Ok, there were alot of posts
Ok, there were alot of posts in this thread, so I didn't read all of them, but great job on the mileage/activities for everyone. Great to be out and active...
Anyway, my week ended on 10/09/10, and my miles for the week kinda sucked. I only got out one day. It was a very hectic week. And it is the week leading up to my first barefoot 1/2 marathon.
I ran on
Monday the 4th-13.59 miles. Since I had never run more than 10 miles barefoot, I decided that I wanted to get at least one 13miler in before my 1/2. I know it probably wasn't the best idea, but my buddy who's longest bf run was also only 10 miles ran 14.7 miles on Sunday the 3rd (I had drill with the Guard, otherwise I would have ran it with him). He actually ran the 1/2 marathon race course (but got lost...that's why 14.7). Anyway, the run on Monday wasn't bad. It was cold...39F when I left, but surprisingly decent on my feet...even running through some inch or so deep water (which actually felt great at mile 8). The problem that occurred was that I wore through my pad (slightly) on the ball of my right foot (pinky toe side). It didn't hurt while I was running except for when I hit a rock that stuck to my foot right in that spot. I ended up using some liquid bandage for a couple of days letting it heal a little bit (and that is another reason why I slacked on my runs...trying to let the spot heal some before my race). I also went out and bought some Gorilla Glue to use on the spot before my 1/2. Tried it out on my foot 2 days prior to the race and it felt great, but I was still a little worried about the race since I hadn't run on the super-glued foot yet nor had I run the entire 1/2 marathon course yet.
Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to make my week end on Sunday...10/10/10...
my first 1/2 Marathon:
This was the Inaugural
Wichita Prairie Fire Marathon and GoWichita 1/2 Marathon. I ran my first marathon last year (with shoes) at the Heart of Wichita Marathon, but this year they revamped the course and made it an EXCELLENT event. I wish I would have been up to running the full again, but since I was planning on going barefoot, I knew I wouldn't be ready for it...and I was still having a few doubts about being ready for the 1/2. Now that I'm going barefoot, I usually make it a point to "practice" on the race course if I have the opportunity. I had previously ran 10 miles of the course, and I knew that at least 2 of the remaining miles were pretty rough pavement, so wasn't sure what to expect...esp. after running 4+ miles through some other really rough areas of the course and hoping that those last miles weren't any rougher than miles 3-7.
Anyway, the race started at 0800, and I started near the middle/back of the pack so that I wouldn't be tempted to run too fast like I did at my first marathon. My foot felt great at the start of the race, especially since I had applied a 2nd coat of Gorilla Glue. There were a lot of people that I had to weave my way around (and a lot of people weaving around me). I didn't hear too much talking about my bare feet at the beginning of the race, but after the crowd thinned out, I noticed people commenting about my feet...especially when I passed them up. This year, there were actually a lot of spectators along the course (last year sucked. there were maybe a few groups of spectators cheering on their spouse or whoever every couple of miles or so...except nobody except aid stations for the 8 miles or so that went through the air force base...which btw is no longer part of the course), and I heard some of them talking and pointing at me or trying to get a picture of me and/or my feet like I was a circus freak or something. Parents pointing me out to their kids, kids pointing me out to their parents or asking "why doesn't that guy have shoes?", or other just random chatter like "wow, that guy's feet are hurting" (but if they were, I wouldn't be running). A few runners did take the time to catch up to me and talk to me about running barefoot and then drop back but more than likely re-passed me when I got to the really rough areas. They were mostly older guys who said they used to love running barefoot when they were kids and have been hearing a lot about it and want to try it again. One guy was talking to me when I happened to step on a sharp pebble that would not come lose, so I had to excuse myself...said "hold on, sharp pebble. I'll catch up to you in a second", knocked the pebble free then caught back up and continued the conversation a little. He said "that's what I worry about. I don't want that pain", so I said "I don't worry about that at all. If it happens, it happens and the pain lasts 2 seconds. I'd rather have 2 seconds of pain than a lifelong or reoccurring injury". He kinda stared at me weird look then a light went off in his head and he said "ok, gottcha".
When I finally got to miles 3-7, I was actually surprised. It didn't feel near as bad as I remembered from my first practice run. Something that also held true on the 5K I did on Sept. 25 and I'm hoping that trend continues. There were a few really rough areas that did bother my feet a lot, but due to information that I gathered from the BFRS forums, I was able to get through those sections without a lot of problems. My slowest mile in the race was mile 7, but it was nowhere near as slow as it was on my practice run. Mile 7 had some really rough pavement, but most of it was actually old, uneven, worn, chipped, brick roads. Anyway, I was relieved once I got done with that area and was able to bring my pace back up and re-pass a few people that passed me in the section. By then, my feet were getting a little tired and I knew I was only slightly over 1/2 way done, so I didn't want to push it too hard, but I CAN'T take it easy.
Starting at around mile 8, I felt what I thought might be a blister forming on my left big toe, which was really weird since I have never gotten a blister there before. It didn't hurt...just felt like it might be fluid filled or something, but it turned out to be nothing. I guess it was just a little "numb" or something. The rest of the "familiar" first 10 miles wasn't too bad. Once we got back to the "Old Town" area, there were more bricks, but along side of the bricks was a foot-wide strip of concrete, so I opted to run on that. There were shod runners also running on that too...not sure why though with all that "protection"??? After Old Town was regular downtown and some of the streets were rough, but again not as rough as I remembered them.
Now I started venturing onto unfamiliar ground and approaching my final destination. The first 1/2 mile of unfamiliar territory wasn't bad, but then going down Main Street (which I believe isn't that old of pavement) it started to get a little worse, but again I was able to concentrate, make sure my knees were bent, keep my cadence up, look up and just go. It also helped when a volunteer on the course said "hey barefoot man!!! way to go. you made it this far...you're basically done!"
Mile 12 was pretty decent pavement, plus we got to cross a "walking bridge" where
Keeper Of The Plains is displayed, but once the bridge was crossed and we got back to the streets, it SUCKED. I don't know if the streets were really that bad or if my feet were just THAT tender. I opted to run on the concrete "gutter" area, even though I know there are usually more pebbles and glass there. I did see some glass on the gutter once and had to move to the street for a little while, but then moved back to the gutter as soon as I could. The gutter was nice cuz I was able to keep my speed up and pass people
(but I kinda felt like I was "cheating"). Once I finally got to about the last 1/4-1/2 mile, the pavement got better, so I was able to run on the streets when I had to (since again...shod runners were running on
the concrete "gutter" too), but I still opted to do most of my running on the concrete since it felt so much better.
Anyway, my final stretch to the finish was great. Streets were lined, and I heard them announce my name and that I was running barefoot. Streets were smooth (actually probably only felt smooth since I knew I was there) and I was able to increase my cadence and speed up some. Crossed the line in 1:58:59. Feet felt great too...for a few minutes. Didn't take long before I started feeling some pain in my feet, but nothing major. The superglue did a good job. No more superglue on my foot, it all wore off, but also no wear through the skin. Those spots are still tender to the touch, but no blood. Also found out later that I do have 1 fairly large blister on my right heel. It kinda felt "swollen" after the race, but no pain. After I finally got home and washed my feet, I was kinda able to see it. It doesn't bother any and my feet are feeling better. Should hopefully be ready for at least a short run on Tuesday.
Anyway, so my bf mileage for the week is: 26.69.
