Last time I ran any kind of race would have been a two mile for high school track. I didn't even distance train then because anything over 3 miles would aggravate my ITBS which had hobbled me in cross country. I tried running every couple of years and never made it past 2 or 3 weeks before symptoms would return and I had to stop. I doubt I will ever recapture the speed or endurance of my youth, but barefoot running has allowed me to make more progress than I had been able to in the previous 9 years.
Santa Monica Classic
The Good
Temporary tattoos are never bad (I am not manly/muscular enough for the real deal) - forgot I had this from the LA Naked Tour event until the day before the race and figured it could be lucky.
I really enjoyed seeing people's faces as shock and confusion would transform into excitement - most people were cool and would offer encouragement and such. Running barefoot in front of a crowd really does seem to spontaneously generate energy - pretty sure it violates some sort of physics law about perpetual motion or conservation of energy.
And most importantly I accomplished my main goal of finishing the entire 10 K barefoot without stopping.
The Bad
So some brief instructions were given on how to self "seed" ourselves at the starting line so we could avoid mass tramplings and chaos. I guess the large crowd of people in the front with iPod buds surgically attached to their ears could not hear the instuctions and I wound up zigging and zagging through bodies for the first mile or so.
The race was an out and back so I ran past the bulk of the runners on my way towards the finish. Most were supportive but there were a few hecklers. It was sure nice of them to hang back a couple miles from me so they could offer advice on footwear as I passed them...
After being diligent about getting back into shape on my own, I was excited for a couple things from this race. I wanted to run with others to push me, and I wanted to get a time to gauge my condition. Well despite there being hundreds of runners I somehow wound up being entirely alone for the last 2 miles (bad smell maybe?). I think I finished without there being anyone 30 seconds in front or behind of me... As a double whammy the company hired to handle the electronic timing completely botched it somehow, and all the results are completely screwed up. I did notice crossing the 6 mile timer at 37 mins so I figure I probably skimmed in under 38:30 but I still feel cheated.
It basically never rains in Santa Monica. Well that is a lie, but typically only serious downfall a couple times a month it seems - it just happened to be one of those days. It was mostly done by the time the 10 k started but the roads were soaked. I typically run on nice and smooth sidewalk (although I have done up to 4 miles on road) so I was already a little worried about my feet. I think my skin softened after my feet got nice and soggy, and pretty sure my calluses rubbed off leaving my poor Morten's toes defenseless. Perhaps the distance on road, or the slightly increased speed for racing contributed, but whatever the cause the result wasn't pretty.
The Ugly
Poor Morty
And lefty
As a bonus I can accurately count my heart rate from the pulsing sensation in my right Morten's toe.
Too add insult to injury I may have been beaten by an infant....but in my defense it was in one of those sweet racing strollers with 3 wheels and probably being pushed by some futuristic engineered running cyborg.
I thought about posting my blood blisters in the gross pictures thread but I think we all know we can't compete with Nate. We should just rename that thread to "Nate likes to take cheese graters to his feet" and start a new one or something.
Santa Monica Classic
The Good
Temporary tattoos are never bad (I am not manly/muscular enough for the real deal) - forgot I had this from the LA Naked Tour event until the day before the race and figured it could be lucky.
I really enjoyed seeing people's faces as shock and confusion would transform into excitement - most people were cool and would offer encouragement and such. Running barefoot in front of a crowd really does seem to spontaneously generate energy - pretty sure it violates some sort of physics law about perpetual motion or conservation of energy.
And most importantly I accomplished my main goal of finishing the entire 10 K barefoot without stopping.
The Bad
So some brief instructions were given on how to self "seed" ourselves at the starting line so we could avoid mass tramplings and chaos. I guess the large crowd of people in the front with iPod buds surgically attached to their ears could not hear the instuctions and I wound up zigging and zagging through bodies for the first mile or so.
The race was an out and back so I ran past the bulk of the runners on my way towards the finish. Most were supportive but there were a few hecklers. It was sure nice of them to hang back a couple miles from me so they could offer advice on footwear as I passed them...
After being diligent about getting back into shape on my own, I was excited for a couple things from this race. I wanted to run with others to push me, and I wanted to get a time to gauge my condition. Well despite there being hundreds of runners I somehow wound up being entirely alone for the last 2 miles (bad smell maybe?). I think I finished without there being anyone 30 seconds in front or behind of me... As a double whammy the company hired to handle the electronic timing completely botched it somehow, and all the results are completely screwed up. I did notice crossing the 6 mile timer at 37 mins so I figure I probably skimmed in under 38:30 but I still feel cheated.
It basically never rains in Santa Monica. Well that is a lie, but typically only serious downfall a couple times a month it seems - it just happened to be one of those days. It was mostly done by the time the 10 k started but the roads were soaked. I typically run on nice and smooth sidewalk (although I have done up to 4 miles on road) so I was already a little worried about my feet. I think my skin softened after my feet got nice and soggy, and pretty sure my calluses rubbed off leaving my poor Morten's toes defenseless. Perhaps the distance on road, or the slightly increased speed for racing contributed, but whatever the cause the result wasn't pretty.
The Ugly
Poor Morty
And lefty
As a bonus I can accurately count my heart rate from the pulsing sensation in my right Morten's toe.
Too add insult to injury I may have been beaten by an infant....but in my defense it was in one of those sweet racing strollers with 3 wheels and probably being pushed by some futuristic engineered running cyborg.
I thought about posting my blood blisters in the gross pictures thread but I think we all know we can't compete with Nate. We should just rename that thread to "Nate likes to take cheese graters to his feet" and start a new one or something.
