A Gathering of the Tribe

I had the pleasure of meeting up with ~8 other bare foot runners for a run and interview/photo session with the Boston Globe, hosted by the Shamrock Running Club in Woburn, MA. Here is a shot of the group that was able to make the run. Tim, far left, who runs barefootrunner.net, didn’t run but instead drove around with the photographer to help set up some action shots, probably because he ran 36 hours straight(!) a few days earlier to help raise donations of canned goods for the less fortunate– way to go Tim! Next to Tim is Jim, Ed (sorry, I think it was “Ed”!) who ran a ~3:15 marathon in VFFs a couple days earlier, and Preston. Very nice guys and I am looking forward to running with them all again sometime. The rest of us ran ~3.5 miles, getting to know each other a bit along the way and generally enjoying a nice evening run together.

Sadly, one fellow, who was speaking with the reporter, was left behind when the group abruptly took off for the run… and a couple other guys had to leave before the run, but came by to say hello and whatnot…it’s too bad we didn’t get more time together…next time! The story will be running within a couple weeks apparently, I’ll post a link when it does.

Fall in the Fells

I was able take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather over the last few days and enjoy some trail running in the reservation nearby. After barefooting the ~3 miles over there, I switched over to the MT100’s which worked extremely well except for a small blister that formed on my Achilles tendon from the rather stiff  heel cup. It looks worse than it is.

They seem quite tough for such a light shoe. I even wore them on the road for a bit on the way home and they worked well there too! As you can see from the rocky path picture above, the rock plate got more than its fair share of use and worked well. Color me impressed.

I’ve been putting off writing this entry for a few days, probably because I know I’ll do the experience little justice with my reporting, but I want to get something out…so I’ll end here, but will try to write more, as it was really a great couple days. I will note that on the second venture, I came across a beautiful Eastern Milk snake, about 3 feet long and enjoying a drink near some cascading waterfalls (I’ll bring the camera next time, I just discovered the area that day…).

Leapt.

Took the plunge and ordered some MT100’s and they should be arriving this week. I’m actually looking forward to trying them out because I’ve been itching to get out on the trails more!

My foot is still a bit sore from the rocks I landed on just right, but it’s getting better daily. Ran ~6 miles a couple days ago, ~5.25 bare and the remainder KSO’d.

~6.6 yesterday and the foot is still a bit tender. I kept an easy pace and it was a beautiful day out there as the colors invade the treeline more each day, although it was a bit chilly at the start! I’ve switched to long sleeves and thin compression shorts and they kept me comfortable once I got going.

Better…

Feeling a bit better than last time…got in ~3.8 bare today, although I cut it short because my foot is still sore from landing on whatever it was. Yesterday was ~5.8 KSO’d and fast, too fast perhaps as sometimes happens when the KSOs shield you from true contact. If I go tomorrow, I might try those AquaSoles I posted about below…if I go at all. A day or three of rest would do the foot some good…

The weather here is so nice now, cool and crisp…the last few runs have been great in that respect. Fall has surely fallen into its rightful place.

A little low…

~16 miles yesterday and despite still being a bit bruised from a short trail run recently, it felt good. I went bare for the first ~8 miles and wore KSOs for the remainder. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately and it had been a few days since my last outing. I took today off too…just not feeling as energetic as usual, a bit achey perhaps…but nothing very serious.

We’ll see…

~5.3 miles this morning in KSOs. I landed just so on a small rock or something yesterday (a +9 miler, a new barefooting distance record – hoot!) and bruised my foot a bit and the KSOs felt like some protection from that reoccurring, although I soon remembered, bare is best! There’s simply no substitute for me(!) anymore, when terrain allows. I can’t deny however, feeling the need to get back to the trail after the other day’s tease and I’d like to try the MT100s out. They sound like a reasonable compromise for now.

We’ll see…

The last few days have been a bit colder than those before them and I found myself in some ‘aqua soles’ if I need to go out. I found them a while ago at the Salvation Army store. They have approximately the same thickness as the KSOs, although they have some tread and are a bit ’spongier’. I haven’t really run in them, but I think they might work in that respect. They weigh about the same as the KSOs too. The first picture is the mark from the insoles, which have since been removed, they wouldn’t stay in place anyway.

We’ll see…

Fells and feets…

Felt feathery light after the 574s and had a good 9 miler Thursday. Even got in about a mile of trail running in KSOs, although that was rather slow going thanks to the very rocky trail I found in the Fells, but very enjoyable. I might have to try the MT100’s…the KSOs didn’t quite cut the mustard out there. I’d definitely like to spend more time in the woods again, it was nice to get away from the cars for a moment at least. Feet held up well with only minor abrasions…love these chip seal roads near me.

I’ve sort of given up on the Abebe Bikila book…too dry to hold my attention I guess. I’ve been reading a bit of Paula: My Story So Far by Paula Radcliffe, which is a bit ‘juicier’, although I haven’t really gotten into it yet.

Took a Walk On the Wild Side

For some unknown reason, I went out in some old New Balance 574s today. They felt ok surprisingly, although only for the initial mile. Kind of  nice actually, squishy and soft. Then they became noticeably heavy. I’m not sure what they weigh precisely, but they soon felt like bricks when compared to the heaviest footwear my feet have seen in months, my KSOs. So, next time I feel like some weight training, I’ll know how to proceed.

I didn’t really notice a huge difference in gait and I think I’ve become somewhat used to the ‘form’ needed to run without cushioning footwear so I may have just been able to translate that over without much trouble, and the rather low profile of the 574s didn’t hurt either.  I guess I was just curious what running in ‘regular’ footwear felt like as its been a while since I’ve done it.

Most telling was the fact that once I returned home and was walking the hall to my apartment door, my foot began ‘cracking’ again. It used to all the time, for years…I think it began after I smushed it into a car door that some considerate person had opened into the street when I was riding by…one of a few times I’ve received the ‘door prize’, fun times…anyway–every step I took, you would hear a snapping sound, no pain–just a cracking sound…that went away when I began running. Until today. Hmm…

I did ~3 miles today…~3 yesterday bare and ~15 the day before in KSOs. I hadn’t run for a few days before that because I had a special visitor in town, my mom! Hi mom!

Mix up mix up

I’ve gotten in a couple long runs in over the last few days…~13 on Wednesday and ~15 Friday and the hole in my heel is gone. I can’t say I will totally miss the KSOs however and might go back to mixing them in…these longer ones have felt good. The ankle seems to have adapted and doesn’t complain and I’d say I run more gently after dealing with it. Running every other day is feeling good so I’ll stick with that for now…

I just ran 11 miles, half bare and the other in KSOs…had some lunch…heading out with the fiance for ~3  in KSOs soon…she’s in shoes…I’m in the KSOs…

Titles… titles…

~3-10 miles a day since last posting…a good portion in KSOs, attempting to keep debris out of a small hole in the heel where I had to excavate a bit to remove a miniscule chip of glass. And a tiny pebble that had subsequently worked itself inside too. A few more days and it will fill itself in naturally. I’ve been enjoying the protection of the KSO and they allow me to run faster which often feels good. I can’t say I’m looking forward to my next encounter with glass…it, however, appears inevitable. Feeling good, so I’ll keep it steady ahead, maybe incorporate some doubles soon…

I have been (slowly) reading The Barefoot Runner – The Life of Marathon Champion Abebe Bikila by Paul Rambali and perhaps now that I’ve posted that I’ll get to reading it more often as I’ll need to return it to the library soon.