Barefoot Bonehead

Spring soon!

Barefoot Bonehead — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:13:01 +0000

The ear is healing up fine and I’ve been running ~35 miles per week for the last few weeks, most of that barefooted and indoors on a treadmill. When I do get outside, I’ve been in New Balance MT-100′s, for warmth. I ran ~3 miles in KSOs outside one day, but they seem to make my plantar fascia feel odd.

It feels really good to be running more lately. C’mon Spring!

Back on the streets, sort of, again

Barefoot Bonehead — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:21:13 +0000

It’s been a few weeks since the surgery and everything is healing up properly and I’ve actually regained some hearing in the affected ear! I also received clearance to resume running! I promptly took advantage of that and have made 4 runs, each around 5K, so far. The first felt great and I was quite sore for a couple days after. The next I was only sore for a few hours. After the last two I haven’t been sore at all…I have been running very easily though. The last two runs were done on the treadmill because the last time I went outside, I spent more time trying to stay upright than enjoying myself. I’m lucky to have the equipment at my disposal.

I seem to have encountered a bit of the writer’s block since the surgery, for a few reasons I’d imagine…but hopefully that will lift soon and we can get back to some ‘proper blogging’ again. I think I simply need more time running to get those creative juices flowing again!

Thanks to everyone for their warm wishes during my downtime– they were all appreciated!

Speed bump

Barefoot Bonehead — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:44:30 +0000

It’s going to be a little slow going around here for a while.

I had a mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty on the 18th and am not allowed to do any strenuous exercise for a week or two. I developed an infection in the mastoid process, a honeycomb-like structured protrusion of the skull you can feel if you press behind your ear. This infection basically ate the ossicles, the three minute bones behind your eardrum, and some other structures and left me unable to hear through that ear. They went in from behind the ear and cleaned out the infection. They also took a small skin graft from my arm and made a new eardrum for me, to keep out new infection and to, perhaps, someday facilitate prosthetics and hearing aids.

So maybe in a year or so they can replace those bones and stuff and restore my hearing, I’ll find out a bit more about that during my follow-up visit in a couple days.

Barefoot Bonehead — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:19:47 +0000

It has been a little slow going lately, mostly due to catching a bit of a cold and feeling generally out of it. I’ve been doing ~20 miles per week since the last post, mostly on asphalt with a couple excursions over to the Fells thrown in…and a couple runs on the treadmill when outside was just a little too bleak to inspire communion. My body feels good save those few days where the illness really had me.

The article that I speak about in the previous post has been printed and can been seen at the Boston Globe’s site.

A Gathering of the Tribe

Barefoot Bonehead — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:33:42 +0000

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

Barefoot Bonehead — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:47:37 +0000

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.

Barefoot Bonehead — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:34:55 +0000

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…

Barefoot Bonehead — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:57:44 +0000

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…

Barefoot Bonehead — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:29:36 +0000

~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…

Barefoot Bonehead — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:29:58 +0000

~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…