As a ChiRunning® Instructor, mid-foot and barefoot running as always been very important in my running practice. You can look around this site and find all sorts of videos where I talk about the benefits of mid-foot running. Now go run barefoot and you will quickly learn that barefoot running is mid foot running. You will eventually stop heel striking. So, meeting Born to Run author, Christopher McDougall was a big deal for me.

Born to Run, soon to become a major motion picture, is one of my favorite books. I have the unabridged audio versions and I listen to random chapters all the time. Why? Because it reminds me of so many focuses in my own running.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012, I got the chance to run with McDougall. I had interviewed him in February 2010 at the LA Marathon Expo but didn’t run with him then. The run was great. A gorgeous evening in Agoura Hills. We had a 3 or 6 mile choice. Almost everyone opted for 6 miles. McDougall is a really cool guy. He took time to run with and talk to each one of us. At the end of the run we went to the The Lab Brewery for some beers.

Like runners do, we shared stories and planned future runs. In fact McDougall was supposed to run with some of us Friday morning. But, Micah True, otherwise known as Caballo Blanco had been missing for a couple of days and McDougall was starting to worry. If you read Born to Run Caballo could go missing for a few days and you normally wouldn’t worry but this time felt different. Many of you know the rest of Caballo story. He was found dead Friday.

Everyone I knew was bummed out. Even though we didn’t know Caballo we felt we did from McDougall’s book. So this video sat on my computer. Well, this Saturday is the Born to Run Ultra in Los Olivos, CA. I have some friends running it. I would be too but I am already committed to the Palos Verdes and Pasdena Half Marathons this weekend. I felt this was the time to put this video together and remembering what a great night we had that Wednesday.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Occasional Barefoot Runner