I am SO tired of this barefoot fad
Not me, but some people sure are. Peruse through comment sections on various blogs, websites, facebook, etc, and you’ll find some exasperated shod runners. Usually the exasperatedness shows up after a few “barefooting is better” comments. I understand. Frequently the topic will be about shoes, with shod runners giving shoe advice to other shod runners, then some barefoot yahoo butts in with how freakin awesome shoelessness is.
Then there’s the studies and articles and news stories, being churned out like hotdogs at a hotdog eating competition, in which the shod runner is an unwilling contestant. But you know, that’s always the way it goes, regardless of whether or not the fad sticks around long enough to be the norm. I imagine the exasperated runner would scoff at Jason Robillard’s predictions, and just wish we would stop this nonsense and put some shoes on.
Speaking of which, I think I’ve found a good sandal – I’ll post about it tomorrow.
I don’t share Jason’s optimism, but would love for him to be right. I think. I kind of like being the weirdo. After a 5k or something and runners are all “Wow! You ran the whole way without shoes?” I get to shrug immodestly, with a gosh aren’t I amazing smile on my face. If people actually start believing it’s easier to run without shoes (provided you take the time to learn, etc etc etc), my aura of mystique will be gone. Bummer.
Where was I? Fad. Right. The thing is, I don’t think it will go away. But I don’t think it will take over, either. Supposedly there was a brief barefoot craze in the 70′s, and that fizzled out. The internet is the difference-maker here, I think. Barefooters are blabbing all over the place, and it gets annoying at times.
But here’s the thing: that’s what happens when people feel like they’ve been lied to. Or at least misinformed. When you feel like you’ve made a discovery, you want to brag about it share the news with others out of selfless concern for our fellow human beings. Also, the decision to go barefoot is usually met with resistance from friends, family, and the general running community. That adds a “you said I couldn’t but look at me now, suckuh (*trip* fall, oomph)!” flavor to the selfless giving of valuable knowledge. I know, I’ve done it. I can be just as annoying as anyone.
Even as annoying as shod race participants are to barefooters at races. Chugging up a hill at Grandfather, I was debated at by a guy on a bike who insisted I must have really tough feet. I would have preferred to focus on the marathon. How many times hearing “you forgot your shoes” does it take to make one’s head explode? Or “are times that bad? We’ll take up a collection” or “imagine how much faster you’d be if you wore shoes” or “you’re going to ruin your feet!”
Now, I don’t hear all that stuff very much. Enough though that it might really bug some people. I know how it can be tempting to sit down at the computer and head to runningwhatever.com to find a comment thread where you can unload all the selfless valuable knowledge you wish shared with that cranky old lady with the make up, hair, and the stick, or that jock dude with the intimidating pectorals.
So I beg of my shod runner friends, be patient with us, and understand we’re only annoying because you are, too. We’re all obnoxious, and that’s what makes this pale blue dot so special.
Randomness from the barefoot pulpit
1. Bob Neinast of the Society For Barefoot Living has a good post about foot sliding, inspired by that Dual Survival show on Discovery. I haven’t seen the show (no reason, just haven’t).
2. I went for a trail run yesterday in the vffs. The recently broken toe was wiggle-able enough to get the thing on. The run was good, although a little sluggish, and I got a blister on the side of the ball of my foot. That’s been my problem with vffs – it’s not just that they give me blisters, it’s that they give me blisters in different places. Or they don’t give me blisters at all. That’s another reason barefooters become purists – shoes are unpredictable.
3. I was limping a bit yesterday evening. Not from my run or from the blister, but it was a barefoot injury. Sunny the dog chewed up one of my mechanical pencils, which I think was the source of the splinter I got on the front pad under the 4th metatarsal. I’m not sure I got it out, and it still smarts a bit. But think about that for a minute: I’ve been running 40ish miles a week, at a faster pace then I’m used to, so if my feet were to be “tough” now would be the time. The pad between my fifth and fourth metatarsals is the first part to touch the ground and the last to leave it. As “tough” as my soles might be, they’re not so tough that they’re impervious to little nicks and such. I was playing tennis on the Wii, on the carpet when I got it. I’ve run about 800 miles since my last splinter. And it hurts. The wound is tiny and near the surface, which means the skin on the toughest part of my feet is still very sensitive to pain.
So remember that – your feet are never going to get tough enough to handle little splinters in the carpet, let alone running marathons on asphalt. forget about toughness. Be gentle instead.
4. I’ll be running the Run for the Rub 10k this weekend. I’m not sure how I’ll do; I’ve been training pretty hard and am feeling it. Today I decided to forget about my faster easy pace and just run an easy pace. I should probably take a day off soon, but then I think, will Ryan Hall take a day off? Anyway, I’ll either be fast from all the speedwork, or slow from overtraining. Or somewhere in between. Right now I think I could pull off 44 minutes.
5. As the wife requested, I gained about five pounds since Grandfather Mtn Marathon. I didn’t change anything with my diet, and I’m still running a lot. Faster, too. The only change? No long runs. Every run has been under 1:30. And I’ve been doing the Jamooshes, but according to my electroshock scale the weight I’ve gained has been fat, not muscle. I’m not concerned or anything, just makes me go “huh.”
That’s all for this installment of pointlessness.
Michael Jordan is a jerk
That’s right, I’m calling out basketball’s greatest.
In every Hanes commercial he’s in, he’s always annoyed with and disdainful of people who are just happy to be near him and wearing his sponsor’s product. He’s been mean to Will Smith Cuba Gooding Jr (woops. Hey, it was three years ago), Charlie Sheen, and that Bacon Neck Guy on the plane. And don’t tell me it’s just a commercial. I can tell he means it.
I promise when I’m all famous I’ll still be nice to you guys. I’ll even be nice to Charlie Sheen.
Speaking of Charlie Sheen, I went to high school with the guy who plays the valet in the MJ/Hanes commercial where he backs into the hotel thingy. You know, the one who says “Charlie Sheen, everybody! Charlie Sheen!” That’s Eric Price. He used to have a Vanilla Ice haircut.
—
OK, running. The week went well. A little over six hours, with an 8:33/min avg. My body feels stiff and tired from all the Jamooshes I did this week. I had a two-run day on Thursday, and a night run on Friday. I just got my headlamp for the Blue Ridge Relay and had to try it out. I like the blood-tracking feature. Iris made me wear the aqua socks. They gave me a blister next to my big toe toenail.
Speaking of the relay, the starting time is set (8am), and the legs assigned. I will not be doing that crazy downhill section. Instead, I’ll be doing the crazy uphill section. Here are my legs:
a couple of fun-looking hills
I'll be running this around 11pm... hope I won't be too sleepy to be fast
Bring it.
—
Overall, it’s and easier run than some, but for me it’s all about the last leg. I want to do it in under an hour. The last half mile of the hill is on gravel, so I’ll carry the aquas but might not want them.
I think we’ll be pulling in to Asheville around 2pm. I’ll probably be hungry, sleepy, and cranky. You know, the usual.
Haven’t talked about food in a while
Jamoosh, ring leader of The HardCORE Club, the program that promises A Better Life With Awesome Abs, gives sensible advice on eating sensibly to lose weight. Rick links to another portion control tip – drink water before you eat.
I’m a pretty skinny dude. Now, if I were to pursue a career modeling underwear I would have to tone up some jiggly spots, but I don’t need to lose weight. Since I last expressed concern for my lightness (can’t find the link in my own frakkin blog), I’ve gained about three pounds. I think it’s the lack of long runs. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to change some habits.
Tonight at around seven, it was really nice. Fluffy clouds in the sky, 75 degrees, birds chirping, sun getting all sunset-erific; it was a perfect time to run. The problem: I was stuffed. I pigged out on pizza an hour before. I would like to run in the evenings more often, but by that time my pants don’t fit right at the waist.
Anyway, I thought I would give my advice on how to control your portions: throw food out. Never clean your plate. Not just when you’re full.
Look, if it’s on your plate, it’s not going to do anyone any good. Certainly not the starving child in Ethiopia. And you didn’t pay for the portion, you paid for the meal. You are in charge of your portions. If you really want to be frugal, put it in the fridge. Whatever you do, get used to the idea that just because it’s in front of you, you don’t have to eat it.
Practice this with everything. Every time you eat something, leave a bit for the garbage can. More often than not you’re going to crave a larger portion than you need. It doesn’t make sense to make portion judgments when you’re hungry. You might as well pile the food on, then start evaluating your sustenance needs halfway through, when you’re in a better position to judge. You might end up leaving more on your plate than you think.
So get the hamburger, just don’t eat all of it. Leave a few fries. Train your brain to get over the idea that you have to eat everything because tomorrow you might starve. If you’re reading this, chances are pretty good that food is plentiful and cheap for you. When something is plentiful and cheap, waste is required in order to function properly. If you don’t waste, you become obsessive compulsive (not to mention economically blind) and waste time and energy trying to avoid wasting something that’s readily available.
Here’s a (gross) thought, if you’re still uncomfortable with the idea of throwing food out: from your trashcan, food is transported to a landfill where it decomposes. From your toilet, “food” is transported to a sewage treatment plant, which uses a lot more resources.
The poorest of the poor don’t care about what’s on your plate or in your trash. There are ways to help them, but eating everything dished out to you isn’t one of them.
Core workout for morons
1. Carry metal fence posts on shoulder from truck to wooded lot.
2. On the way, wack trees with the posts so that they dig into the side of your neck.
3. Pound fence posts through hard dirt and roots.
4. Show wife accomplishments.
5. Pull the posts out (hint: use your legs!) after wife shows you the lot line, and where you crossed it.
6. Repeat step #3.
7. Cool down with leg lifts and waist bends, slapping at mosquitoes because you didn’t put on bug spray.
—
Last week’s training had some really good runs, but I missed my speed goal: avg pace 8:50 in 5:36:39. The best run was with Iris in Saltville in the squishy sandals, although the three-run-Thursday was good relay prep. I recovered from that just fine, I just need to get more food in me after the first leg. A salad won’t cut it.
Yesterday I ran with MadMayorican Royce on his 64th birthday. “I’m gonna streak,” he said. “Uh, thanks for the warning,” I replied. “I know you’re a pillar of the community and all, but I imagine the coppers might prove to be an obstacle.” He meant streak as in run every day, not run naked, it turns out. I suppose that’s for the best, but I was looking forward to someone else being the weirdo runner in town.
—
The broken toe isn’t noticeable when I run, but it’s still swollen and won’t bend right. The bug bites STILL itch, although not nearly as bad. There will be a few scars, but I don’t think I need to start working on a tattoo design to cover them up. The soles look good, at least.
—
Back to my training plan, I’m curious to see how I do in the upcoming races. I feel less “fresh” with my easy runs being faster, plus all the core stuff is probably wearing me out a bit. I’m such a delicate flower. Fortunately there are George Sheehan quotes to keep me on the right track:
“Fitness has to be fun. If it is not play, there will be no fitness. Play, you see, is the process. Fitness is merely the product.”
Time to go play in the rainy hills!