Hyland Lake Barefoot Run

Since I'd sent out invitations to dozens of people a few days ago asking them to join me for a trail run and raptor release at Hyland Lake this weekend, I decided I'd better head out there for a beta run to see what the trail conditions were like. Hyland is probably my favorite spot to run barefoot because the trails are soft, non-technical, and I still have sissy feet.

Ended up doing a leisurely 6.5 miles with my feet feeling wonderful! For the most part, the trails are dry and in excellent condition! Well, except when they're not:

Personally, I love running barefoot (or in this case, in VFF's) in the mud! Makes me feel like a kid again! I'll be out there doing it again this Saturday with some of my buddies in tow :)

Care to join us?

International Barefoot Running Day

Kel, Justin, David, Katie, Christian, Chris, Donnie, Lyle, (missing Tomkin)

Headed out to Hyland today to meet up with members of the Minnesota Chapter of the Barefoot Runners Society to celebrate International Barefoot Running Day. The original plan was to kick off the day with a potluck picnic at noon followed by a short barefoot run on the trails in the park. I'd never met anyone in this particular group, but it sounded fun and Hyland Lake is nearby.

Woke up to temps just above freezing and howling winds. Happy flippin' May Day. Got out to the park to find Christian and Lyle huddled together in the parking lot waiting for the rest of the crew (we were expecting 15). It was windy enough that flags were sticking straight out from the flag poles and there were whitecaps on the puddles in the grass. They'd decided to cancel the picnic that morning because of the crappy weather, so some folks were confused about the new start time for the run. Slowly, a few more people trickled in and 9 of us finally hit the asphalt (yes, asphalt) close to an hour later.

A few in the group were trying barefoot or minimalist running for the first time - everyone seemed to be loving it in spite of the weather! Kept the run pretty short - only about 2.3 miles, but there were plenty of smiles all around! We hung out in the warm visitor center munching on fruit (thanks Lyle) for a bit afterwards before everyone headed off to do their own thing. I had a great time and met some cool new people - now I just have to convince them to get their feet off the pavement and into the dirt ;)

Playin' In the Dirt

It's been a fun weekend!

The recent torrential rains meant that the local running trails were good and muddy (though not as much as I'd expected) - perfect time to put on the Vibram Five Fingers and head over to Hyland! Did a 6 mile loop, left some foot prints that will probably have some folks scratching their heads, and got dirty enough that I needed to hose off before entering the house. Success :)

Finally got around to planting some flowers this weekend too. Since I got my feet and legs nice and dirty with trail running, I figured I should even things out a bit and get my hands and arms in on the action. Nice to finally have a little color on the patio!

I am in no shape to do any damage at Afton next weekend, but will still plod along the course and visit with old and new friends at the post race bar-b-que. If you've never run a trail race before, this is an awesome event. You'll get spoiled by the aid stations, which put out spreads that are like Thanksgiving feasts. The race shirts are becoming a local legend, and the people are awesome! So is the course, though it will have some minor tweaks this year due to trail closures. Looking forward to being there, even if I embarrass myself running-wise. Hope to see ya there!

Winter Blues

OK, so winter isn't my favorite time of year for running. I don't like running on ice or in sub-zero temps, and the hamster wheel drives me stone. cold. insane. I've chosen to do more short runs on an indoor track while upping my barefoot miles, strength training, and I keep meaning to get to a yoga class but haven't pulled it off yet. I've also been working on getting my shoulders fixed up (tendinitis on both sides from teaching 6 theraband classes per week at a nursing home). That's finally healing up, and I just started more aggressive upper body strength exercises this past week :)

Speaking of the nursing home, one of my 98 year old exercise participants told me last week what he wants engraved on his headstone when his last day finally arrives:

"The pills didn't work."

The more I think about that one, the funnier it gets.

Still unsure of my 2010 race plans - there will probably be more "seat of the pants" last minute decisions and/or fat ass runs this year, mainly because of financial concerns and my current lack of training miles (haven't done a double digit mile run since Surf the Murph).

This weekend I will attend either the MDRA annual meeting to score some free pizza, or the NSCA Winter Strength & Conditioning Clinic to get some CEU's for one of my certifications.

Hope to get out on the trails soon!

January Training

I really don't enjoy winter running or the hamster wheel, so January and February are mentally tough for me to get miles in. That being said, I finally had a relatively decent week of training! Keep in mind that I am a low mileage runner ;)

I credit my good week mostly to deciding upon my "flagship" races for the year and beginning to plan my running schedule. Also, the retrocalcaneal bursitis in my heel has been almost completely resolved, so I've been able to start building up a little mileage. The key will be to not try to catch up too fast and end up flaring things up again. Setbacks suck!

This past week:
Mon - off
Tues - 6 miles
Weds - strength training + 1 mile run (all in Vibram Five Fingers)
Thurs - off
Fri - strength training
Sat - 8 miles (longest since Surf the Murph on Nov 1)
Sun - strength training + 4 quarter mile repeats (all in Vibram Five Fingers). First "speed" workout in months - it felt harder than it should have for the pace I ran. Deconditioning is a bitch!

If you think people look at you funny when you run in Vibram Five Fingers, wait 'til you show up at the squat rack wearing them :)

Tenderfoot

As I mentioned in my Trail Mix report, I had some trouble with the muscles in my feet cramping during Saturday's trail race. Not my calves - my feet. I believe that this was caused by fatigue of muscles that simply don't get used very efficiently when running exclusively on paved paths or the hamster wheel, especially when constantly encased in shoes. There is a fair amount of peer reviewed research to support the notion that today's running shoes may contribute to many of the overuse injuries incurred by runners (feel free to do your own research using the Highwire link provided under "training aids"), and running barefoot allows your body to work the way it was designed. In the past I've never had problems transitioning from asphalt to dirt, probably because I was rock climbing on a regular basis (very effective strengthener of intrinsic muscles in feet!). Since I haven't been climbing much at all this past year and Trail Mix was only my second time off road this spring, things didn't go heavenly on Saturday as far as the tootsies were concerned. Anyhoo, I already knew about the potential benefits of running barefoot, but was too chicken to actually try going sans shoes outdoors - until I found out about Vibram Five Fingers KSO's from Keith.

Vibram Five Fingers KSO with Injinji socks

Took 'em out for their maiden voyage on the dirt paths at Bredesen Park this afternoon, and...WooHoo! Got to run through puddles, on soft dirt, asphalt, over twigs (ouch) and rocks (ouch), grass, etc. Still have tender feet! I only went about 2 and a half miles - my forefeet were starting to feel mildly bruised, but I expect that I just need to get used to actually feeling the terrain that I'm running on. Calves weren't tired at all. And my feet felt light as air (unlike Saturday at Trail Mix wearing clunkers that collected mud).

Oh, and the trees are budding, and turtles are popping up on logs in the ponds. It's officially spring!