I completed my first 5K road race today barefoot. It was a great experience.
The temperature was unseasonably warm, 45° F. It had just snowed the night before, so I was worried about the gravel on the road. The roads were wet, but it was not raining.
I waited until 15 minutes before the race to take my shoes off, because I did not want my skin to soften before the race from the wet roads. The first comment was a sincere question about cutting your feet on glass. There was not a single negative remark, in fact people were very supportive and were positive about barefoot running and one even told me that he read that people were meant to fun barefoot. Three separate people told me that they were going to try barefoot running and asked me how to get started.
The middle of the pack seemed to be the right place to start based on my expected pace. I stated easy and it felt great and effortless the first mile. Everyone around me seemed to be working so hard, and breathing so heavy. I was very surprised by my first mile time at 7:10 min which is about 1 minute faster than my training pace. My second and third splits where 7:40 min and 6:59 min and my average race pace turned out to be 7:16 min per mile, far exceeding my expectations.
We each got one coupon for a beer. In line one man told me to go ahead of him because I beat him in the race.
I ended up with 3 blood blisters, which I figure is because of the wet roads and increased pace, but other than that my feet feel great. The blisters did not cause any discomfort until after the race.
I want to thank everyone for all the help you have given me these past 16 months.
-Jim
The temperature was unseasonably warm, 45° F. It had just snowed the night before, so I was worried about the gravel on the road. The roads were wet, but it was not raining.
I waited until 15 minutes before the race to take my shoes off, because I did not want my skin to soften before the race from the wet roads. The first comment was a sincere question about cutting your feet on glass. There was not a single negative remark, in fact people were very supportive and were positive about barefoot running and one even told me that he read that people were meant to fun barefoot. Three separate people told me that they were going to try barefoot running and asked me how to get started.
The middle of the pack seemed to be the right place to start based on my expected pace. I stated easy and it felt great and effortless the first mile. Everyone around me seemed to be working so hard, and breathing so heavy. I was very surprised by my first mile time at 7:10 min which is about 1 minute faster than my training pace. My second and third splits where 7:40 min and 6:59 min and my average race pace turned out to be 7:16 min per mile, far exceeding my expectations.
We each got one coupon for a beer. In line one man told me to go ahead of him because I beat him in the race.
I ended up with 3 blood blisters, which I figure is because of the wet roads and increased pace, but other than that my feet feel great. The blisters did not cause any discomfort until after the race.
I want to thank everyone for all the help you have given me these past 16 months.
-Jim
