Endurance Planets interviews "Barefoot" Ted McDonald

I had a great chance to get interviewed by Endurance Planet's Tawnee Prazak. In this interview you will get a chance to hear my latest musings on my philosophy of life. You will learn much more about my thoughts on barefooting and about my favorite footwear LUNA Sandals.

Follow this link to hear the whole interview: http://www.enduranceplanet.com/barefoot-ted-mcdonald-the-philosophy-of-getting-back-to-natural/

From Endurance Planet's website about the contents of this interview:

On this show we learn about the philosophy of what it means to run barefoot and naturally:

• Ted’s quest to discover primal natural human capacities. What does that entail? What got him on this path in life? 
• His SoCal background growing up surfing, skating, and loving brands like “Hang Ten” 
• His philosophy: Self-experimentation is key. Find your own path. Share what you discover. Repeat. 
• Patience and mindset when pursuing barefoot/natural running. 
• It took Ted about 10 years to master barefoot technique, and in that process he regained connectedness, mindfulness, and presence in running and body. 
• What does Ted see has come of the minimalist craze and injury rate, has it gotten away from what barefoot/minimalist running should be about? 
• Getting back to the root of why we participate in outdoor activity: whether it’s spirituality, connectedness, achieving the state of flow, etc. 
• Sport: Don’t get caught up in results and competition; it’s ok just to get out there, move, participate and feel 
• Anarchistic philosopher J. William Lloyd in 1890 wrote the first treatise on running where he suggests that health and pleasure should be our primary motivation for movement, not competition. 
• Lloyd wrote in a paper on coed running clubs and games in the 1890s: 
• “I would advise that each runner leave shoes and stockings at home, but of course this should be optional with the individual; next to bare feet are sandals, next to sandals moccasins, next to moccasins, soft, low shoes.” 
• How people can safely transition from a life-time of shoe-wearing to barefoot/minimalist. Hint: It depends. 
• From Ted’s blog; his three goals to master barefoot/minimalist running
• 1. Master gentle, quiet, forefoot-centric landings, silent and smooth.
• 2. Quicken your cadence: Running in bare feet encourages this naturally.
• 3. Stable upright posture: balanced head, core engaged, unbent torso, the feeling of balance, relaxed, yet strong. 
• The inspiration behind LUNA sandals, the design and how they came to fruition 
• LUNAs vs. Vibrams or other minimalist run shoes 
• Comparing LUNA wearer’s to “more traditional” runners 
• What your footwear says about why you are running 
• What’s the deal with his latest business: Solowheel Seattle? 
• “Choose the simplest solution that works well”