Tuesday, March 23, 2010

... Bliss ...

Two posts to my blog today… The title of my last entry should have been “Stop me before I blog again!”

I did the run around Peace Valley Park at lunch today. It was pure bliss and I feel amazing. I am trying to be as “real” as possible as I write this blog and I want to make sure that I make you the reader prepared to handle the pitfalls and problems with barefoot running. However so far, there are none. A seven mile run 6 months ago was met with extreme preparation, stress, pain and exhaustion (followed by AT LEAST two days off and plenty of Tylenol). But here I sit an hour after my run perfectly fine and feeling like I could do it again. And I did it with a ¼ inch of hard rubber on my feet, not gel or air or springs.

I started out with an hour and a half to run around the beautiful lake at the park and get back home for my 1 o’clock conference call. This posed an issue because I assumed that I could make it around in that time, but as I said in my previous post, I am not running that fast and there is a point when you run in a circle around a lake that you are committed to doing the WHOLE thing.

When I reached that halfway point I felt amazing! The runners high was kicking in, the clouds were parting and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” started playing on my iPod. I felt like I could fly… I felt like I could run to the moon. Not to mention the sense of satisfaction I was getting from every other runner looking at the crazy shoes on my feet as they ran by.

The Peace Valley Park trail is perfect. I do want to devote more of my entries to that place, but I will say that the distance is perfect and the trail has everything you could want as a runner (or biker or walker). It has flat paved trails, hills, Forrest, amazing views and even about a ¼ mile of regular road. If you happen to live within 45 minutes of Chalfont PA you have to make the trip. It’s a great park.

I will post the state of my body tomorrow. I am anticipating soreness, but for now, I am giddy with excitement. I feel light years ahead of schedule and my prayers for‘distance running’ ability may have been answered!

(oh, by the way, I made it back in time for one of the most boring work calls ever! Can I get paid to run?)

3 comments:

  1. To all the blog followers - HAHA!! ok so its really just me and Ken talking to ourselves.... I ordered my "barefoot running shoes" today also. The real test to this bare foot running crap (oops I mean new exciting lifestyle HEHE)is whether I can do it not Ken! He can run - I can't go more than 10 feet without being winded and whining about my feet and back.

    PS - And to be fair its not so much the barefoot that I think is crap, its running in general. The barefoot thing actually makes sense to me.

    PSS - I didn't order the Vibram FF. Unlike Ken I don't like people giving me crazy looks or approaching me to ask questions. I went with the Feelmax OSMA.

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  2. Hey, I just wanted to say; Keep on keepin' on! I started barefoot running on March 14, 2010 in Sanatoga, PA. Wish I would've know this the past 5 years I've been running! I'll take your advice and check out Peace Valley Park.

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  3. Right on brother! Thanks for the comment!!

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