What would I have liked to know when I started running?

This is exactly what you’re about to read is what would have saved me years of pain, doubts, and wasted money.

This is not theory.
It’s pure experience.

When I was a kid, running was something else entirely.
There were no watches, no apps, no Instagram coaches.

At ten years old, I used to go with the older kids from the neighborhood down to the river.
Eight kilometers there and back.

We looked for turtles, crossed at the shallow pass, and I came back home with my mouth dry as a raisin, but with a feeling of victory that not even climbing Everest could match.

Running was freedom.
Nothing more.

In my early twenties, I started running “seriously” again.
And that’s when the mess began.

Magazines, experts, technology, cushioning, gait control…
I believed it all.

Result: overloads, discomfort, stops, insoles, more cushioning, more correction…
And back to square one.

They sold me protection.
I needed function.

It took me years to understand it.

Until in 2010 a strange word appeared.

Barefoot.

Where everyone added things, here things were taken away.

Less sole, less correction, less fear.
I started using my feet for real.

And something very simple happened.

I ran again like that kid who used to escape to the river.

No pain.
No shadow of injuries.
No feeling that my body was fragile.

That’s why I understand the questions you ask me:

• What if I’m wrong changing footwear?

• What if I hurt myself by going “without protection”?

• Isn’t this just another trend?

And the answer is always the same.

You haven’t been taught to use your feet, only to immobilize them.

Modern footwear doesn’t protect: it replaces.

Barefoot doesn’t take anything away from you.

It gives it back.

If I were starting from scratch today, I’d be absolutely clear about it.

I’d spend more time barefoot.

I’d choose simple footwear for everyday use.

And I’d use it for everything, even to go to my own wedding.

So my feet would become strong without me even noticing.

If you’re at that point, these I leave you here are a brutal starting point:

• The Coqueflex Senzala

They’re beautiful.
You’ll wear them more than you imagine.
And above all, because they’re the kind of footwear you buy once and they change your feet forever.

Efectiviwonder

Health starts in your feet.

Antonio Caballo

PS1: You don’t need to be a runner, an athlete, or anything special. Just have feet and the desire to feel them again. The rest comes naturally.

PS2: Barefoot or minimalist footwear allows the foot to work naturally, without artificial cushioning or gait control. To start running barefoot, a progressive transition is key, alternating times and listening to your body.

Read the practical guide to do it step by step: barefoot running guide in PDF.