There are arguments against running a Turkey Trot on t-day, not least being paying $30 to a company that organizes races all year round, so that I feel my money is going to them rather than the non-profit they are supposedly donating to. But they are, and here in Boulder, where I am visiting, it's to a non-religious organization that feeds the hungry without any proselytizing, and people are bringing cans of food to donate too, so that's ok. The actual organization of this particular race is a little disorganized: I've run Turkey Trots run by volunteers that are done better.

Not to mention that with a full free day, most 'serious' runners might rather run a longer distance on their own, with the streets mostly quiet and car-less, which I would have been tempted to do, if alone, but I'm not, I'm with friends and that counts for a lot....

So, I bit the bullet, and decided to register myself for a real race barefoot (yeah, obviously not trying to compete with the guys who swallowed 10 k in 1/2 hr). The idea was to measure myself in a competitive environment and with the need to pace and keep a good speed to complete the race.

I had some training with 12 to 13 k runs in the mountains (so very very hard climbs, which do wonders for your cardio), so I was confident about being able to cover 10K, and it was fun, as the race course was totally flat.

In the end, quite satisfied, and I was feeling that good, that after the race, I added a 8 K hike back home. Feels good to be feeling fit again!

Full story:
https://visionsofasia.asia/2018/11/28/first-10k-barefoot-race/

This is from our main Facebook page:


Jun Matsumoto‎ Barefoot Runners Society
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English version below

Après 97 jours et 2500 km de marche à pieds nus j'ai rejoint St-Jacques-de-Compostelle et le cap Finisterre au départ de mon domicile à Court-St-Etienne (Belgique).

Pour pouvoir réaliser ce défi je suis parti avec 4 ans d’expérience en course à pieds nus.

Durant ce périple je n'ai eu aucun incident majeur. Aucun éclat de verre, un éclat métallique sans gravité et peu d'échardes. Une écharde, que je n'ai pas trouvé, m'a posé quelques soucis. Après deux jours il s'est formé une cloche/ampoule derrière les orteils, là où la peau est encore tendre. Avec un médecin nous avons décidé d'ouvrir celle-ci dans l'espoir de trouver l'écharde. Il ne l'a pas trouvée mais je n'avais plus de douleur lancinante et j'ai donc pu reprendre la marche. Cela a toutefois demandé de l'attention pour protéger la...