Time: I think 26:50 something. Or maybe 27:something. What does time really mean, anyway?
Place: There is no first, there is no last, we’re all just drops of water in the river.

Yeah. So, on the trail I didn’t think about blogging or podiatrists or my upcoming workshop or any of the usual variety of topics that pop into my mind on the road. It was always like that a little bit running trails in shoes, but barefoot I was overcome with this strange sensation. Very unfamiliar to me. “Focus,” I believe is what they call it. I totally see how people who have this “focus” are able to get things done. But seriously, to not be scattered and paying attention to only one thing all the while moving yet staying relaxed, I guess I have to say it was meditative. Previous barefoot trail runs have been very slow, with lots of stopping and starting. This was a consistent 9 minute mile effort, just rolling on through.

There was a little bit of greenway to and from the Big Loop entrance. On the to, I took it really easy, hanging out in the middle where I started. On the from, I sprinted like crazy. I had stayed vertical the entire time on the trail, and by the time I got to the greenway my legs felt like the thin wheel of a road bike.

At the finish, I hung out with Dena, who beat me by a minute or two, and we cheered the finishers on. Iris the Wife finished in style, wearing her lovely new skort. Once fellow MadMayoites Jack and Royce crossed the finish line, they directed me to their vehicle for some proper hydration. We hung out for a bit, watched the awards, then left for home, hoping the possibly on coffee machine hadn’t burned down the house. It hadn’t. It was off.

You should check out the official race report over at the cult I mean club site. Jamoosh, I hope you don’t mind I’m making another LMB print for a good cause. Jack won his age division, but they didn’t prize that high… ha ha. No, seriously.

In summation, I had a great time and everything feels good. Well, except my head. 9:30 is a little early for proper hydration, I guess.

UPDATE: Watch some footage of The Pineland Farms Barefoot 5k (NOT the race I just ran. This is in Maine, I think)!

Quick recap: I’ll be running The Valentine Massacre Marathon Relay tomorrow with three MadMayo teammates. The course is a 1.6 mile loop, run 16 times. Each runner runs only one lap at a time, for a total of four laps, separated by breaks while the other three runners take on the course.

Temp prediction for the start time tomorrow: 29 degrees. It’ll get up to 38 degrees by the time we finish. I know in temps between 35 – 40 degrees, it takes me about 1.5 miles to warm up my feet. The lap, which will be run in alternating fashion by me and my three teammates, is 1.6 miles. That equals 1/10 of a mile of comfortable barefoot running per lap. Or to put it another way, that’s 5.5 miles of annoying cold running, .5 miles of comfortable running. And I’m basing that on upper 30′s degree weather, not on the lower 30′s predicted for tomorrow morning.

1. I hate the cold.

2. I thought I gave myself frostbite the last race I ran.

3. I own a very warm pair of fleece socks.

Maybe I’ll run the last lap barefoot, but I don’t feel like being cold. Hope no one is disappointed. Maybe I’ll run each lap in a different shoe – first lap aqua sock, second lap my redwings, third lap the Barefoot Galosh One Finger, last lap in high heels. Who knows. There’ll be pictures.