Bad A$$ Feet
By Longboard
Last week I heard for the first time about the Downtown Detroit Runners.
On their website they talk about how the weekly participants range from walkers to marathoners, and I figured, hey, what the heck!
So last night I showed up for the Tuesday evening four mile/six mile run in Midtown.
Turns out they've been doing this for decades, and most of the folks are hard core marathoners and ultra runners. One guy asked me about barefoot/minimalist and where it's at/where's it going etc., so I gave the whole spiel as if I was an expert or something. He told me his weekly mileage in full blown running shoes and I commented "Hey, obviously for you it works so there's no need to even think about switching things up".
Turned out he holds a WORLD RECORD for marathon running!
Most were of course amused by my bare feet, and at least I took it all in stride being the only slow poke to show up and run. It's a good thing I was born and raised in the Motor City, and had worked on a public utility paving crew during my college years......since I was dropped quickly and on my own after the first half mile having to navigate for myself.
I'm a planner type, so I had asked for and received a map of the route in advance. I then bicycled it just to see what kind of surfaces and debris to expect. It was sort of barefootable, so I was in.
At the start the leader was handing out route maps, and as he was about to hand me mine I told him that I was already briefed and cool with it. He then informed me that the route had been changed in order to incorporate a stop 1/2 mile from the finish at a house for a beer break!
I was thrilled at the idea of a brew stop, but when the new route map depicted turning on to M.L.King from Rosa Parks Blvd I started wondering if I should have duct taped my soles prophylactically.
Everything of course went fine, and although I ran most of it solo the leader actually had been looking out for me and monitoring my progress from the cross streets.
And the house we stopped at? Great people, Founders IPA, PBR, you name it. Brand new construction at the corner of Contours and Miracles, just blocks away from the corner of Aretha and Robinson, and around the corner from Temptations and Four Tops.
This newly designated and re-badged Woodbridge neighborhood has a lot going for it.
Looks Like Motown really is making a comeback......I'm going back for more next week for sure, this time a little bit North of there, should be fun.
So my feet survived the Cass Corridor, that proves bare feet are capable of trodding anywhere.
http://wdet.org/news/story/061114-detroit-agenda-midtown-community-jcl/
