Signed up to do my first 5K... barefoot

I signed up tonight to do my first 5K, the Subway Race against Cancer, in Knoxville Tennessee, on November 12th. I'm running barefoot, or at least I'm going to try. My company is sponsoring us, so they may have liability issues with me going natural, which is why I'm not going to tell them until I show up at the starting line. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. If they put their foot down (pun intended), I'll just slap on my Five Fingers. We'll see.
 
Start last, then blend into the pack. Maybe they won't notice you.
 
Oh, and have fun. Especially since it's your first!
 
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Have a great time! I'd agree with the standard corporate strategy of begging forgiveness ;).

And I'd like to put in my $0.02 for what will likely be your question after completing this one: "What's next?"

Most people seem to think of a 5K as a "beginner" race and decide to try for a 10K next. Then they try a 1/2 marathon and finally a marathon. I don't exactly agree with that, however, because a 5K can be a great, competitive race if you decide to train for it. Getting in shape for 5K racing can sometimes be a bit more fun than just getting in shape to complete longer and longer distances. You'll want to focus on some more speed and strength training than just going out every day to rack up miles.

I lament that for many events the 5K hardly has any serious competitors so when I do one I'm out by myself most of the time: either left way behind by someone a whole lot faster than me or easily winning the race (I can do about 21:00). I often am forced to do at least a 10K or longer to get more of a competitive field where I can enjoy the fun of "battling it out" with someone evenly matched to my ability. Then again, I live in a rural area so most races here are pretty thin for participants anyway. And I ran XC in high school which was a 5K event twice a week so the distance is somewhat nostalgic for me.

That's my pitch, anyway: the next step doesn't need to be just completing a longer race. Just like a golfer continually trying to refine their swing and improve their score you could try to refine your 5K by whittling down your time and upping your speed. And then, almost as a side-effect, if you wanted to do a 10K or longer you'll have a nice base of speed and strength on which to build more endurance.
 
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In my experience, it's usually a case that nobody really notices or cares until the end when you find a few amazed folks at the finish line. Yes, indeed, have a blast!
Glad to see you're still around.
 
Have a great time! I'd agree with the standard corporate strategy of begging forgiveness ;).

And I'd like to put in my $0.02 for what will likely be your question after completing this one: "What's next?"

Most people seem to think of a 5K as a "beginner" race and decide to try for a 10K next. Then they try a 1/2 marathon and finally a marathon. I don't exactly agree with that, however, because a 5K can be a great, competitive race if you decide to train for it. Getting in shape for 5K racing can sometimes be a bit more fun than just getting in shape to complete longer and longer distances. You'll want to focus on some more speed and strength training than just going out every day to rack up miles.

I lament that for many events the 5K hardly has any serious competitors so when I do one I'm out by myself most of the time: either left way behind by someone a whole lot faster than me or easily winning the race (I can do about 21:00). I often am forced to do at least a 10K or longer to get more of a competitive field where I can enjoy the fun of "battling it out" with someone evenly matched to my ability. Then again, I live in a rural area so most races here are pretty thin for participants anyway. And I ran XC in high school which was a 5K event twice a week so the distance is somewhat nostalgic for me.

That's my pitch, anyway: the next step doesn't need to be just completing a longer race. Just like a golfer continually trying to refine their swing and improve their score you could try to refine your 5K by whittling down your time and upping your speed. And then, almost as a side-effect, if you wanted to do a 10K or longer you'll have a nice base of speed and strength on which to build more endurance.
I appreciate your 2 cents. I'm probably going to keep my distances low for a while anyway. The farthest distance I've ran so far is less that five miles. My technique is getting better. I picked up Ken Bob's book, and it's helping. My speed is getting a little better. Under 13 minutes per mile now.

I'm in Phoenix this week, and there are a network of flat gravel trails here. I ran for a while on them yesterday and they felt great. I got a couple of tiny cactus thorns in my feet, but didn't feel them until I ran my hands across my soles. They came out easy.

Sorry for the delay in replying. The app I'm using didn't alert me that anyone had posted on this thread.
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In my experience, it's usually a case that nobody really notices or cares until the end when you find a few amazed folks at the finish line. Yes, indeed, have a blast!
Thanks, friend! I have yet to see any other barefooters in my area. I may be the only one. I hate attention, but am going to have fun anyway.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
I signed up tonight to do my first 5K, the Subway Race against Cancer, in Knoxville Tennessee, on November 12th. I'm running barefoot, or at least I'm going to try. My company is sponsoring us, so they may have liability issues with me going natural, which is why I'm not going to tell them until I show up at the starting line. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. If they put their foot down (pun intended), I'll just slap on my Five Fingers. We'll see.

In my view they should also worry about "liability issues" if you were to run in shoes, as 65-80% of runner get injured each year, and possibly many of these injuries are down to shoes.

If I run very far in Vibram Five Fingers I get sore big-toes. So I my gym forces me to wear shoes (rather than allowing me to go barefoot) shouldn't I be able to sue them??
 
In my view they should also worry about "liability issues" if you were to run in shoes, as 65-80% of runner get injured each year, and possibly many of these injuries are down to shoes.

If I run very far in Vibram Five Fingers I get sore big-toes. So I my gym forces me to wear shoes (rather than allowing me to go barefoot) shouldn't I be able to sue them??

I would love to have this argument with them. I can hear it now, "Yeah, but those are 'normal' running injuries. What if you step on a piece of glass?"

I could probably run in ballerina slippers and be A-OK in their view. Lol.
 
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Funny expression! Ha!

Just tell them they're the ones who are hard core for running in shoes. :barefoot:
 
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