Go Tell It On the “Mount”ain By Dr. Mark Cucuzzella
We often get emails that make us smile. This one from physician colleague Dr Jacob Hofer caught me by surprise in early November.
Good Morning Mark,
I thought you might be interested. . . our cross country team won the class C sectional race (see below) and will be going to the state championship next Saturday. We have mandated that all training takes place in barefoot shoes (Merrell Trail Glove or Bare Access) and have had no injuries this season to date, with the exception of two mild muscle strains which healed quickly without difficulty. To my knowledge, we are the only high school cross country team in the country that makes barefoot shoes a requirement. We expect to be in the top 3 in the state in class C, but we will see how it goes. Have a great week! Jake
The Little Rock Jingle Bell Run, benefiting the Arthritis Foundation, was my first formal race, so it holds a special place in my heart. I ran it again this year with friends and got my best 5K time of the year; very pleased. Along the way, another runner told me that I was brave to run barefoot. I thanked her but told her that I had over 400 barefoot running miles this year so this was easy. I don't really know how many barefoot miles I've run but I do have over 400 miles for which I've kept track. I did a tally in my head and think I have 44 miles in races alone: four 5K, three 10K and one half. It's been a good year.
So this is a circuit in the UK that you only get access to as a runner once a year! -The Rockingham Motor Speedway Circuit.
Obviously I recognise that this event is primarily aimed at those of us at the shorter distance end of the running spectrum, but having run it for the first time this weekend I thought I'd give it a mention.
This was only my second 10k race (I'd enjoyed my first one a few weeks prior to this and very quickly then looked for a follow up that I thought would be ok to run barefoot).
The Rockingham racing circuit is apparently known for being a fast course (both for cars & runners I believe). Like most racing venues it occupies a vast expanse of land which means two things: firstly there's not too much lengthy undulation going on (although there are a couple of small inclines to deal with); and secondly it can get very cold & windy.
