Return to The Potawatomi

Diving more seriously into my harebrained idea of completing a half-marathon on the Poto in under 2 hours, I manned up and made the trek out there today for a practice run. Being my first real run in two weeks, it took some time to wake the legs back up. And it was one hell of a wake up call.

I’m always gripped with nervousness en route to the Poto. Is it because I perceive it as the only somewhat technical and challenging trail in the area? Compared to my regular haunts, it is a complete step up. Elevation, terrain changes, miles upon miles of rocks. A few miles into the trail, though, and I recognize that it’s all worth it. It’s also among the most scenic runs I’ve found within driving distance of Detroit – and I’m looking forward to a handful of return trips over the next few months (and probably into the winter).

The good news: I took it slow today. Mild run for 8 minutes, walk for 2 minutes. Walked all hills. Stopped to take pictures when necessary. I wore FiveFingers, which I personally think are a ballsy idea for such a rocky trail (as evidenced by the three inch bruise on the bottom of my left foot). All this said, I still did the loop only slightly slower than my racing pace from the last time I did the trail half marathon. Hopefully, slapping some New Balance 790s onto my feet next time for a little rock protection, cutting out the walks and holding a nice, brisk pace will help me reach my goal.

Also, and somewhat tangential: I forgot how much it sucks running with a Camelback. I noted today there are various “watering” stations along the route – basically a spot to pull up well water. I think if I run with powdered Accelerade in one bottle I can keep refilling and mixing the other. We’ll try that next time.

New York Times: Wiggling Their Toes at the Shoe Giants

TODD BYERS was among more than 20,000 people running the San Francisco Marathon last month. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, he might have blended in with the other runners, except for one glaring difference: he was barefoot. Even in anything-goes San Francisco, his lack of footwear prompted curious stares. His photo was snapped, and he heard one runner grumble, “I just don’t want the guy without shoes to beat me.”

+Wiggling Their Toes at the Shoe Giants

Getting Stronger

Lakeshore Park
10 Miles in 1:42
Vibram FiveFinger KSO

My first 10 mile loop of Lakeshore this season. The run itself was amazing. One week into a vegan diet and my energy levels feel much, much higher. Was running most hills, fast-walking the breaks and sprinting at some points. No fatigue until mile nine, when it became so dark I couldn’t see and kept tripping over roots and branches. Despite the thrill, I found myself a little discouraged and (embarrassingly) kind of scared. Lakeshore has a tendency to confuse, and I’ve been lost there more than once in broad daylight. Can’t imagine being stuck there after dark, lost with no torch.

Around late dusk I was in Loki’s Loop – a heavily wooded section of the trail. My feet hitting the ground must’ve been waking the bats from their sleep, because they seemed to “eek” and flutter out of the trees along with me as I made my way back to the trail head. This was kind of surreal, and one of those strange moments that makes trail running so much more meaningful than sidewalks and streets.

Dusk came pretty fast, and the last two miles of the trail were run mostly in the dark, since I didn’t anticipate needing a headlamp. The last half mile was run in almost complete dark, and my strategy was to more or less aim for the blurry, white line which seemed to be the path.

Got to the trail head and it was dark out, but all in it was a great, tiny adventure to cap off the weekend.

My running pace must have been pretty solid, since I was running 8 and walking 2. To average out to a 10 minute pace I must have been going pretty strong on the running sections. I’ll wait to see how I feel tomorrow before calling it a success. If I’m good, I’ll consider this a promising training run for the Woodstock Hippie Half Marathon next month.

Gear
The Forerunner 405 continues to absolutely shit the bed when it comes to trails. This is a 10 mile loop, and the GPS is coming up short of 9 miles? On streets, it’s fine. On trails, an expensive let-down. Additionally, the buttons and bezel often fail to work/respond to touch when they’re wet with sweat. But hey, at least it looks cool, and can double as a real watch.

On the other hand, the FiveFinger KSOs continue to impress. Over a year old and hundreds of miles logged, with little sign of wear and tear. The small tear in the cloth that recently developed can be fixed with a needle, thread and some goop in a matter of minutes. My feet are getting stronger, and I felt absolutely great all the way through the loop. I’m looking forward to the KSO Treks, but am on the fence about them due to their Kangaroo Leather upper. Aside from the ethical considerations, I wonder if they’ll feel as light and if they’ll be able to handle puddles and moisture as well as the KSOs or other “topless” models. I guess we’ll see. Maybe I can ask Barefoot Ted when I see him in a few weeks.

Clif Bars and Accelerade seem to be a working combination, but I’m going to start moving to real food, and will likely swap out the sports drink with Green Magma in the near future.

The Buildup

Perhaps a bit reckless, but nothing extraordinary comes from ordinary actions. Last weekend I attempted my first 10 mile trail run absolutely barefoot. Having not run Lakeshore Park much this year, I forgot what the terrain was like in the more distant sections of the park.

First few miles were fine. By the time I got to mile six I was on the verge of throwing up from the pain. Had to chicken out and grab the FiveFinger KSOs for the rest of the run. The difference is amazing, though. Just adding some protection almost revolutionized the way I ran. More fearless of roots and rocks, the pace dropped by over a minute per mile. I don’t necessarily see this as good – just something to note.

Going to keep working at it, still hoping to do a barefoot trail marathon before the season is up.

Despite the pain in my feet, I’ll keep at it. The ultimate purpose is still in place – I’m running with better form, gentler and more in tune with my body. Actually listening to my body. The knee is fine, with soreness and stiffness working itself out in a matter of a day or two – not months.

Back to Lakeshore Park, Barefoot #2

This should have been a longer run, but I didn’t feel like emptying the tank. It’s both bogus and sad to me that 4 miles was all I did on this fine, beautiful, near tropical Sunday. But the dismay is diluted with pride in the fact that I ran these slippery, muddy miles barefoot, and that my legs feel wonderful, and that I feel like I could have gone twice as far.

Maybe I’ll try stacking on more miles in the near future. I’m just enjoying it right now.

This was my first post-snow run at Lakeshore for the year. I almost like it better when its frozen; the general pestilence like mosquitoes, horseflies, and Oakley-clad, shirtless frat boys on mountain bikes aren’t there in the winter.

They were out in full force today.

Still, Lakeshore is one of my favorite trails. Not too much climbing, though rife with rolling, gentle ups and downs. The trails are soft on the feet and perfect for barefooting. No huge stretches of wood chips, and maybe only a few spots of sharp gravel – nothing to really ruin your day though.

Great trail, and a great run today. I can’t wait for the summer. Especially once Max gets his mileage up.

Congrats to Dirty and Brian on conquering Trail Marathon today. Hope I can join you next year.

Lifehacker Post on Barefooting

A friend linked this article to me via twitter (get me at @nateluzod). Thought I should start archiving things like this, just to make this site more of a resource.

Excerpt:

Christopher McDougall, author of the forthcoming Born to Run, excerpts a section of his book that suggests costly, tech-term-laden training shoes aren’t helping runners all that much—and they may actually be hurting.

+ Lifehacker: Expensive Running Shoes Aren’t a Necessity

More Thoughts on Rainy Trails and FiveFingers

After working more than 60 hours since Monday and not really having a weekend to speak of, today’s rainy, empty trail was especially timely. Perhaps one of the best parts about running is the absolute catharsis you feel from only 45 minutes of time alone in the woods. At least for me, anyway.

I set out intent on barefooting it, knowing full-well that I need to work up some good pads for October’s marathon. As I pulled into the park, tough, the temperature dipped to 49, which is below my threshold for any shoeless adventures. I chickened out and wore the FiveFinger KSOs. But hey – they still feel great to me.

Heritage Park was empty, aside from two vinyl-poncho clad hikers with crampons and ski poles and two stoned teenagers sitting by the river with their feet in the water. Both were surprised to see me, but more so the high-ons. Days like this are some of the best for running. I love having the trails utterly to myself, and the sound of the rain falling through the trees sets a rhythm that kind of Zens you out and drives you forward. It’s too easy to get lost in your thoughts, and that’s a good thing.

I took a rest at my favorite portion of the trail, which is also the highest point of the park with the best view. As trail runners, we’re exposed to a lot of outdoor beauty, but stopping to reflect and observe gives you a much more in-depth experience than just running past it. You don’t often think of Suburban Detroit as having spots of breathtaking beauty, but I’ve found a few.

More thoughts on FiveFingers

This was my first run in them this year, after a long respite for the winter, and I’ve got a few new observations.

Despite offering little traction on muddy inclines – they’re practically weightless, they develop your leg muscles in the same way, and for my level of experience they offer welcome protection against gravel and wood chip portions of trail. That said, they do make a noticeable difference in form and technique compared to a naked foot. With the extra protection, you allow yourself to run more recklessly and do things you wouldn’t when completely unshod. The point of barefooting is to step softly, work in tune with your body and reduce stress on your bones – and that’s somewhat undermined in the FiveFingers. I think Vibram marketing them as a “barefoot alternative” is a bit dishonest, not to mention contradictory. It’s like calling a bathing suit a “nudity alternative” (or to that end, calling the Swimsuit Issue “the Hustler alternative”). You can’t really have a half-absolute.

Still, the FiveFingers have been an excellent gateway drug into minimal running, and I’d recommend them to anyone willing to give them a shot. Aside from the most important thing – making running more enjoyable – they’ve helped me rework and improve my running form. As such, I’ve fixed a lot of the knee and foot problems I was having before, running in my New Balances, Pumas and Salomons. I think it’s best to view them as training wheels of sorts, though, recognizing that they are shoes nonetheless.

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.

2009 Goal: Barefoot Marathon

The more I think about it the less I think any of the summer or even early-fall races of reasonable distance will be possible. Things are feeling better and better, and I want it to stay that way. To be sure of that, and to get the most out of what I love about running, my focus for 2009 will be to continue barefooting on as many trails as possible – with the ultimate goal being a grandiose 26.2 completely unshod.

Ideally, I’d like this to be for the North Country Trail Run (which I DNS’d last year) in late October. The timing seems comfortable and from what I understand, the trails are pretty plush. That said, I feel no real inclination to do this for any official race, and might just as well go up by myself and run it alone (or with anyone who wants to join) and un-chipped. Frankly, I’d probably enjoy that more, anyway. It’s neat getting official t-shirts and feeling the all-around energy surrounding race-day – but it never quite compares to the peace I feel when going it alone.

So here it is, officially entering my 2009 objective. No big races (and thus no entry fees), no time goal. Just the distance and the method. And the hope that I’m still feeling fine afterward.

A Run That I Almost Hated

14.5 miles, 95 degrees and humid with vampire bugs. More detail below if you’re curious.

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Today’s big plans for returning to the 20 mile distance quickly melted due to lack of bearable temperatures.

Lakeshore Park, despite the heat, was still wet from recent storms – making for a slippery first loop. In the FiveFingers, I was able to hit puddles pretty hard and the cold water splashing up helped keep me cool, relatively speaking. I had to lose the shirt by mile 4 and, while much better, this left me open to bug bites and blazing hot sun on my bare skin.

Bugs are evil in this heat. I stopped to pee twice, got gang-raped by mosquitoes both times and had to learn to run and pee to finish it off the second one. Things turned out messy – I will leave it at that.

The first 5 miles were a bit monotonous, but 6 through 8 are beautiful and here’s where the run went its best. I worked at a 25 minute-run (10 minute pace)/5 minute-walk(15 minute pace) combo, and the heat didn’t really catch up to me until mile 9 – which is when I bonked pretty hard. Had to walk most of this, running only when the bugs found me and began their attack. I spent most of this mile trying to talk myself out of the second loop.

A quick rest in the car and a banana later, and I’m back out for loop 2. This time I left the FiveFingers and went all natural. As awful and dehydrated as I felt, I realized I wasn’t going to make it another 10 miles, but I wanted to get what I could out of the day. Running the last 4.5 miles barefoot gave me a greater sense of accomplishment, helping me cope with not hitting my mileage mark. I also earned some quizzical looks from the few mountain bikes who dared to make it out for the hottest part of the day. I didn’t hold to any run/walk combo – I just listened to my body and ran when I could and walked when needed. This was so much more enjoyable and comfortable. By the time I got back to the car I felt like I could heap on a few more miles. I’m glad I didn’t, though. A few hours later and I feel horrible – the kind of dehydration that entails headache, diarrhea and a completely pissed-off stomach.

As hard and somewhat disappointing as today’s run was, I felt I got a lot out of it. Obviously not in terms of raw mileage, but discovering some things that need serious work (namely my fluid/electrolyte intake) and getting a few good barefoot miles in to toughen up my soles. Also on the bright side, my joints and muscles feel great. This shoe-less thing is working out well.