Pull Up

No updates for the day, only events from the past.

No running today either.

Today was slow, lagging really. Frustrating in the end. This marathon running is a double edged sword. If I don't accomplish more than just working, or whatever daily bullshit the real world requires, I don't feel as if I've really accomplished anything. Moving myself using only myself through space and time gives me a sense of accomplishment that is otherwise lacking in my day to day grind.

On a positive..

Two nights ago I actually paid my entrance fee for the Sunburst.

I'm in.

Now there are several next steps. Photographing, ordering new shoes, finding a hotel room in the area that won't break the bank, and of course more training.

As an introduction to where I started one and a half years ago with barefoot running, I've posted part one of an article I wrote about my first experience with the method after the jump. 

Slide shoes on. Stretch to the left, then right. Reach my hands as high into the sky as I can, and then back down to try to grasp the ground. A few more stretches and I am feeling limber and ready to go. One foot begins falling in front of the other and I am on my way down a road I have taken many times before. Everything about this run is the same as every other run I've gone on, except that I am barefoot, well nearly barefoot.

Every other time I've headed down the three miles of abrasive chip and tar that has been layered over rolling country hills, I have been equipped with a pair of cross trainers (an all purpose athletic shoe), shorts and a t-shirt. For this run I kept the shorts and tee, but lost the shoes.

Instead of sliding into my regular running shoes, I put on foot wear that look like ruggedized toe socks. The appropriately named Vibram Fivefingers KSO (Keep Stuff Out), are composed of a thin rubber sole on the bottom, a spot for each toe, nylon that wraps around the top of the foot and a Velcro strap that holds everything together. The most accurate description is that, in terms of both look and feel, they are like gloves for your feet.

These foot gloves, currently hold a unique place in the running world. On the verge of being a trend, runners and trainers are adopting the mindset that wearing traditional athletic shoes or any shoes for that matter is not always a necessity or even healthy. From more casual runners such as myself, all the way up to individuals that tackle what are known as ultra-marathons (races that range from 27 miles up to 100 or 150 miles) an increasing number of runners are choosing to do so mostly unshod.