First things first, today is the 10th day of the year and will be my 10th run of the year, so I am doing well with my resolve to run through January. I did this once before, but I was living in New England at the time and dealing with IT band issues, so my runs were usually a slow 15 minute slog in the snow and often with snowshoes. On the island, things are a little different and although we are having Seattle-like weather with rainy, windy days and precious little sunshine, the ground is not cold and I am not currently plagued by injury. Also, my Vibram Five Fingers have been very helpful in allowing me to run on days when the soles of my feet are a little sore from the previous day’s rough terrain.
Yesterday I had the unusual Saturday experience of having nothing to do all day, so after a few hours of lounging and allowing myself to be lazy, I got antsy and decided to go on an “adventure run”. Suffice it to say, if you grew up on this island, there’s not much “adventuring” to be had since it’s not very big, but I was interested to see where I would end up if I just ran for the heck of it with no real destination or goal in mind except to undertake and adventure.
So I put on my VFFs and a running belt with plenty of water, a gel, and some money, and out the door I went. I took it very slowly and ventured on and off the Railway Trail and explored some roads I haven’t been on before. I ended up doing a big loop and after one stop at a store for some refueling and an hour and forty-five minutes of running I was back at home again. Although once I measured the course I was a little distraught at how slowly I had run, I am trying to remember that the purpose of the run was adventuring, not speed.
I thought for sure that I would be sore this morning and that my feet would be aching, but the only damage I have to show for nearly two hours of running in minimalist shoes is a tiny blister on the top of my foot from a seam in the VFFs. I am amazed at how my body handled that amount of running considering that was my ninth day of running in a row! Although I am not anywhere close to fast yet, I’m very happy with my body’s resiliency and the strength I have gained from running barefoot.
