Barefoot Season Begins

. . . Tentatively. This being Michigan and all, we may be knee deep in snow 48 hours from now. But for today, I had no choice but to capitalize on the warm sun and relatively balmy 50 degree weather.

It felt pretty weird at first. I haven’t been running much on account of the recovery process, and the running I have done has been shoes-on for the better part of the last year. Suffice to say, my callouses were a bit underdeveloped.

That said, if I’m going to work my way up to the big barefoot 26.2 by October, it’s definitely time to man up and put my game face on.

After the first mile it was pretty easy to fall back into the groove. Steady eye on the ground to monitor for sharp sticks, jagged stones, or whatever other hazard there might be. Loosen up, relax, step softly and enjoy.

The majority of the trail was dead leaves and soft mud, which felt amazing. That feeling alone sells me on this whole thing.

No surprise – five barefoot miles on hilly trails were easier to digest than two miles of shoes on the street. That’s both mentally and physically.