Saturday, October 10, 2009

Running Barefoot at Twin Brooks

I helped my buddy Jeff at the Craig Cup 5K today. He's the race director for the event and I helped work the finish line. Great to also see Stephen, Kelly, James, Val, Carter, Blaine, and others there as well. Thanks to Jeff's superb organization skills, the race went smoothly and everyone looked like they had a great time.

Hard not to have a great time this time of year. The leaves are nearing their peak colors and the weather, while a tad warm for this time of year, was still very pleasant. Great day for a run.

After the race was over, I got in my longest barefoot run to date. I stuck to multiple loops on the athletic fields, which are all grass and very barefoot friendly. Only real obstacle was dodging the occasional Soccer Mom. Blaine joined me for about half the mileage, and like me, he's also coming back from injury. We discussed barefoot running and races for much of the time.

I had originally planned on around five miles at around a 9:00/mile pace, but I was feeling really good so I went a little farther and faster and was able to do so very comfortably. I'm very happy with my post-injury progress so far, and am also really enjoying running as a result. Really nice to just concentrate on the Zen aspects of the sport without worrying about any races on the immediate horizon.

Ran 8.4 miles @ 8:16/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 146/161
Grassy fields.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 60s, partly cloudy.
Barefoot, shorts, short sleeved shirt.

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