One of the oddball things I did as a kid that I never grew out off, was to go around barefoot.
As a child, I'd run around the driveway and played in bare feet. Badminton on the road was without shoes. I loved the tactile feel of the ground under my feet, the sure-footedness of my steps, and the comforting grips of my toes against the surface.
I hated the shackles of footwear as it was cumbersome and clumsy. In fact, I was always tripping in them, and only learnt how to keep steady in my junior college years. It became so often that I learnt to catch myself mid-fall by running forward whenever I tripped on my own feet. I only ever wore shoes to school and even sandals or slippers were eschewed whenever possible.
When I was home alone, I'd pretend to be a stealthy ninja, running up and down the stairs with quiet footfalls - swift and silent. Funnily, I continued to move this way even in junior college and university, leading to some people calling me a ghost. They could never hear my footsteps and would get a rude shock when I greeted them from behind.
I remember running all around the hostel barefoot in secondary school, my roommates complaining about the dirt my feet would bring in. My university training partners would joke about me being a kampong or village boy, as I'd train barefoot on the basketball courts and other rough terrain.
So yes, I wasn't a big fan of shoes. I compensated awhile with a pair of thin, flat soled Adidas I bought at a sale, although most times I preferred the breathability of my Teva sandals. But it never occurred to me to run barefoot either, nor did I learn about minimalist footwear until a happy coincidence.
Around the same time when I was trying to fit in a running schedule, I came across Vibram Five Fingers on a forum. Guys were using it for gym, training and running, and the unusual design tickled my inner eccentric fashionista.
I told myself I had to get a pair, and after a quick online search, I was delighted to find them locally at a shopping centre just 15 minutes away from my place. Immediately, I rushed down to get a pair despite the exorbitant cost locally, more than 1.5x what it'd cost to ship them from the States.
The only pair they had in my size was the KSO, so I went with it. The first time I put it on, it was amazing. I could wiggle my toes and feel the texture of the ground. Literally toe gloves! I was hooked, and proceeded to order more Vibrams online.
Thus, I had 'rediscovered' how it was to go around barefoot, now that I could do so all the time, instead of just at home or during training. Funny that it should come about just as I was about to start running, and become a big part of my running life as well! There's still so much more to learn, but I'm a nerd, and that only excites me more!
