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Day 12 has barely begun and I’m pleased to say I have completed my 12th run of January.  Last night I did a recovery run after work.  I was sore from my gym workout on Sunday and didn’t expect much of my body.  Surprisingly, I felt great out there and went a little longer than planned but kept it to a short half hour, keep the mantra “train today so you can train again tomorrow” in mind and being careful not to overdo it.

This morning I met some friends for a 6am run.  Because it was dark and I’m not into plunging feet first into the darkness without being able to see where I’m stepping, I wore my VFFs.  When I arrived I was greeted by a number of questions about my “shoes” and my new interest in barefoot running from one of the women whom I don’t know very well.  I’m not really into defending the whole barefoot running thing.  I like it, I believe in it, and so far it works very well for me.  If other people want to wear shoes, that’s their business – I don’t feel like I need to convert them.  This is a process of me listening to my own body and I believe other people should listen to theirs and wear whatever they think is best.  Anyway, I answered her questions while we were running and told her what I know from my own research and experience and just as she was uttering the words “Well, you’ll have to keep me posted on how it’s going” I caught my big toe on the sidewalk and hit the deck.  As I was picking myself up I joked “well, it’s not going very well at this moment!”.

It’s interesting because I have been so much less of a klutz since I took off my running shoes and part of that is because being barefoot forces me to be present and aware.  As soon as I put on my VFFs and started a conversation, I was back to my old non-present self and back on my face on the pavement.  After that I stopped talking and got in line behind the others and had an excellent run.  Other than (another) hole in my running tights, I’m no worse for wear.  And thus wraps up January’s Day 12 of running!

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