Review for Head to Toe: Showdown at Shepherd's Bush and OOFOS Sandals

Wanted to do a quick review of two totally separate things. One for each extreme of your body.

First up is a review for your head as I look at Showdown at Shepherd's Bush: The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze.  This book chronicles the build up, event and aftermath of the 1908 London Olympic s Marathon.  If you are in any way, shape, or form a runner, you need to read this book to understand the roots of not only the marathon in its present form but how popular the sport once was. If you are not a runner, it is still a great read very light on numbers so as not to confuse you with split times, fartleks or what have yous.

The research that goes into this book alone is massive as is shown by the endnotes.  Moreover, you feel like the events just happened a few years ago, they are so vivid.  The shocking racism toward Irish and Native Americans in this book is a reminder of our not-so-distant past. Also surprising (but not if you think about it) is the rivalry between English and Americans. We often forget as Americans that our closest ally was the country we fought to be free from not all that long ago.  This battle between mother and stepchild is intense and vivid.

But it is the showdown itself, even with the conclusion known, that draws readers in. Seeing the whirlwind tours the marathon runners went on, trying to cash in as quickly as possible on not only the possible fleeting desire of people to watch runners but the quick window in which runners are at their peak, was remarkable. Many things you thought you knew about the marathon are corrected in this book.

With regards to your feet, stop what you are doing and get yourself a pair of OOFOS sandals. Sweet fancy moses are these comfortable.  I received a pair of sandals and flip fops from OOFOS to test ride and I was blown away.  I cannot stand flip-flops.  Having that little band between my toes drives me crazy.  But the actual footwear portion was so dreamlike I actually kept them on longer than my previous flip-flop PR which was about 15 seconds.

However, when I put the OOAHH slide sandals on, I knew I was in foot nirvana. I had once tried Crocs and thought if they weren’t the ugliest things in the world, I might want to wear them as they felt pretty good.  OOFOS feel even better and don’t look like you should be drooling in a dirty terrycloth robe with Jack Nicholson in an insane asylum.

I don’t like to have things on my feet when I do not have to.  But as I sit here typing this review, my foot is being massaged by these fantastic sandals. Honestly, you owe it to yourself to get a pair.