Let the endurance training begin!

I want to log my journey as I train for endurance races here. I will include tips and tricks and things I learn on the way. I have been reading a lot recently about all the "need to know" things about training for ultras and I can't wait to get started!! Because of school and work and everything I haven't been able to log the amount of miles I really want to be logging yet but starting this next week I am going to get on a real training schedule. I'll post that here hopefully (or at least an idea of what it is going to be until I figure out what works best for me) as soon as I can.

I would love any feedback and tips or tricks any of you have for me about training for endurance races, things that have worked for you, books you have read and anything else you might be able to offer! I am excited!

Also I have been logging some miles in my Sockwa's and B2R's and will be posting those reviews soon! Check back!

Until then, happy running, happy holidays and most of all happy end of semester for those of you in school (that's what I am most excited about).

I just need to vent

Sometimes I just have to laugh when people tell me how much I am going to regret running barefoot in the coming years (trust me, I get it a lot). I try to just laugh because my initial reaction is to immediately attack them to try and show them how wrong they are, but that usually doesn't end well, thus laughing is the safer alternative. Barefoot/minimalist running to me is common sense. If you take the time to learn about your feet, you will quickly learn that your foot was built to move.

• Why have an arch if it was"meant" to be held stationary and not allowed to move? 

• Doesn't it make sense that if you run barefoot, you are going to run lighter on your feet. It's not like just because you put shoes on, now all of the sudden you are walking on pillows and your knees and legs take no impact and your feet work better. 

• Why do you think God gave you a nice thick padded spot on the ball of your foot? Do you think it was so you could put a fat sole under it with a raised heel and run on your heels? Obviously not.

• Why do you think we have 5 toes on each foot that all move separately? So we could cover them and hold them together tight and not allow them to feel the ground and help propel you forward?

I am not trying to say that running in any shoe is bad. In fact, I have a lot of minimalist running shoes that I use often. What I am saying, is that if you actually take the time to learn about barefoot/minimalist running, you will learn that there is a lot more to it than taking off your shoes and going for a jog. It teaches you the correct way to run. It allows your feet to be strengthened and the muscles to grow and work to help you run more efficiently. With that being said, I don't support conventional running shoes and will never wear them again in my life.

So to all those that tell me I am going to regret running barefoot in a few years, this is what I have to say to you.

NO I WON'T

Oh, and I will make you a promise right now. In a few years, I will still be running barefoot and loving it.

And in ten years, I will still be running barefoot and loving it. Injury-free.

Get it?

The attack of the mountain lion

This weekend we were in Boise, ID visiting some of my wife's family. While there, I decided to take advantage of what is called "The Green Belt" and go for a run. The section of the green belt that I ran is a beautiful dirt path that winds along the river through the trees. It was a really beautiful fall morning as you can see from the picture. I love fall, it's my favorite season.

Anyway, I came upon a bridge as I was jogging that had a sign on it. I ignored the sign and ran right past, but the word mountain lion jumped out at me. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see what I had ignored. This is what I saw.

I thought about it for a second, but decided to continue forward on my run. Obviously since I am here telling you all this story, I didn't get eaten. I was actually quite disappointed I didn't even get to see him. In talking with my wife's family members, apparently there have been a number of sightings lately in this area. 

So the story has nothing to do with barefoot running, but I still thought it was pretty funny. Happy Monday! Have a good week!

Goatheads

This morning I went for a jog on the trail. The trail is short, so I continued running through the adjoining neighborhood. About a quarter mile into the neighborhood, I stepped on something that made me jump. This happens pretty frequently so I just figured it was a rock or something so I put my foot back down to continue to run, but it was still there. I jumped up again and grabbed the sole of my foot to see what it was. Goathead. Have you ever heard of them? If you are a biker, you will know what they are. No, I am not talking about this type of goat head below on the left, but can you see where the name comes from?

Goatheads have become famous for popping bike tires. I was in Boise last fall and my wife and I went biking, we crossed a dirt path to get back to her mom's house and parked our bikes in the garage. I came out a couple of hours later to ride my bike somewhere to find that both tires on both of our bikes were completely flat because of multiple punctures from the darn goatheads I didn't see. These suckers have a bunch of sharp thorns on all sides and seem to stick to anything in their path.

Well, I pulled this one out of my foot and continued to run. BAM! I stepped on another one! I pulled it out. Then I stepped on another one. So I pulled it out. And another. Pulled it out. Let me just defend myself and say, I was being careful and looking where I was stepping, but these suckers were everywhere and seemed to be disguised really well with the sidewalk. I looked ahead of me...for the next 50 yards the sidewalk was completely covered in these goatheads. I was screwed. I slowed down to a slow tiptoe and carefully and strategically placed each footstep for the next 50 yards until I made it through.

So, here is a note to all barefoot runners. WATCH OUT FOR GOATHEADS.

Fall has arrived!

So this morning when I woke up, it was 59 degrees in my house. I finally caved and turned on the heat as it was starting to remind me of the cold mornings in the winter drinking "Frecco" (Some of you may know what I am talking about) when I lived in Chile. At about 9 o'clock, after it had warmed up a little (so I thought) I went for a little jog. I ran down to the river trail and through some of the joining neighborhoods. At one point I reached a grassy area that was still covered in the shade of the trees and houses. Just like any barefoot runner, I usually love the grass and find it quite comfortable to run in (besides the blades that get stuck between your toes). But this morning the grass was still covered in frost. This was not the most pleasant part of the run to say the least. It got me thinking, what am I going to do this winter to keep running barefoot/minimalist? I either run in my Xeroshoes, or barefoot, so I am in trouble when the snow starts falling (this is Utah, after all). Well this has inspired me to do some research on the matter, so check back soon to see what I've found. In the meantime, here are my feet.

Bear 100

So, does anyone want to see what my new running goal is?

Bear 100

Check back in a few years for the results... No, but in all seriousness, I am going to run this some day. Yes, it will take a lot of training and yes, I am crazy, but I am going to run this. I will log my journey here of course and hopefully provide some good tips/feedback on how to train for ultras.

Just this last weekend my wife and I were up in the mountains on a walk. We came upon an obscene amount of traffic in a random place where there are normally no people. Well, it turns out, it was a checkpoint for the Bear 100 mile endurance race. That is where I became inspired. I don't really know why, but every time I see a race happening, I feel like I need to run it. Who wants to join me?! Yeah yeah you may be thinking, this crazy son of a gun just ran a half marathon and now he thinks he can go and do 100 miles! Well, let's give it a shot!

The All-inclusive update

Alright, so I am just going to do an all-in-one update post so that I can actually get up to date on my latest goals and stories...

At the end of the summer, my family and I went to the lake for a much anticipated, much needed vacation. The lake we go to and is probably one of the cleanest most beautiful lakes in the country. We camped on a small island that is split up in to two campsites which we had to ourselves almost the whole two weeks we were there. We spent most of the time out on the boat relaxing, having fun and eating a lot.

It is needless to say that we had a lot of fun. Now, we spent the first couple of weeks in August at the lake and our half marathon was at the end of August, so we actually spent a good amount of time training as well. Every morning we would take the boat over to the marina and park it there and go on a nice run through the beautiful town of Bolton Landing, NY. Some mornings we would also head over to the main land and run the trails shown in the pics below.

There were some obvious obstacles that I ran into (the trail being washed out completely leaving large ditches) so we ended up running most says in Bolton Landing. One of the days we were up there, I went out for a run, planning to run about 4 miles. The run is an out-and-back sort of thing, so once I hit the 2 mile mark, I didn't quite feel ready to turn around, so I kept going. Before I knew it, I was 5 miles away from home and did a full 10 miles completely barefoot! It was an awesome accomplishment. My feet were tired after all was said and done and I had a pretty awesome blister on one of my toes, but other than that I felt great. It was a breakthrough moment for me when I realized how much I really enjoy running and the freedom of being capable of running long distances. It got me really excited for the half marathon to come. Well, here comes the next part of the story.

After the lake, we moved!
We moved in to our new apartment the day before the half marathon. We are really excited about our new home. The downside to living in the west in the mountains and training on the east at sea level, is that where we live is almost 5000 feet higher is elevation than where we trained.

Either way, after our one day of acclimation, we left our baby girl with my sisters and headed off at 5 am to the start of the race. The Top of Utah Half Marathon starts up a canyon and runs down into town. After much thought and analysis of the roads and such, I decided I was going to be running the half in my Huaraches. Being a canyon road, they are really rough and covered with a lot of gravel. Any barefoot runner knows that this is a recipe for some bloody, bruised feet, so I went with my huaraches to ensure that I would finish. Well, it went awesome!! I had probably 15-20 people stop me while running to ask about my sandals, it was very entertaining. I was doing awesome but starting to tire until about 10 miles I got a second wind that lasted until about 12 miles. The last mile you can see the finish line the whole way. My legs and everything were doing just fine, but my feet were pretty fatigued. I continued to run the entire way though and finished! It was an awesome experience and I am super happy that we did it. Now I, just like many others that run races, aspire to do more. Bigger, better, longer, crazier races are in the works for the future. I am not just talking about a full marathon, although I do plan on running the full marathon next September. I am talking about Ultras. I WILL be an ultra-runner  Check back later and I'll talk about where this dream came from. Also, I will be writing a better review on the Huaraches I ran in, I fell completely in love with them, thus I would like to give a more tried and tested review of them.

I am not dead.

Alright, so I know that the last time I posted something, I said that it was going to be just a couple of weeks. What I mean was that it was going to be a couple of months, you just had to read between the lines. Anyway, I am back, I have some stories and I cannot wait to post them up here.

Posts to come:
1. Running at Lake George
2. Top of Utah Half Marathon
3. We moved!
4. New running goals/adventures

Check back later to see the stories and for some new barefoot running tips!!

Lake George!

I will be MIA for a couple of weeks, but should have some good stories for the bloggypoo when I return. We are going to be in Lake George in Upstate New York for the next little while. We are camping on an island in the middle of the lake with nothin but our boat and our gear. Ain't nothin better!! Check back soon for some more updates when we get internet access again! In the meantime, enjoy the view from my tent door that I wake up to every morning!

Reservoir Run

This morning I decided I was going to do a little cross training and go on a bike ride. I threw the bike on the bike rack and drove out to a trail I used to ride as a kid. I pulled up, lifted the bike off and started off down the trail. About 50 feet in, I was confronted with a rock wall, and a lot of fallen trees. The trail was completely over grown with forest now and probably hadn't been touched in years. I honestly couldn't even make out where the trail used to be at all. I decided to head over to Nepaug Reservoir and ride along the trail there. Upon arriving, I remembered that it is not a very long trail and I would probably go there and back in a matter of minutes. I decided to scratch the biking idea and I kicked off my shoes and started off running down the trail.

It was a cloudy but beautiful morning, the temperature was perfect and there was not a soul out on the trail with me. I ran along the reservoir reflecting on how lucky I feel to live in such a beautiful place. Besides the trail being rough and rocky (not the best combination for bare feet, but it is getting easier), it was really an awesome run. I got to the end of the trail and traced my steps back again to the car. I was disappointed it was only  about 2.5 miles, but oh well. It's pretty cool that I can be disappointed now about a short run like that, when I used to feel so accomplished and tired after having run that far. I love running now, for the first time in my life.

Nepaug Reservoir from the dam

Barefoot Running Update

So the barefoot running has been going really well. I ended up rolling my ankle (unrelated to the whole barefoot running training business) and I wasn't able to really run well for a couple weeks, but I have felt better and am getting back in to it in the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I ran 4.5 miles completely barefoot and today I ran 2.5 miles wearing my Huaraches. The furthest I have run yet so far completely barefoot is about 7.5 miles. I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment and look forward to adding on more miles in the near future.

As of right now, my wife and I are training to run the Top of Utah half marathon at the end of August. Although the training is going really well, I don't anticipate doing it completely barefoot. The first 8 miles are in the canyon on the side of the road, it is pretty rocky and sandy and I just don't think I am quite ready to do 13.1 miles completely barefoot yet, I would probably end up with some pretty raw blistered feet. With that being said, I will NOT be wearing regular running shoes, so stop your worrying. I am planning as of right now to run in my Huaraches. So far they are the closest I have been able to find to barefoot, but still offering me the protection I need on those tough surfaces. I can't wait to see how it goes!

Barefoot running at its finest

On Saturday, my wife and I had the rare opportunity to sleep in...oh wait...no we didn't. Our little one wanted to get up bright and early to play! After laying around for a little while we decided we had better get up and go out for a run before it got too hot. Honestly, neither of us really wanted to go, but we went anyway. Since we run at different paces, I decided to take the car down with the baby and the stroller and pick up the trail and run 3 miles and she would run from our house to the trail and meet me at our favorite quaint little breakfast place.

I started out running in my new Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas. I finally got the right size and they are now incredibly comfortable (which I didn't quite expect). But after about a mile, I was feeling very constricted, so I decided to take them off and go barefoot, I was hot, I didn't feel very good and I felt tired so I was unsure that I would even make it three today. After about two miles I was feeling incredible. It was weird how much happier and energized I felt after I took off my shoes. I don't know if it was the shoes (or lack thereof) or if I was just getting warmed up, but whatever it was made me feel amazing so I kept running, I ran past the 1.5 mile turn-around point. Then I ran past the 2 miler. Then the 3. Then I got to about 3.5 miles and my baby girl woke up from her nap, so I figured I better not be out too long or she might get hungry, also I didn't want to scare my wife with being out for too long when she was supposed to meet me back in town, so I turned around and headed back. She ended up meeting me part way up the trail when she decided I must have gone further, so we ran the last 3/4 of a mile together. 

Upon finishing the seven miles I can honestly say I have never felt so good after a run of that distance; I still felt energized, my soles felt good, I had no blisters and it was overall such a great experience. That was the first run where I truly felt like I was officially a barefoot runner, I feel like I have graduated from the training phase to just being a normal barefoot runner. I hope that you can all be inspired to start running barefoot! I promise you awesome results as long as you take things slow and focus on doing it right rather than fast. You will slow down from your normal pace at first and it won't seem completely natural in the beginning, but it will come quickly and before you know it you will be tossing those old running shoes out the window! I can't see myself running in conventional running shoes ever again! Good luck and please let me know how your journey is going!

Wet feet and involuntary screams

This morning I went out for a nice little jog through the neighborhood. I left at about 6 o'clock and it was sunny, the birds were chirping and it really looked like it was going to be a nice day. After a couple miles, the clouds took over the sky and it started to get dark. Then it started to rain. Then it started to pour. Then it started to thunder a little bit in the distance. Then the lightning started striking closer and the thunder got louder. Then BOOM!!! The thunder struck super close to where I was. I jumped, covered my ears and screamed involuntarily. I honestly would have loved to be one of the people inside their house, eating their breakfast, watching the storm out the window and laughing my head off at the idiot who about pooped his pants from the lightning. I got home and was completely drenched, I guess there's nothing better than running barefoot in a thunderstorm...........

http://www.photographyblogger.net/lightning/

Beavers run barefoot too!

First of all, happy fathers day!

This was my first fathers day ever as a real dad. It was a blast! My wife made me an awesome dinner/gift/dessert, she's the best ever. After dinner, we went down to the river trail to take a walk together as a family. Naturally I took the opportunity to kick off the shoes and work out those feet. This time I brought my huarache sandals, they were awesome and super comfortable. I got them even better adjusted this time than before and they were really nice to walk in. I can see my feet changing slowly. While we were down there we ran into some beavers, check out some of the cool pictures we got below! The second picture has two beavers.

I like to be myself.

I live on top of a big hill, and consequently, whenever I leave my house to go running, it doesn't matter which way I go, there is always a big hill to climb back up to get back to my house. So this morning I was lazy and decided to take the car down to the trail at the bottom of the hills and run there. It was about 60 degrees and sunny as the sun rose and peeked through the trees. If any of you know Connecticut, you know there are a lot of trees. I did a short run today, only a couple of miles, because I wanted to get back and do some other exercising before I had to get in to work.

My feet are starting to adjust really well to running barefoot. I ran those two miles today and am not experiencing any type of rawness or soreness or blisters. They aren't tough and callused like many people would think would happen, instead they are becoming like a tough leather feel. It is really funny to watch people stop and stare at me as I run by them on the trail. They usually glance down at my feet and notice that there are no shoes there, followed by a puzzled look.

I like it, I like being different. I like not conforming to society or doing what others do, simply to "look good". I like to be myself. It is really interesting how often people will call you crazy for being yourself and choosing to act or react in certain ways. Barefoot running, like many other things in my life, is not what most people consider normal. As many of you know I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This choice of religion/way of life is something that has shaped me and helped me to try and emulate Christ in what I do every day (keyword: TRY). It is something that has allowed me the opportunity to stand out and to be myself and make decisions for myself that aren't necessarily in line with what all of my friends have chosen. That doesn't make me better than anyone else, nor does it make my friends bad for choosing what they chose, but it has made me happier with myself and happier with my own standing and relationship with God. Being different from others is not necessarily a bad thing. I like being different, I like to be myself.

Running barefoot and glass DON'T mix

Since the day I started running barefoot, everyone seems to enjoy telling me things like "You're going to cut your feet up!" or "I would never run barefoot because I care about my feet and don't want to get slivers." or "Just wait till you step on a piece of glass, I'll be there to laugh at you and tell you I told you so!!" WELLLL start laughing, because this morning I found a piece of glass lodged in my foot. Now, I have no idea when I stepped on it, but it wasn't today because I had to dig it out with a needle because my foot healed up over it, but I realized that it was there this morning. Anyway, for all of you that think I am crazy, here is a funny video (also really weird and robot-ish, you'll see what I mean) that will make you laugh.

Blistered feet

Well  this morning I thought that it would be a great idea to go out on a 4 mile run. I did 4 miles on saturday (even though I know I said I would take it easy after my last post...oops) and I felt great. I went with my wife, we had a great time, my feet were feeling awesome, no problems whatsoever. Today I got out there and started running, the ground was really wet, so everything was sticking to my feet which is always fun. It really was an awesome run, EXCEPT for the fact that half way through my run I really had to go to the bathroom and there was no where even remotely close to where I was that I could go, aaaaand the blisters I found on the bottom of my feet after I finished... I guess this is all just part of the fun of becoming a barefoot runner. I suppose I will be running in my huarache sandals this week a little more!

The blisters are on my first two toes and the side of my foot, not super easy to see.

Raw feet and achin' calves!

Well, the title of this post says it all. My feet are raw, and my calves are achin haha.

So one of the biggest adjustments so far has been the way that a barefoot runner is supposed to run. Because your shoes allow you to land on your heel, most runners (including myself) do land on their heels. But if you take a minute to think about that, why would we want to land on the boniest part of our foot? Well, running barefoot changes your step about as quick as you start running. The first time you slap your heel on to the pavement is the last time it will happen. Naturally I have started running more on my forefoot. I land on the fat padded part of my foot and slowly roll back to my heel. It is a much lighter step than what I was doing before and it has truly helped my legs to not feel so fatigued after a run. That being said, it requires a lot more work from your calves, thus, my calves are on fire after the last few days haha. I don't mind though, like they say, "no pain, no gain".

Well last night I got home from work to find my awesome new Huarache Sandals from Invisible Shoe. I got the holes punched, the laces laced and I took them out for a test walk with my wife. Not only did I love the wonderful talk/walk with her and our beautiful baby girl, I immediately fell in love with the sandals. They are super comfortable, the rubber forms to the bottom of your foot, they are ultra light and ultra cool looking. We walked about two miles and I barely noticed they were there.

And now for my feet... So this morning, I went for a run and I decided to use the sandals again. I drove down to the river trail close to where I live and started off on the trails. My plan was to run about a mile and a half again. After about 3/4 of a mile, I decided to slip off the Huarache sandals and go completely barefoot again. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the sandals, I do love them.. buuut there is nothing quite like being completely barefoot. I ended up running about 3 1/4 miles... oops haha. It is needless to say that my feet are a little raw. The sides are tender, but surprisingly I don't have any blisters or anything, just soreness. So I will probably take the day off tomorrow to give my feet a little break and do something else for exercise instead.

Check out some of the awesome scenery from my run today.

Collinsville Axe Factory

Can you believe how pretty this is?! Sometimes I can't believe I live here.

Day #2

Remember how I said that I was going to take it really slow so I don't get hurt?... Well I went out this morning to run just a little bit further than I went yesterday, but I ended up running almost a mile and a half! I was having so much fun. There is nothing quite like running barefoot. The feeling of your feet to the earth makes you feel way more hardcore than you have ever felt before while running. You are no longer the typical heel-slappin thick-soled legs-achin runner, you are a barefoot monster!!

So anyway, "they" say you should take it slower than I took it, but they also say to listen to your body and it will tell you when you are taking it too far and working too hard, and when you can take it to the next level. I am so excited for what is to come!

Also, last night I picked up some Chia Seeds, I decided to make the classic Tarahumara Pinole with some Chia seeds... Check back later today for pictures of what I made with more info on what it is and why I am eating it!

Day #1

First off, Check out the new pair of running sandals I just ordered. Click here and order them now, they are on sale!!

So today was day one of my transition to barefoot running. Everything that I have read so far has said that if I don't take my time and try to "jump" right in to it that I will get hurt. If any of you know me, you know that I am not a very patient person. I want to have everything NOW. But I have decided that I better just stick to the program and take it easy.

So I have been watching a lot of videos about barefoot running and reading a lot about the different reasons why people decide to take this path. Here are some of the thoughts that I have had through it all that have motivated me to try this out:

1. If God gave me feet with an arch, the arch in my foot must serve a purpose. The fact that it flexes seems like our bodies natural shock absorbing device. Why do we NEED to have something that lifts it and holds it up if it is meant to flex? Wouldn't that defeat its purpose? Check out the quote at the bottom of this post to see what Christopher McDougall has to say about this in "Born to Run"

2. I have flat feet, my feet always hurt in my shoes, I can never find a running shoe that seems to work for me.

3. When I run, like many of you, my heel plays a huge part in my running form and style. That does not seem right, why do I run like that? Why would I run slamming my heel down in to the ground when it is the boniest part of my whole foot? I try to stop, but my stupid thick-soled running monsters don't make that very easy for me.

4. I want to be hardcore. I have always wanted to do something that others would be like, " woah look at that dude, he is hardcore." This is my opportunity. Look out world, here I come.

So anyway, today I started the process. Almost anywhere I have read or watched, they tell you to start out just walking around barefoot outside for a while, and practice good form (I will touch on what "good form" should be later). So i did. I walked down the street, walked around the block a little, jogged in the grass some and just started to get my feet used to the idea of being nakie. So far so good.

"Just look at the architecture," Dr Hartmann explained. Blueprint your feet, and you'll find a marvel that engineers have been trying to match for centuries. Your foot's centerpiece is the arch, the greatest weight-bearing design ever created. The beauty of any arch is the way is gets stronger under stress. The harder you push down, the tighter its parts mesh. No stonemason worth his trowel would ever stick a support under an arch; push up from underneath and you weaken the whole structure. Buttressing the foot's arch from all sides is a high-tensile web of twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints, twelve rubbery tendons, and eighteen muscles, all stretching and flexing like an earthquake resistant suspension bridge."