monkey shoes. You might wonder why those aren’t barefoot enough for me. Do you wonder that? Well, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – If you are wearing shoes of any sort, it is not barefoot running.
I was hoping my membership in your gym would go to good use in keeping up my foot fitness that I so painstakingly built up over the summer, and I don’t want to lose this ‘footness’, if you will. My marathon is on May 1st, and as you know, there still may be freezing temps and snow on the ground right up till then, and I really don’t want to have ‘soft’ feet for my first 42.2k run. As you know, confidence is a big part of distance running, and it would help my confidence greatly if I had a lot of barefoot miles under my soles prior to the race.
Thanks for taking the time to get back to me, I promise I won’t take up much of your time, and if you say no, I will respect that and cause no waves for you.
Take care and Good Fitness,
Barefoot Neil Z,
(Email me at nzeller at shaw dot ca, and I will email you my telephone number)
Mabe we can all sign a peiion elling ha gu o le ou run barefoo on he readmill! I's no like ou have fungus fee! Jeesh!
ReplyDeleteIf you walk on your hands on the treadmill, is it their policy that you wear gloves?
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ReplyDeleteNellie jus kills me wih her commens....don' give up Neil...keep rying
ReplyDeleteCanada = bereaucracy
ReplyDeleteGood luck Neil! Hopefully they will be reasonable and not just throw a "general" non existent rule at you. I love clubs that actually care about the individual and try to meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteHope this is not the last post about this issue. The next one hopefully will be about how you were allowed to run barefoot and inspired other members to do the same.
ReplyDeleteplease keep us informed. I really want to hear the reply
ReplyDeleteWhile I was still a member of the gym, I ran in my socks...no one said anything, but I didn't actually dare go barefoot. Seriously, I don't get it, it's you who has the most to worry about since you're the one going barefoot. The guy before you could have stepped in dog poop outside and then he's running on the treadmill...is there a clean your sneakers before climbing on the treadmill policy? Good luck with this...
ReplyDeleteThat was a nice letter. I hope it proves effective, and they will see how cool it is to have a barefooter training for his first marathon at their gym.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, maybe you can get another sponsor out of this!
Neil I enjoy the blog, well written and so well-updated. You can almost smell the upcoming 'but' here...
ReplyDelete...the 'but' is because half the reason I enjoy the blog is the car crash waiting to happen. After injuries etc. and the low mileage you managed to keep at the end of 2010, I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned that you simply aren't ready for a marathon. Sure you'll complete it: it's evident you're a determined guy. But a better plan would be to build a base and run one in the fall, hit a goal time instead of just completing the 26.2. I know you'll all disagree, but this dissenting opinion needs to be written :0)
Speaking of determination, put some shoes/VFFs on when on the treadmill. The staff at Goodlife may not have had the rule to hand, but if they don't have it in the manual it's because it's one of the more obvious and common sense rules, like don't workout naked or bring your own 1980's boom-box a la Venice Beach.
Again, I know you won't like or agree with this, but it's a liability issue. This is moving machinery with hard edges surrounding it - one slip from your sweaty, hotspotted feet and you can get a good chunk of toe or heel go missing down the treadmill gutter. You'd wear protective gear at work - where the WCB or insurance won't pay if you don't - so why is it different in the gym?
The counter-argument I guess is that you would never be too effin stupid to lose concentration on form or proprioception to slip on the treadmill....
Exhibit A: http://becauseallthecoolkidsaredoingit.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-i-did-its-just-too-effin-stupid.html
Thanks for the comments D.E. I appreciate the time you took to read through my blog, and feel free to check back often! I hear your concerns loud and clear, and just know I am a pretty thoughtful guy, and I hope I am making good choices. Only time will tell, right. One thing for sure is I have always had a full disclosure policy on this blog, so if you keep reading, you will be sure to find out of you are right on any or all counts!
ReplyDeleteStay in touch ok? Oh, I have a reader mail section I write every once in a while, do you mind if I repost your comments there? I love a good debate!
Neil
How did you find my blog by the way?