Road to Nowhere

I did play some barefoot freeze-tag on the grass with Aileen's niece/nephew on Sunday. After 3 beers and a glass of champagne. So the barefoot part was nice and playful, but oof.

The fall was during my trail race just about 1 year ago. I think.

Mike MacLellan wrote:I did play some barefoot freeze-tag on the grass with Aileen's niece/nephew on Sunday. After 3 beers and a glass of champagne. So the barefoot part was nice and playful, but oof.

The fall was during my trail race just about 1 year ago. I think.

Barefoot is the best way to play tag on grass. Doing it while is asking for trouble, so it's good to know you survived.

Hope you at least picked some berries while you were picking yourself out of the brambles.

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So, a package arrived today that's going to put my exploration of barefoot running on the back burner for a bit: a new set of shoes to wear test for Nike. They want higher mileage than I've been running, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to deepen my base while trying to translate what I've learned barefooting into a shod condition. I'm sure I'll be sneaking in some barefoot work on rest days, just to remember how to do it.

Well, that didn't last long... I'm going to have to send this set of testers back. They killed my feet.

Being a wear tester is a mixed blessing. On one hand, you get to play with products in development long before they ever go on the market. On the other hand... you're playing with products in development, which means you never know what's going to happen.

This isn't the first time this has happened, and it's not particularly surprising. Designs or materials that look great on paper don't always translate to greatness on a foot. At least, not without refinement. Which is why they have a flock off canaries in the coal mine (or crash test dummies) like me to find out what does and does not work in the real world.

Hopefully, my feedback will help make the final version of this shoe better. Specific negative feedback is usually more helpful than vague praise.

Anyway, I guess it's back to what I was doing. Onward.

Well, just checking in, and you have been busy

I think that it is so cool you get to wear test for Nike. My BFF is doing it as well...she has a very small foot and is fast. She is really excited to see what they send her.

so will they send you some other version of the shoe to try since these did not work out?

E Greenie<--No thunder and lightning today, thank goodness.

EugeneGreenie wrote:Well, just checking in, and you have been busy

I think that it is so cool you get to wear test for Nike. My BFF is doing it as well...she has a very small foot and is fast. She is really excited to see what they send her.

so will they send you some other version of the shoe to try since these did not work out?

E Greenie<--No thunder and lightning today, thank goodness.

Woot! Tell your friend congrats. I've had a lot of fun testing for Nike. I probably won't get another version to try out, unless they want to see if a modified version of the same shoe works better. But that's okay. I'll get other chances.

Barefoot Run: 8 miles

Weather: Clear, mild, a little muggy at times. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk. Didn't carry water (could have used it.)

Since I couldn't wear the testers, I decided to try something a little crazier than usual this morning when my training partner showed up. I decided to take our longer route to the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail barefoot. (Okay, it wasn't *that* much crazier than usual, but it was potentially my longest barefoot run yet.)

The run went pretty well. The pavement got pretty rough in spots, which slowed me down, and I kept getting little rocks and tree seeds stuck to the bottom of my feet... but my HR stayed quite low throughout. I think going a little slower was fine with my buddy, who was wearing shoes but hasn't done a lot of running lately. So we talked and ran. Good times.

I was prepared to go a full 10 miles, but was glad when my buddy was willing to turn around after four, bringing the total to 8 miles. The run reinforced what I'd concluded when I did 8 miles with the Millers a couple of weeks ago: I need more time (or a more forgiving surface, like a dirt trail) before I extend the distance beyond what I'm doing now. My feet aren't the worse for wear after the run, but they were giving me plenty of feedback that they'd had enough.

Average HR for entire run: 126

We interrupt this running blog to bring in a personal note...

My dad passed away back in December of 2009, and our share of his ashes have been sitting in a box ever since as we tried to decide the best place to scatter them. It was a tough decision. We knew that other portions of his remains had been scattered at some of his favorite places -- the Oregon Coast and Autzen Stadium (he was a huge Ducks fan) -- so we wanted to find a place equally as special.

We finally decided on the McKenzie River Golf Club, a little 9-hole golf course along the McKenzie River east of Eugene. My dad used to play there every Wednesday. He even took me up there once when I was flirting with golf as a hobby (I think I killed a tree.), so I knew it was quite pretty.

We went up there on Sunday, Alita, Alec and I, as well as my stepmom and stepbrother. We'd made arrangements with the owner of the course, and the guy working there suggested a nice place and loaned us a couple of golf carts so we could get out there easily.

It was a nice day, and a pretty spot. It was behind a green, in an area filled with rhododendrons, ferns and fir trees. A branch of the McKenzie River burbled off to one side. There was a view looking down the fairway into the foothills of the Cascade Range. I can see why my dad liked this place.

We took turns saying a few words, and several of us passed around my dad's remains, scattering them around the rhododendrons he probably enjoyed seeing bloom and grow over the years. We took the last bit and cast them down toward the McKenzie River, which he spent so many years driving along hauling loads of gasoline all over the state.

It felt right. And, after we'd finished and were just starting back, Alita spotted two young deer walking across the fairways. Alec said it was as if he saw his grandfather's spirit reborn.

Here are a few photos from the day:

So very special, Mark. Thanks for sharing.

KathyK wrote:So very special, Mark. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Kathy. It was a nice afternoon, and a really nice place to be. It had been a while since I've been up there. It brought back many good memories.

The people who ran the golf course were very gracious, too, which made it even better.

Dynamic Testing: 2 x 0.28 miles

Weather: Sunny, pleasant. Gear: Prototypes, shorts, T. Fuel: Post breakfast.

A quick trip out to Nike this morning for some dynamic testing. Today was pretty easy. Just two laps around the Pete Sampras building, checking out some prototypes. I kept it light, easy and slightly quick. I didn't know how quick (around an 8/mi pace) until I got home and checked my watch time with the distance pulled up on a mapping program.

Edit to add: I forgot to mention that, after my testing session, I met with a Nike analyst and shoe engineer to discuss the shoes I was returning. They wanted to remeasure my feet and get a better sense of how the shoes fit and why they weren't working for me. It was an interesting conversation - and hopefully, very useful for them.

Barefoot Run: 5.57 miles on sidewalks, roads, trails (South Ridge Loop)

Weather: Sunny, mild, a bit muggy. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk (did not agree with me this morning)

Back to adventure running this morning. I warmed up on the 1.5 miles out to the trailhead at Whipple Creek Park, then explored a different trail than I did last week. This was a loop (the South Ridge Loop) that took me through most of the park. Other than some gravel at the very beginning, it was mostly good dirt trail. It's very hilly, so maintaining HR discipline was pretty much impossible, so I went more by feel. An upset stomach helped keep me from pushing too hard, as well, though it was distracting. My paces were all over the place, which is what you'd expect, and I had fun zipping down some of the better trails.

Here's a map:



I hit pavement again on the way home and was happy for the smoother surface, though I was surprised at how high my HR was rising... until I looked at my pace. I was zipping along, barefoot, at a sub-9 pace. Hm. Well. Heck. Since this wasn't going to be a low HR run anyway (it was starting to seem like a fartlek), I figured I might as well let my legs go faster and see what happened. The result was a nice bit of sub-8 running before it was time to ease back and cool down. Funny thing was, that cool down was still in the low 10s, even at a low HR. Hm.

Average HR for the entire adventure: 139

One thing to add after my run this morning: I came back with a dandy (nickel-sized) bruise on my arch. I remember when it happened - I either came down a little too flat-footed and smacked a root on the only tender part left on the sole of my foot, or I didn't notice the root (or whatever it was) when I landed on my forefoot and lowered my heel to the ground.

Either way, it speaks to the need for me to keep building my calf strength.

I remember a little "ow!" when I did it, but it never bothered me after that. It's on a part of my arch that doesn't usually touch anything, so I'd forgotten all about it until I was rinsing the dirt, berry juice and dried horse manure* off my feet and saw it there.

*-Those familiar with my blog will recall me saying months ago that I wasn't 'yet' hardcore enough to run through horse poop. Well, I'm still trying to miss the fresh stuff, but when it's dry, spread all over the path and worked into the soil... what the heck. Still not hardcore, but closer to it.

8mi barefoot. I hope you are able to read that and look back at just how far you've come in a very short period of time. Really cool to be a spectator to all this. Run on!

Mike MacLellan wrote:8mi barefoot. I hope you are able to read that and look back at just how far you've come in a very short period of time. Really cool to be a spectator to all this. Run on!

Thanks, Mike! It also reminds me of the importance to not let my exuberance get the better of me. Part of me is impatient to to out and run even farther, over crazier terrain, as soon as possible... but I know that I need to be patient and let it happen. Crazy is one thing; stupid is another.

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On that thought, today's a rest day for me. Part of me is eager to get out there, but I know I need the recovery time. It helps (?) that I'm doing all night shifts this week, which means I can't get up early every morning to run without keeling over from lack of

Bummer on the tootsie. So what does calf strength and your arch have in common?

ounce wrote:Bummer on the tootsie. So what does calf strength and your arch have in common?

The bruise is colorful, but it's not causing me any problems, so that's good.

Calf strength comes into play in how much control I can exert in that moment between when I land on my forefoot and touch down with my heel. Having stronger calves should reduce the chance that I might bring the heel down too quickly (in that toe-to-heel pattern) and inadvertently smack something with a more tender part of my foot. Which (I think) is what I most likely did yesterday.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles on moderate asphalt

Weather: Sunny, mild, a little muggy. 62 degrees, 89% humidity. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T, hat to block blinding sun. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk.

Back to laps around the block this morning. I wanted to concentrate on form, and to be able to shut it down when I felt like I'd done enough (which was at 3 miles this morning). I've been working night shifts all but one day in the past two weeks, so I'm more fatigued than usual. Best not to push my luck.

The first few laps felt creaky, as usual, until I warmed up. I had a little difficulty keeping my HR down - my feet wanted to go faster than my body - but I got it sort of reined in over time. With the slightly higher effort level, I went sub-10 on my second and third miles. (10:08/132; 9:49/140; 9:58/139)

I was thinking that this wasn't the most enjoyable run I've ever had -- I was, after all, doing laps around the block -- until I saw some 20-something running the opposite direction. She was head forward, hunched/leaning at an odd angle and looking like she was counting on whatever music she had playing on her iPod to get her through her workout - with an emphasis on the word "work." It made me feel like whatever I was doing was a frolic. Yipes.

Average HR for entire run: 137

Barefoot MAF Test: 6.13 miles total on rubberized asphalt track

Weather: Overcast, mild, a little breeze. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk before. No water during.

I met my training partner, Eric, at the track for a barefoot MAF test today. I though it would be a good way to limit the distance on our Sunday run, which is probably good for both of us. Also, it's been a month since my last MAF tests, and I wanted to see if there was any progress.

In a word? Yes!

Even thought I was chatting with Eric while running, we hit the first mile in 9:27, with a HR exactly at my MAF target. A month ago, I did that same mile in 9:57. Wow! The second mile came in at 9:42 (last month was 10:09). Cool! And so on. I was wondering if I was going to keep it under 10 for the whole 5 miles, but I drifted to exactly 10 by mile 4, though I was less than a second slower in the final mile.

Here's the progression since I started back doing low HR running (and barefoot).



Getting there.

In all, an extremely satisfying result. The track felt rubbery but good underfoot - though I somehow managed to catch a piece of rubber between the top of two toes and carried it around for a lap or so. What a weird sensation.

Average HR for entire run: 131 (Walked first 5 minutes during warm-up, and for three minutes to cool down at the end.)

Some wise person must have said "Progress is good!"

So, you're literally tearing up the track when you run there?

Michael Enright wrote:Some wise person must have said "Progress is good!"

So, you're literally tearing up the track when you run there?

Thanks, Michael!

Yeah, I guess I'm hard on that track. Better trim my toenails.

Actually, it's surprising how many little bits of rubbery stuff are on the track surface. The soles of my feet come back much more discolored than they do even on a trail. Crazy.

Mark B wrote:

Michael Enright wrote:Some wise person must have said "Progress is good!"

So, you're literally tearing up the track when you run there?

Thanks, Michael!

Yeah, I guess I'm hard on that track. Better trim my toenails.

Actually, it's surprising how many little bits of rubbery stuff are on the track surface. The soles of my feet come back much more discolored than they do even on a trail. Crazy.

I've noticed the track readily (or should I say "red-ily" - who decided that red would be the color of tracks when they changed the new ones to red instead of the old black??) leaves its color on the soles of my shoes, which I always thought was kind of strange.
I've never run barefoot on it, but it has always felt rough to me the few times I've either sat down on it or touched it with my hand for some reason. How's it feel? I guess softer than gravel!

Michael Enright wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michael Enright wrote:Some wise person must have said "Progress is good!"

So, you're literally tearing up the track when you run there?

Thanks, Michael!

Yeah, I guess I'm hard on that track. Better trim my toenails.

Actually, it's surprising how many little bits of rubbery stuff are on the track surface. The soles of my feet come back much more discolored than they do even on a trail. Crazy.

I've noticed the track readily (or should I say "red-ily" - who decided that red would be the color of tracks when they changed the new ones to red instead of the old black??) leaves its color on the soles of my shoes, which I always thought was kind of strange.
I've never run barefoot on it, but it has always felt rough to me the few times I've either sat down on it or touched it with my hand for some reason. How's it feel? I guess softer than gravel!

Our local track isn't so highfalutin. It's just plain old black rubberized asphalt. But it turns the bottoms of my shoes black, too.

The surface of the track is more textured than the streets I normally run on, but the rubber in it means the surface has more "give." Still, it IS rougher, and my soles can feel it now - especially this spot right in the middle of the ball of my foot, just behind the toes. I must have been sliding a tiny bit.

Just to go back a bit, very cool place to lay your dads ashes. Looks very beautiful and scenic.

Glad to see you are improving on your MAF tests, looking good barefoot man. FYI, the wife and I are talking about our trip for next year. If you have any ideas on what we can do up there let me know. So far we are leaning towards either Washington State, Yellowstone or a cruise....I want to go to Washington State personally out of those 3.

Wow...that newest MAF data looks impressive!
Way to go!

Joel H wrote:Just to go back a bit, very cool place to lay your dads ashes. Looks very beautiful and scenic.

Glad to see you are improving on your MAF tests, looking good barefoot man. FYI, the wife and I are talking about our trip for next year. If you have any ideas on what we can do up there let me know. So far we are leaning towards either Washington State, Yellowstone or a cruise....I want to go to Washington State personally out of those 3.

Hi, Joel! Thanks for stopping by.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that golf course on the McKenzie River was the perfect place for the scattering. My dad would enjoy hanging out there for the rest of time.

It also reminded me how that area is one of my favorite places, too. I need to get back up there more often.

The low HR and barefoot seem to be working well in tandem. And you know what? Mixing up the surfaces means I run more aware of footing and form than speed, which often means I'm running *below* my target. And the improvement are still coming. If nothing else (and I think they're plenty else), this proves to me that the lower HR target of 138 is superior to the slightly faster but more stress-inducing 143. This year without racing is giving me time to let things develop on their own schedule, and it's working pretty well so far.

Now, as to your vacation ideas: They all sound good. Yellowstone is a must-do at some point, and it might even take precedence over Washington. Definitely over a cruise (though Alaskan cruises can be fun, I've been told).

But that doesn't mean there's not a lot to see in Washington. If you were visiting the state, you'd have to spend a little time in Seattle and on Puget Sound (ferry rides are fun). You'd want to visit the Olympic National Park (You might even be tempted to visit Victoria BC.) and maybe even Mount Rainier. In my part of the state, there's the Columbia River Gorge, Mount St. Helens, Vancouver/Portland, and Mount Hood. Then there's the Washington (and Oregon) Coast, which is nothing like you've seen on the Gulf or even the Atlantic (unless, maybe, Maine). If you were geology nut, you'd want to go east and check out the evidence of the huge ice age floods (Ice Age Floods Institute website).

In other words, you could easily spend weeks here and not see and do everything. Good luck deciding!