I'll try to keep this as short as I can. I tend to ramble a bit on race reports.
So I've been doing a good bit of work on Twitter trying to promote Barefoot Running in Northern Ireland. Set up a Twitter account called @BarefootRunNI and got some running vests printed. I've been following all the running clubs in NI and turning up at events in the vests in the hope to generate a little interest. It's been working quite well. I get quite a lot of questions with the clubs, intrigued by the thought of running barefoot. I've come across 5 other barefooters here and am trying to get them all together, even just once, for a run.
Anyway all my twitter work paid off last night in the Groomsport half marathon. Firstly, the moment I got out of the car, the Mayor approached me as asked if I was the barefoot running guy. He'd shown some interest on twitter himself and is coming down to one of our runs.
Amyway he introduced me to the president of Ni Athletics saying this was the guy I was telling you about Good start, then I got a good few approaches from club members inquiring. I got an invite from a club to go to one of their runs. All sounds promising, just need to get some of their members to lose the shoes and give it a go! Also met another person is been conversing with on twitter re minimalist running. He was running the event shod but was taking part in a trial with VFFs at the local Uni. We're starting to gain a little momentum. 
Note the Mayor in the shot above. Lol.
Anyway the race itself was part of the Half Marathon Series, a Grand Prix style event with 9 or 10 races through out the year. Great! Except its mainly club runners competing. Eek. But hey, I was there and ready to run.
My best Half Marathon Time was 1:56:52 and my target was simply to try to beat that.
It started at the seafront and ran up a brutal stony path to the road.
I survived the path no worries and it filled me with confidence
The road was nasty! It was the type of road with stones set in Tarmac but the Tarmac had settled down below the level of the stones, leaving them exposed. Ouch. But it was only 300 odd metres to the sanctuary of the country roads.
Once I hit the country roads it was all smooth running! Loved every minute! I had to avoid a load of cow crap but hey, I was feeling great and dancing round it. I was trying to take it easy but I was running 7:30 miles and feeling great. This course, as I found out on Monday night on my recce run, is an amazingly hilly run. Tough!! I was passing people quite early and moving fantastically well up the hills. I settled in with a couple of club runners comfortably matching their pace and enjoying the run.
Every corner I passed marshals and policemen who clapped, whooped and made the appropriate positive barefoot comments! It really spurred me on
Then, at mile 5 or 6 the unthinkable happened again. I dragged my big toe on my left foot! AGAIN! The same thing happened in the Ards Half. This time I cut the tip of my toe pretty bad. (Dama, I have some post race photos for ya! Without photos it never happened!!
)With lap two coming up, and knowing how much cow crap is on the roads, I decided to throw on the Sockwas. The moment the shoes went, on my pace slowed. As I looked down I could see my toe was bleeding through my Sockwas, leaving an oddly bright red mark at the tip of my black shoe. Don't know if something got stuck to it and dyed red with the blood but in my head it should have just been a dark spot on the black material.
Anyway lap two was brutal. Those hills all over again were, mentally, incredibly tough. You knew what was ahead and psychologically it was incredibly challenging. I watched as the club runners, I was running with, slowly but surely pulled away.
I was aiming for an 8min mile pace but the second lap was so tough, I just couldn't keep it up and the times started slowing. By the time I got through the long long hilly section I'd been passed several times and was slowing further.
Again psychologically I was struggling, passing all the same marshals and policemen who'd positively commented on my barefeet on the first lap said nothing as I passed 2nd time round. I was thinking, they must have thought, "here comes the barefoot guy again, ah he's given up and put his shoes on, he's struggling".
The straight, home was a 3.5 mile climb then descent to the beach. That road was, psychologically, the longest road I've ever run. My pace dropping further (now 9:30m miles) I was being passed all over. Once I crested the last hill it was a very gradual descent back to the village. I tried to up my pace and take advantage of the downhill section but to be honest, I'd nothing left to give. I just focused on keeping moving.
The Dean Karnazes quote kept going through my head
"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.". I was just going to keep moving no matter what.
More passes, one from the guy I'd spoken with on twitter, who saw my Sockwas and asked was I cheating... sigh... I didn't even have the energy to come back with a witty reply.
When I got to the corner turning in to the village, a Marshall told me I'd half a mile left. I just put the foot down and gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much. Last turn was a sharp downhill section towards the beach, maybe only 10metres, but that 10metres took all I had left out of my legs. They started to seize and I had to slow briefly. Once I turned on the the final stretch along the beach I tried to open up again. My family were waiting by the finish line shouting "Come on, finish strong!!". I just dumped all energy reserves in to the last 20metres and crossed the line, calves cramping as I finished.
I pushed so hard I almost wailed in effort as I crossed the line!
The blurred shot here gives the impression I'm moving pretty quick... I'll let you guys believe that...
The moment I crossed the line I wanted to lie down and breathe, right there, in front of the finishing line, in everyone's way. I moved slowly through the funnel, out the far end and leant over, resting on the barriers breathing hard.
My legs were totally shot, my sinuses felt like they were going to burst, loads of pressure... My wife approached full of smiles and praise and offered to fetch me a water and a banana. All I could manage back was a grunt and some mumbling. Ergh, busted.
When she returned she told me the news... I had actually beaten my previous time of 1:56 by a full 6 minutes.
Official time 1:50:50
I couldn't get over it. It felt like a much worse race, I struggled the whole second half and was being passed all over. But it was a small race, only 140 competitors and most of them club runners. I was outclassed there but ran a PB.
I can honestly say I gave it 100% and that it was the toughest course I've ever run.
After the race I had a few more club runners and coaches approach me about the barefooting. I gave the best answers I could through my fuzzy head, trying to focus on some sort of non rambling, focused response. I managed that ok and hopefully left a good impression of barefoot running.
My final position was 100th out of 140 runner.
1hr 50mins 50seconds.
It's left me three points to take away.
1. I need to change the way I train. Just going out and running the distance isn't cutting it. I need to go out at 8 min mile pace and maintain it as far as I can. Hopefully that distance will increase until I can complete the 13miles at that pace.
2. I am not ready for a marathon. I still have until May to prepare but I have MUCH more to do than I previously thought.
3. Run your own race - Don't get caught up in other people's races. We've all heard the saying but I've never really thought about it or had a time when it has applied to me. I'm not an experienced racer.
Dama, my toe...
These shots were taken the morning after. I didn't have the energy to take the shots after the race. If I'd bent over to take a shot, I'd have fallen over and cramped up, lol. Suffice to say I could see the blood through my black Sockwas and by the end of the race, the blood had dried sticking my Sockwa to my toe. I'd to peel my toe outta there! Yeooowww!
Apologies to everyone else who has had to look at these shots of my toe!!
