A week ago I ran my first barefoot marathon.
I was confident that I could do it but had no idea what speed I would be able to maintain. I let my feet deicide what the pace would be depending on the terrain. I had a time goal of sub 4hrs but it wasn't a big deal and I wasn't going to kill myself to get it. The main thing was to complete the marathon barefoot and generally have fun with my fellow runners.
The M7 Marathon isn't very big with 220 people lining up at the start. It is on a cycleway that runs close to the M7 motorway on the western side of Sydney, Australia and is mainly smooth concerete but recently has been patched up with stretches of chip and seal which seemed to go on forever. By the end of the race I felt mentally drained by the surface and the long rolling hills. With plenty of loose rocks to avoid at the start and end of any patched surface it made sure i keep my wits about me. I did try to run on the painted line but it was no smoother than road so it was a test of my running form and mental endurance to not quit and put my shoes on.
A cold 7am start to the morning with the temperature at 0 C but it rose to 15 C by the time I finished. So I dressed for the start but unfortunately I had no one to dump my gloves to so I kept them on for the entire race. My feet took a long time to warm up but they eventually thawed out on the sunnier stretches and felt much better to be able to feel the road again.
Due to it being my first barefoot marathon and just as a precaution I brought my camelbak but instead of the water bladder I put my Soft Stars in there. My homemade gels in ballons around my waist and grabbed water from the stations provided along the route. I had a few issues with the ballons getting caught in the zipper but with a bit of pulling I managed to get them free. I brought eight gels so I could have one every half an hour. I wish I had one extra just to give me a boost for the final 4kms.
One of the best things about the race was there were a lot of Daily Miler's doing the race so we got to catch up before and after and for some during the race. A fellow barefoot runner and Daily Miler Nickelass who had run the race a couple of times barefoot and was doing it again but this time with a four hour pacing flag. Caught up with Nick before the race and introduced myself. The joys of chatting online for nearly a year but have never met so it was really good to put a face to a name. Great to know i wasn't the only barefoot runner.
I really wanted to run with Nick's pace group but they were too fast for me so I kept to my own pace and got into a rythymn that felt comfortable. Amazingly I was holding my marathon pace quite well. Having never done any speed work I was quite surprised. In training I usually just do long runs at a comfortable pace but multiple times through out the week averaging around the 80km mark per week. Not all of them barefoot but the biggest mileage ones were, and generally on broken footpaths so kind of like running on trails but through the city streets.
The idea of actually racing to beat a time goal was actually becoming a reality so I went with it. The terrain was the biggest factor and I wasn't counting on the amount of freshly laid chip and seal. I have run on the smoother stuff in other races through the city but they have been worn down by traffic over the years. This stuff was fresh and all nice and pointy with only runners and cyclists going over it. So I was getting a crash course lesson on how to run on this surface. Not so bad once you get going but over time it became a blessing to not see any more of it after 42kms.
There was another barefoot runner which I passed at the 10km mark who was cruising along at his own pace. We had a bit of a chat and it was his first marathon and had been running barefoot for as long as he could remember. He later passed me asking me how i was going and we had another chat. He took off onto the grassy drainage ditch when the road became too much for him so I thought I would give it a try. Cold wet grass and lots of hidden rocks lying underneath so I went back on to the path to be able to see what was ahead of me instead of pushing my luck. He finished sub 4hrs when I meet up with him at the end but he looked like he had been running on trails than on a cycleway. He had mud all over his legs but a big smile on his face so that is all that matters in my book.
My feet survived and I feel better for it now that I know I can deal with that surface when i have to. I felt strong all through the race that I managed to catch the 4hr pace group at the 30km mark and pass them around 32km. Will regret that decision in a very short time. Should of stayed with the group. Have a chat at a nice pace but I guess ego got the better of me but also fear of slowing down and cramping which has happened during training runs before.
So I gave a high five and a yahoo to Nick at the turn around point and we were all smiles and generally encouraging each other on. Until the 38km mark for the last hill that goes for 3kms but seemed like forever and that dragged me down as well as a few other runners who were now walking. But I pumped my arms to get up the hill and make it to the top and then it was all downhill to the finish. Nick caught me at the base of the hill and maintained his pace to go up the hill in front of me. He was shouting encouragment to me to get up the hill but I stupidly had spent all of my energy and eaten all of my gels. The last water station had run out of gels as well so i had to push on regardless.
Made it up the final hill and then it was on to the footpath leading into the stadium. Having never run on a proper running track before it was a harder surface than I thought it would be and quite a course texture. But after all of that chip and seal it felt like bliss.
Throughout the race I had some friends who at different points throughout the course would give me a scream and shout to keep my spirits high. They were right at the entrance to the stadium and yelled out that I had one minute and thirty seconds to run 300m to make it to the finish and be under 4hrs. I yelled out oh crap in reply and tried to sprint to the finish. Felt more like slow motion and I didn't have much of anything in the tank.
My garmin had me at 3:59:59. Offical time is 4:00:07.
I feel like I have exceded my expectations by not only completing the marathon with no major injuries except for a rub on my right little toe and a bit of bruising on the balls of my feet but also finishing 40mins better than my previous marathon in April this year and that was in VFF's.
Next marathon is in September through the city of Sydney. Can't wait
Thank you eveyone here at BRS with your stories filled with experience and inspiration.
*I'm the one in tights in the picture. Too cold for me to have bare legs
I was confident that I could do it but had no idea what speed I would be able to maintain. I let my feet deicide what the pace would be depending on the terrain. I had a time goal of sub 4hrs but it wasn't a big deal and I wasn't going to kill myself to get it. The main thing was to complete the marathon barefoot and generally have fun with my fellow runners.
The M7 Marathon isn't very big with 220 people lining up at the start. It is on a cycleway that runs close to the M7 motorway on the western side of Sydney, Australia and is mainly smooth concerete but recently has been patched up with stretches of chip and seal which seemed to go on forever. By the end of the race I felt mentally drained by the surface and the long rolling hills. With plenty of loose rocks to avoid at the start and end of any patched surface it made sure i keep my wits about me. I did try to run on the painted line but it was no smoother than road so it was a test of my running form and mental endurance to not quit and put my shoes on.
A cold 7am start to the morning with the temperature at 0 C but it rose to 15 C by the time I finished. So I dressed for the start but unfortunately I had no one to dump my gloves to so I kept them on for the entire race. My feet took a long time to warm up but they eventually thawed out on the sunnier stretches and felt much better to be able to feel the road again.
Due to it being my first barefoot marathon and just as a precaution I brought my camelbak but instead of the water bladder I put my Soft Stars in there. My homemade gels in ballons around my waist and grabbed water from the stations provided along the route. I had a few issues with the ballons getting caught in the zipper but with a bit of pulling I managed to get them free. I brought eight gels so I could have one every half an hour. I wish I had one extra just to give me a boost for the final 4kms.
One of the best things about the race was there were a lot of Daily Miler's doing the race so we got to catch up before and after and for some during the race. A fellow barefoot runner and Daily Miler Nickelass who had run the race a couple of times barefoot and was doing it again but this time with a four hour pacing flag. Caught up with Nick before the race and introduced myself. The joys of chatting online for nearly a year but have never met so it was really good to put a face to a name. Great to know i wasn't the only barefoot runner.
I really wanted to run with Nick's pace group but they were too fast for me so I kept to my own pace and got into a rythymn that felt comfortable. Amazingly I was holding my marathon pace quite well. Having never done any speed work I was quite surprised. In training I usually just do long runs at a comfortable pace but multiple times through out the week averaging around the 80km mark per week. Not all of them barefoot but the biggest mileage ones were, and generally on broken footpaths so kind of like running on trails but through the city streets.
The idea of actually racing to beat a time goal was actually becoming a reality so I went with it. The terrain was the biggest factor and I wasn't counting on the amount of freshly laid chip and seal. I have run on the smoother stuff in other races through the city but they have been worn down by traffic over the years. This stuff was fresh and all nice and pointy with only runners and cyclists going over it. So I was getting a crash course lesson on how to run on this surface. Not so bad once you get going but over time it became a blessing to not see any more of it after 42kms.
There was another barefoot runner which I passed at the 10km mark who was cruising along at his own pace. We had a bit of a chat and it was his first marathon and had been running barefoot for as long as he could remember. He later passed me asking me how i was going and we had another chat. He took off onto the grassy drainage ditch when the road became too much for him so I thought I would give it a try. Cold wet grass and lots of hidden rocks lying underneath so I went back on to the path to be able to see what was ahead of me instead of pushing my luck. He finished sub 4hrs when I meet up with him at the end but he looked like he had been running on trails than on a cycleway. He had mud all over his legs but a big smile on his face so that is all that matters in my book.
My feet survived and I feel better for it now that I know I can deal with that surface when i have to. I felt strong all through the race that I managed to catch the 4hr pace group at the 30km mark and pass them around 32km. Will regret that decision in a very short time. Should of stayed with the group. Have a chat at a nice pace but I guess ego got the better of me but also fear of slowing down and cramping which has happened during training runs before.
So I gave a high five and a yahoo to Nick at the turn around point and we were all smiles and generally encouraging each other on. Until the 38km mark for the last hill that goes for 3kms but seemed like forever and that dragged me down as well as a few other runners who were now walking. But I pumped my arms to get up the hill and make it to the top and then it was all downhill to the finish. Nick caught me at the base of the hill and maintained his pace to go up the hill in front of me. He was shouting encouragment to me to get up the hill but I stupidly had spent all of my energy and eaten all of my gels. The last water station had run out of gels as well so i had to push on regardless.
Made it up the final hill and then it was on to the footpath leading into the stadium. Having never run on a proper running track before it was a harder surface than I thought it would be and quite a course texture. But after all of that chip and seal it felt like bliss.
Throughout the race I had some friends who at different points throughout the course would give me a scream and shout to keep my spirits high. They were right at the entrance to the stadium and yelled out that I had one minute and thirty seconds to run 300m to make it to the finish and be under 4hrs. I yelled out oh crap in reply and tried to sprint to the finish. Felt more like slow motion and I didn't have much of anything in the tank.
My garmin had me at 3:59:59. Offical time is 4:00:07.
I feel like I have exceded my expectations by not only completing the marathon with no major injuries except for a rub on my right little toe and a bit of bruising on the balls of my feet but also finishing 40mins better than my previous marathon in April this year and that was in VFF's.
Next marathon is in September through the city of Sydney. Can't wait
Thank you eveyone here at BRS with your stories filled with experience and inspiration.
*I'm the one in tights in the picture. Too cold for me to have bare legs
