So, I completed my 1st half marathon this weekend, and I did it barefoot....
It was a perfect day for barefoot running.. It was Dry, and around 69 degrees when the race started at 6:15am.. The course on the other hand had it's challenges.. The 1st 3 miles in particular were very tough. You start going up hill over a bridge heading towards south beach. The surface of the bridge had grooves cut into the concrete every 1/2 inch (i guess to give cars traction) which were very tough on the feet, especially when running up hill. After the bridge the rest of the course is flat, but for the next 2.5 miles headed over 395 it is old chewed up black top which is horrible to run on barefoot. After running on this for about 1/2 mile I was able to get over to the left side of the road where there was a flat concrete gutter aproximately 1-2 feet wide.
After mile marker 3, the course/surface flattened out and it was smooth sailing from there. As we were running thru south beach the roads were pretty smooth, but I used the sidewalks when ever they were available, because the are smooter and less crowded than the street. Also, that's where I run when I train, so it's where I'm most comfortable.
I hit another really tough stretch between mile 10-11 where the street was so F'd up that the shod runners were being careful, the sidewalk was made out of coblestone, and there were cones in the gutter area, so my only option was to run in the gutter and everytime a cone was coming, hop up on the curb which is less than 1 foot wide, and then back to the gutter. Luckily this only went on for about 1/2 mile and then we turned off that street and it was nice and flat again thru to the finish line.
It was a lot of fun! Being a barefoot runner, you obviously draw a lot of attention from the other runners that either think you are completely crazy, or are in complete awe of the fact that you are running w/ no shoes on. There is no better feeling than weaving thru the pack and passing other runners when you are barefoot and they're struggling in their shoes..
Either way I got lots of comments, questions and interaction from the other runners, which makes it more fun and passes that time and gets you out of your own head
I finished in 2:03:13, which was a bit dissapointing for me but not too bad I guess for my 1st 1/2 marathon, and being barefoot. The 1st 3 miles of the course also slowed me down a lot, due to the challenges I had.
Regardless, I had a great time, and it was a really good learning experience.. I am excited to do my next one, they have the 13.1 Miami Beach half marathon next month, and hopefully I continue to train hard I will be ready to do the full ING Marathon next year!!
It was a perfect day for barefoot running.. It was Dry, and around 69 degrees when the race started at 6:15am.. The course on the other hand had it's challenges.. The 1st 3 miles in particular were very tough. You start going up hill over a bridge heading towards south beach. The surface of the bridge had grooves cut into the concrete every 1/2 inch (i guess to give cars traction) which were very tough on the feet, especially when running up hill. After the bridge the rest of the course is flat, but for the next 2.5 miles headed over 395 it is old chewed up black top which is horrible to run on barefoot. After running on this for about 1/2 mile I was able to get over to the left side of the road where there was a flat concrete gutter aproximately 1-2 feet wide.
After mile marker 3, the course/surface flattened out and it was smooth sailing from there. As we were running thru south beach the roads were pretty smooth, but I used the sidewalks when ever they were available, because the are smooter and less crowded than the street. Also, that's where I run when I train, so it's where I'm most comfortable.
I hit another really tough stretch between mile 10-11 where the street was so F'd up that the shod runners were being careful, the sidewalk was made out of coblestone, and there were cones in the gutter area, so my only option was to run in the gutter and everytime a cone was coming, hop up on the curb which is less than 1 foot wide, and then back to the gutter. Luckily this only went on for about 1/2 mile and then we turned off that street and it was nice and flat again thru to the finish line.
It was a lot of fun! Being a barefoot runner, you obviously draw a lot of attention from the other runners that either think you are completely crazy, or are in complete awe of the fact that you are running w/ no shoes on. There is no better feeling than weaving thru the pack and passing other runners when you are barefoot and they're struggling in their shoes..
Either way I got lots of comments, questions and interaction from the other runners, which makes it more fun and passes that time and gets you out of your own headI finished in 2:03:13, which was a bit dissapointing for me but not too bad I guess for my 1st 1/2 marathon, and being barefoot. The 1st 3 miles of the course also slowed me down a lot, due to the challenges I had.
Regardless, I had a great time, and it was a really good learning experience.. I am excited to do my next one, they have the 13.1 Miami Beach half marathon next month, and hopefully I continue to train hard I will be ready to do the full ING Marathon next year!!
