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.

Running with Dogs, Both Dirty and Filthy

I post a ton of entries saying that I’m going to start posting again. It’s true maybe one-third of the time. Here’s to trying:

Physical therapy is concluded and has yielded very positive results. Twice a week, for two months, I worked on strengthening, stretching and balancing exercises. Slowly but surely, strength and flexibility returned and replaced the shooting pains in my right lateral meniscus. The true nature of the injury remains ambiguous on account of the impossibly high cost of MRIs with crap insurance, but the good Doctor McDade and Physical Therapist Weber were able to make educated guesses and point me in the right direction. All-in, I’m thankful I didn’t have to go under the knife, or tube, or whatever they use for arthroscopic surgery these days.

Always go the holistic route if possible.

Last weekend marked the first trail of the year. Dirt Dawg was kind enough to meet me at my local/home trail, Heritage Park, for a painfully slow and short 3.5 miler. Conditions were slushy, hilly, and pretty unforgiving – laughable for someone training for his first 100 miler, but frustrating for someone in my weak condition. All that said, it was great to get off pavement and back in the woods, and nice to catch up with running’s ol’ Dirty.

A few days later, a tropical heatwave swept through southeast MI, launching the temperature to a stratospheric 55. I decided to take Max out for his first legitimate street run, knocking out an easy 1.5 miler just to get him in the groove and show him how things are supposed to work. A few distractions aside, he got the hang of it pretty quickly, and managed to soak up a few pounds of muddy dirt road in the process.

Having knocked out 1.5 so easily, I thought I’d have him try out a 2 miler today. A luxurious coat of fresh snow covered the trails at Lakeshore Park, freezing the mud below it and keeping the top layer soft enough for his adolescent paws and my weak knee. We tried the leash-around-the-waist method, keeping my hands free for balance, and things worked out wonderfully.

That’s about it. Pretty uninspiring, but good news all around. It’s a great feeling to be running again, and I’m thankful that it’s happening with just enough time left to enjoy the snow. Winter trails have always been my favorite. Maybe because it means you have the woods pretty much to yourself. Maybe because everything’s so much more tranquil when it’s below-freezing and covered in white. Maybe because it’s an excuse to run slow and just enjoy it, without feeling like I should be holding a certain pace or hitting a certain time.