Day One of Training Camp CDR Style Cont.

I can't believe I almost forgot this, to top off the epic two mountain summit run on Friday, Nicole and I also joined about 32 or so other training camp participants for a 5km plus or minus night run of the start of Leg 5. This was one of Nicole's legs and how could we pass up the opportunity to run in the dark on the all important last leg of the race. Even with my slightly rubbery legs, I was not going to miss it, because I was bound and determined to see as much of the course as possible over the three days even if it killed me (and that was a distinct possibility, it is called the Death Race don't you know).

The funny thing about this night run, was at the orientation prior to us starting camp, Dale asked everybody in the room, who was going to partake in this little night time adventure, and about 40 hands went up. At the time Dale chuckled at this, and quickly noted that he expected that by the end of the afternoon that would easily be cut in half. Well Dale, you were not quite right, and I think we surprised him with the amount that did show up. Can we say this camp crew was hardcore, why yes, yes we can.
So at 10:30 pm as the sun was starting to go down we all met at the Hotel entrance to see what Dale and the rest of the team had in store for us. With a little more 'magic' to be performed by the organizers, we shuttled everybody to the end of the 5km run and piled into a vastly smaller quantity of vehicles and headed to the starting point of Leg 5 at the Sulpher Gates Station where we would enter the heavy tree canopy portion of the leg.  So as Dale explained what would take place and how important it was if you were running Leg 5 to see what the conditions of running this portion in the dark would be like first hand. The first portion of Leg 5 you enter the 'Canopy', it gets dark quick and the trail is full of tree roots, so keeping a diligent eye and having a very good head lamp is important, or you will be not on your feet to long.

Map of Leg 5

Dale gave us quite overview of what we were to expect on the trail, from the cat's eye reflectors on the trees to mark the trail (these were neat to see, like a airport landing strip at night), to the tree roots and quick turns, he explained you needed to be aware of your surroundings at all times. He split us up into groups of 4 or 5 runners and sent us on our way, with his catch phrase bellowing, "I Love This Shit!!". Put a smile on my face as we entered the tree line and the pitch black conditions.

I will say, after finishing Leg 2 today and the chore of Leg 4 the next day, I decided to wear my Vibrams for this 5km and I was glad I did. Nicole and I were testing out new headlamps and mine just sucked, it would not stay in position and the light just bounced everywhere. So as you can imagine I would be running along not really seeing where I was going and damn it, I would either land on a tree root or kick one on the leg lift. I just plain could not see the ground properly because of it and I had to slow my pace down just to ensure I was staying on the trail. I really do not like being at the mercy of a light, but I would have to make do I guess. So along the 5 km I ended up going off trail 5 times, almost missed a turn and went off the side of the trail and down an incline (scared the crap out of me), kicked a dozen or so nasty tree roots and stepped on too many to count. That little bit of protection saved me some pretty good gashes and 2 very sore feet for sure. 

With me trying to make sure I didn't die on the trail, Nicole flew ahead and finished way ahead of me (I blame it on the downhills, because Nicole really likes the downhills), I could hear her whooping and hollering through the trees having the time of her life. I knew this was going to be the perfect leg for her, plus she really wanted to do the river crossing on the boat, so how could I deny her that pleasure. I believe I finished about 5 minutes behind her, and was just glad to be back in a area that I could see. But seriously I do like to run at night, because it adds an element of difficulty and a whole new aspect to the challenge of running. But having the correct gear to assist you is very important, and testing out a new light on a trail you don't know is not a good idea. Lesson Learned.

After 'I' finally finished, Nicole and I headed back to the hotel for the night to prepare for the next day and the 'Mountain Bike Ride From Hell' and the 'Rise To The Summit of Hamel'

To be Con't.

But first some more photos from Leg 2:

Somewhere heading up Flood Mountain

One of the many mountain streams that are scattered across the course

A look to the south (at least I think its South, I'm not an orienteer or anything you know) from the trail. Can you see the bee that I caught flying in front of the lens.......

Carolin making her way up Mount Flood showing good climbing technique with the poles

Another view from the trail, don't know what mountain it is but thought it was pretty neat that the clouds were touching the top

The feet were mighty happy to running this terrain. 'Sole'ful bliss I would say.

Round, round we go up the mountain

Enter 'Slugfest' This is looking up at the trail we just came down. This is me kneeling and pointing the camera up the trail, i was trying to show the butt sliding slope of the down. You might even be able to see the grooves of many a previous ass cheek that has slide down this hill

On the floor of Slugfest looking towards Grande Mountain. The muddy trail in the photo is some of the driest down in the valley

The whole trail is full of spectacular views

A view of Grande Cache from Grande Mountain

A storm is a brewing' time to start heading down the mountain

Not even half way down the power line, what fun this descent was

The Smokey River below

Some of my favorite types of trail, dirt that squishes between the toes, ahhh nice soft dirt with the occasional 'proper running form' checking type rock.

All done with all things considered a mild case of mud and dirt coverage

Our Relay Partner Dan coming in after finishing Leg 2. This is his leg  

Dale Tuck, our fearless leader bringing in the last runner to the finish

Nicole and Dan looking quite happy for Leg 2 to be finished. Relaxing in the grass

Vibrams KSO's - The Shoes That Take a S**t Kicking and Keep Coming Back For More

Just wanted to start by saying, I R-E-A-L-L-Y like my KSO's. They are by far my favorite running shoe, except for my bare feet that is, but that aside the KSO's are just awesome. I have yet to find another pair that I like as much, but I have also not had any reason to go see what else is out there. My KSO's have not given me a reason too, all they have done for the last 3 plus years is perform. Yes, before you ask, I have had the same pair of KSO's for 3 years, talk about longevity.

I laugh and shake my head when I see people changing out their running shoes after 300 to 500 miles logged, sure lets go spend $100 to $200 on new shoes every 3 to 4 months. My little ole KSO's that were purchased for $80 (I believe they are around $95.00 today) have logged some serious miles, both via the run and as my everyday shoe, miles well above 2000 and probably closer to 3000 miles I am sure.

Let's put that into perspective, my shoes have lasted me for 3 years at $80, so that is 1096 days (don't forget about the leap year) or 7 cents a day and I figure I will get at least another year out of them. Or another way of looking at is the mile aspect just based on 2000 miles that would be 4 cents a mile, that some serious bang for your buck.

While your standard running shoe at the low end is $100.00 used for 3 months of running only is $1.11 and that is not running every day. Or 500 miles (I'm using the high end) or 20 cents a mile. So if that is every 3 months, over 3 years that would be 12 pairs of shoes at $1200.00 or $13.32 a day or $2.40 a mile. Well I am no math guru but I am quite sure I am saving a little bit of coinage with my Vibrams, don't you.

My KSO's have been seen every type of running terrain over the last three years, road, trail, mud, streams, snow, ice, rock and sand. They have never complained, bitched or whined about where I was taking them, they just ate it all up and went looking for more. Sure I get funny comments like, 'Look at the gorilla feet' and 'You just need to paint the toes pink' and 'What the hell are those', and the double takes are always entertaining. But for everyone of those, I get a 'Man, those are so cool, where can I get some', to that question I always answer City Park Runners on Portage Avenue.

My KSO's are my favorite because they are just the right amount of shoe. I have tried some of the other Vibram styles, the Flows, the Biklas, etc. just not my cup of tea. The KSO's are basic, no flair (except for the toes) just a true to form, ground feeling beast. They fit my feet like a glove and I feel the ground but provide me with enough protection when I need it. I am a little strange I like to feel the rocks, roots and all the other irregularities of the ground and the surfaces that I am running on. That is why I like barefoot running so much, being one with the ground is very important to me. But when my soles have taken to much pounding (those extra long runs with gravel, or runs that are a little to cold) I know I can pull out the VFF's and keep on going.

The specs on the KSO's show the soles at 3.5mm thick and the weight at a generous 5.7 oz per kick. The great thing with the soles is they are the bread and butter of Vibrams success, in 3 1/2 years my KSO's show some visible wear but the tread is still very evident, even in the areas of most ground contact. Like the back of the heel from years of walking, because no matter what you do your heel hits the ground when you walk (unless you walk on your tippy toes and I do not).

The bottom of my KSO's

Still Quite A Bit of Tread Left (See the Wiggly lines)

and you can almost make out the size (by the big toe)



Even the wear from 3 years of walking is not substantial

So you would be hard pressed to convince me there is a better shoe out there minimal or not. With this in mind I also am planning to use the above shoes for The Canadian Death Race this summer, at least for Leg 4 anyway, my other portion is Leg 1 which I will be going San shoe for, because I can. 

After 3 plus years of running in hers, N has retired her first pair of KSO's (N does more running mileage in her KSO's than I did in mine), and I have bought her a nice pair of black KSO's. I think she is still thinking in the back of her mind that I plan to 'borrow' them soon or something, but that could be farther from the truth. Why would I do that when I still have a good year left in my pair, but maybe next year. 



Journey of 1,000 Barefoot Miles - Week Ending May 22, 2011

A Iron Red River Runs Through It
(Iron enriched waterways are a common sight in the White Shell)

Well, here we are one of the most important times of the year, May Long Weekend, also known as Victoria Long Weekend. This is for most Canadians the first opportunity of the year to go out camping, get the cabins functional for the summer, start the process of becoming ‘One With Nature’ once again. This also the first opportunity for a lot of the above noted outdoors type people to drink a lot of beer around a campfire or overlooking a lake and just have a good time. A celebration of the summer to come and the memories that will be associated with it and escaping and wanting to forget the winter that was. Oh yeah, I guess it also recognizing a Queen Victoria or something like that.

Anyway I digress, this was a week of great weather, lots of sun and decent temperatures hovering around 25 degrees. The humidity has not risen to summer levels as of yet, so all in all this was perfect running weather. I have been missing my daily lunch runs at work, and this week was to be no different, I like this time, because it allows me to let the stress of my job just slip away, and puts me into a relaxed and calm state (sort of like a natural Valium of sorts).

So here we go, the week that was:

Monday May 16, 2011
Barefoot: 3.75 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 3.75 miles

This was the weekly WH3 run from Fast’s house in St. James. This is always an adventure, because the route is always one of a couple different ways, with some unexpected twists and turns. Your running along down a familiar route, then the trail veers off, mostly with little markings so it always takes us a little bit to get back on trail or find the beer stop, etc. Fast also always likes to throw a couple of song stops in and a lot of calisthenics (it’s always interesting doing jumping jacks or pushups on Portage Avenue, lots of weird looks). All in all, it is always good fun, and typically done at a quick pace.

As always we cap off the night with some good silly fun back at the house, and of course a beer or two and some chips. Fast also broke out the bbq for some hotdogs , must teach him about condiments though, Dijon mustard and bbq sauce are not standard hotdog toppings.

Thursday May 19, 2011
Barefoot: 6.02 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 6.02 miles

This was my Thursday night easy/tempo run with City Park Runners, I enjoy this one for not only the run but also for the conversation that happens along the way. The route this week was over to the park, west towards the Moray bridge, south and then east along Roblin, through the forest to Grant, etc. My running partners and I kept a steady pace until the end when I ramped it up to get the tempo portion of the run in.

The funniest moment of the run was when we were running towards Grant down the asphalt path, we passed a big group of runners from the Running Room. From what my running partners said, all their heads were on a swivel stick, as they all turned and looked at my bare feet as I ran by with silly expressions on their faces and a few ‘Oh my God’, etc. This still amazes me, this really is not that new, people have been running this way for thousands of years, it’s not like I was running over glass or something (oops I have done that too).

Friday May 20, 2011
Barefoot: 10.45 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 10.45 miles

Woohoo, start of the long weekend and start of Friday afternoon’s off at work for the summer. Sometimes it pays to work in this industry, and this is one of the benefits. I hope to do a weekly run home on Friday’s, although I know this will not happen but I will definitely try to make this happen. I am not a big fan of starting a long run at noon, usually the hottest part of the day, but I am considering it another challenge, along my progression to my Ultra Marathon goals.

Anyway, On On, and here we go, left the office out in Transcona and headed down Dugald and up and over the overpass to Lagimodiere Blvd. The overpass was really rocky (needs a good sweep), and I did a lot of deking and dodging, probably looked like I was playing Hop Scotch while I was running up the sidewalk. I was trying something new today as well, carrying a small pack with my clothes and some other small stuff in it, definitely not the weight that Nicole typically lugs around, but baby steps, starting with baby steps. I definitely got some looks as I crossed Lagimodiere and headed up Dugald to Dawson, this is mainly used as a route for trucks and heavy equipment, as there are numerous construction companies, etc located along this path. Sidewalk sucks along Dugald, all broken up, etc, and there is no sidewalk down Dawson, so running on the road is required along side all the semi’s etc. Very technical for conditioning your feet with the stones and such.

After finishing that portion including the balance of Archibald, I turned onto Provencher and headed towards downtown. Nothing to eventful, my feet were feeling fine, pace was good, overall I was happy with the first few miles. Crossed our famous foot bridge with the million dollar toilet and cruised up to Portage and Main. It is always interesting running through here, because usually everybody is in their own little worlds and they don’t notice nothing that is going on around them or they just don’t care. Enter a barefoot runner, and holy crap, it’s like the world just stops, everybody stops what they are doing and just looks, I find it very interesting. It was a straight shot down Portage to Maryland, a quick turn and towards River Heights and Wellington Cresent.

I love running down Wellington, the traffic is lighter, and there is a great limestone path that is the perfect massage tool for the soles of my feet. Perfect for gravel road training, I have a great half marathon in July out in the foothills of Alberta, lots of technical terrain including a killer gravel road, got to be ready to fly over that. Anyway, while I was deking over the path, I looked up (I regret this every time I do it, but I still do it), and missed a good branch that conveniently stuck into my right foot. Damn it, it hurt more than stepping on a big sharp rock, note to self, stop looking up when cruising at a good pace on technical terrain it plain isn’t healthy. After digging that out, I started back up at a slightly slower pace, didn’t seem too bothered by the tree wound, yet. Made it to the park, with the thought to stop at the duck pond for a quick break before heading home. 10.45 miles completed and approximately 5 more to go. After my quick break, I headed across the bridge to Portage and Sgt. Sundae for a meet up with the wife and my youngest for an ice cream treat. A very tasty hot fudge sundae was in the forecast, and I felt I deserved it, so I did, and it was good, soooo good. Anyway long story short, my run came to an end a little short, but that was ok with me, because my foot was starting to feel the effects of the stabbing on Wellington.

Saturday May 21, 2011
Barefoot: 0.75 miles
Vibrams: 0.75 miles
Total: 1.5 miles

I know this seems a little ridiculous to log this, but this is the long and the short of it, my foot hurt, I was suppose to go out for a 40 km run with City Park Runners, but my foot just said “What are you crazy, can’t you feel the shooting pain that is going through me right now?” I started out completed 0.75 miles on my own in the park, stopped, put my Vibrams on and ran back to the car. A day of rest was in the cards for today.

Sunday May 22, 2011
Barefoot: 3.75 miles
Vibrams: 16.26 miles
Total: 20.01 miles

Aaahhh, the highlight of the week that was, The Trail Run Though The Whiteshell, I was waiting for this with much abandon, when it was finalized that we were going. Nicole, Andy and I were heading out to West Hawk Lake Sunday morning to meet Gail for a trail run from Star Lake to Falcon Lake and back along the Trans Canada Trail. We did this run once last year, and I loved every minute of it, the path, the hills, the smells, the sounds, did I mention the hills. This is one thing that living in Winnipeg you take for granite, (I know wrong spelling) we have no hills. Hills in Winnipeg consist of speed bumps, overpasses or at best, Garbage Hill (literally an old covered over garbage dump in the middle of the city utilized for hill training). So the opportunity of running real hills (note I spent most of my life in Alberta) always makes me happy.

Unfortunately, my foot did not heal up as well as I had hoped, so my barefooting was limited to just under 4 miles, oh well, there is always next time. Anyway, as I said I love this run, there is nothing like running trails to lift the spirits, get back to nature, etc. The idea of taking in all that pure oxygen (not laced with exhaust fumes) is exhilarating.

The run to Falcon lake was good, Andy and I led the way for the 8.45 miles to the Falcon Lake Bistro (great coffee, and from what I understand gelato), where we waited for Nicole and Gail to arrive. I had my customary black coffee and Andy had this interesting cookie and gelato sandwich, two macadamia cookies and some type of chocolate encased gelato in between. All I could think was there is the replacement of all the calories that you just burned, lucky we got more running to do. Nicole and Gail showed up and they had a quick Coke and snacks as we prepped to head out again.

Gail had this great idea to go check out a single track trail out by the stables, so we headed a little further west. Starting again was interesting, it took about a km to get my ankles loosened up again (I am finding the longer I rest between legs of a run my ankles lock up). By the time we reached the trail, I was all ready to go for this new part of the adventure. Wow, this was amazing they had a 2.2 km technical trail (typically used for hiking) that went through some swampy areas, over some logs, ramp areas and up the rock face prior to looping around and back down and out. Absolutely fantastic, I really wanted to try this barefoot, but my foot was a little tender in areas, plus I really did not want to freak out the family that we passed a couple of times. Nicole thought this would be great for Ultra training and possibily a return trip to London, ON and Vulture Bait again this year, figuring if we could do the loop 25 times, a 50 km run would be a snap, I love her train of thought. We will be back to do this again.

The trip back to Star Lake and the cabin was good as well, the hills were just that little more daunting because we were just that little bit more tired. Once again, Andy and I headed out a little quicker so we got back first. We tried a different strategy on the way back running up and down all the hills and walking some of the flatter sections (note there is way more hills then flat terrain), and this was a good way to get the calves and quads working at maximum effort. It was interesting to do, good for learning to regulate your breathing as well. A few more weekends like this and it will be a good tool for future ultra endeavors. At the end of the day just over 20 miles on some really good technical terrain, and a big grin on my face running from ear to ear.

Here are some pictures of the run on Sunday for your viewing pleasure.

Gail and Andy heading down the trail

Nicole pondering what is important in life (I think I see the perfect trail start for a Ultra)

This was an understatement, this was a good grade slope.

This was the Single Track Trail that we ran, what fun.

What Do You Mean We Are Not Suppose To Go This Way?
(This was along the single track trail, loved every minute of it)


Gail starting up the trail


At the end of the trail, I am proclaiming my desire to come back and run this trail again.



A close up shot of the sign, like the last statement, and who needs footwear if you’re leaving only your footprints


So the total for the week and year date are as follows:

Week Totals:
Barefoot: 24.72 miles
Vibrams: 17.01 miles
Total: 41.73 miles

Year to Date:
Barefoot: 145.11 miles
Vibrams: 71.26 miles
Total: 216.37 miles

Until next week, everybody enjoy and keep your soles close to the ground.

‘Two Soles Move As One Forever Entwined With Nature’

Journey of 1,000 Barefoot Miles - Week Ending April 23, 2011

Well this has been an exciting week for me, not only have I had the good fortune to run almost everyday (just missed Tuesday) this week. I have had the chance to run with some great friends, surprise myself a little bit with some good time intervals and experience some new running routes to boot.

On top of all this, I have had some other great happenings as well, and to create some unnecessary suspense, bum-bum-pada, I will make you wait until later to find out what exactly that was. Believe me its exciting, at least I am excited, and a little nervous as well. Anyway, a quote from one of my favourite bands, "On With The Show", here is how my week has broken down.

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Barefoot: 5.88 miles

Vibrams: 4.92 miles

Total: 10.80 miles

This was an interesting run, the weather was cool, off and on gusting wind, and I was really not sure how my feet were going to react. Started out with the Vibrams until my feet warmed up, not sure why, but I had a gut feeling this was the way to go. Started out fast, really fast for me, the first mile was a 8:49 pace, I had to force myself to slow down I felt so good, but I knew I was trying for at least 10 miles, so I didn't want to burn myself out. It was hard to slow down, I had to focus really hard, and I kept looking down at my Garmin, to try to regulate my pace. If I could keep that pace for 13.1 miles, that would be under a 1:56 half marathon, I just remembered telling myself. Then reality set in, I'm just not ready for that yet. Anyway I was able to get my pace down to a modest 9:28 min/mile over the next couple of intervals, I was very happy to maintain that pace.

I decided I would run in the Vibrams till I got to Assiniboine Park, then once I crossed the foot bridge and reached the duck pond I would shed the shoes. That would be not quite 5.0 miles with the Vibrams, then I would run the balance back barefoot utilizing a different route. Remember when I mentioned, I had a gut feeling that I should wear the Vibrams to start? Well I was glad I did, I rounded a corner of a building and ended up right in the middle of a big pile of freshly broken glass. There would of been no way to avoid it and I would of filleted my feet, without the Vibrams, I still had to pick some pieces out of my shoes once I crossed the area. Whoever said, listen to your gut, I owe you one.

I finished at the duck pond with a distance of 4.92 miles in under 45:00, not to bad. After a quick drink of water, the shoes came off and I started thru the park towards the Moray Bridge. Running gravelled asphalt roads and paths, chip and seal roads, concrete sidewalks and dirt paths barefoot is like a concoction of different senses for the feet, this is the best way I find to build up the layer of skin on the sole of your foot. But note, beginners should not start with the amount I do, I am a bit of a sadist, building up slowly is the way to go.

Finished the balance of the run up to Portage Ave and headed west towards home. Finished up with 10.80 miles in just under 1 hour 45 minutes for a average pace of 9:45. I cannot wait till all the winter gravel (small and pointy) gets cleaned up, my pace slowed accordingly while trying to avoid the majority of this with my bare feet. But overall, a good run none the less.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Barefoot: 5.35 miles

Vibrams: 2.10 miles

Total: 7.45 miles

Monday was a two run day, I completed a quick barefoot 5 mile plus route during lunch hour, concentrating on rougher terrain to help condition the feet. Ran by 3 construction sites and thru all the limestone and gravel that was spilled all over the roads from the dump trucks. Also did not avoid all the winter gravel on the sidewalks this time by plowing thru the majority of it the rest of the route. I have a 50km ultra marathon trail run in a couple of weeks and the intent is to complete it Au Natural, so this abuse is necessary so my feet are prepared. Needless to say my feet were seriously tender once I got back to the office.

The second run consisted of my HHH run, and since my feet were still a little tender, I did this in my Vibrams. I am finding that I need about a day, to have my feet rebound from a abusive run like I did at lunch. It was a good short run, perfect to loosen up my stiffening muscles, and of course there is beer at the end, what more could you ask for.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Barefoot: 0.00

Vibrams: 0.00

Total: 0.00

Tuesday was a rest day for me, I had a very important appointment in the afternoon, and I figured my leg would be a little to sore to go for a run. My niece, who works out of Living Canvas Tattoo in Winnipeg, was scheduled to put a new piece of art on my lower right leg (barefoot theme of course).

The script reads, "I RUN" and as I finish my Barefoot Events I will be adding the Mileage to the Feet Starting With 13.1 Miles at the WPS Half Marathon next week.

I will say I have had a few tattoos done over the years (this was number 9), but the top 2 bare feet and the script hurt like a son-of-a-gun being right on that muscle. My muscle was doing involuntary convulsions while Candace was inking, it was kind of interesting.

The second part of my day was a trip to City Park Runners, Nicole has been complaining that I have been stealing all her running jackets, so she felt it was time I got my own. I had seen this great jacket that City Park has that I really liked that also advertised the store that I have become so fond of. So by the end of the trip I was up a tattoo and a very cool jacket, that I will be proud to wear. Thanks honey, for all your support and I love the jacket.

Front View

Back View

Wednesday April 20, 2011
Barefoot: 6.76 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 6.76 miles

This was another run at lunch, decided to take a different route, further into the heart of Transcona (insert erie sound effects here). Headed down a major route, before encountering a big accident which made me turn around and head back and devise a new route. I didn't think, the emergency crews would appreciate me running by the overturned truck that was partially blocking the sidewalk. I could imagine the expressions on their faces as this barefooted runner sprints past them as they clean up the mess. I do hope everybody was ok, I did see some ambulances scream by earlier, but I know they are good hands. Our cities front line emergency workers (all our Firefighters, Police Officers and EMT's) are fantastic and should be applauded and thanked for the great job that they do on a day to day basis.

Once I turned around and headed back I veered into the residential area of Transcona to get some additional mileage in, I might of spooked a couple of senior citizens, but I also got a lot of waves and a couple of "Wow, that is impressive" and one "Don't step on anything I wouldn't", that one make me chuckle. On the way back, I knew it was bound to happen sometime I got stopped by a train (it being Transcona and all). Very interesting feeling to be standing there with bare feet with all the vehicles waiting for a train to clear the road. All in all a great run, with a average pace of a 9:25 min/mile.

Thursday April 21, 2011
Barefoot: 6.25 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 6.25 miles

Thursday night was my run with City Park Runners, always a good time, lots of great conservation and of course a good run as well. This was suppose to be a easy 10km run, of course that would usually mean about a 10:00 min/mile pace, and considering the conditions, I was ok with that. It was very wet, and this would be officially my first completely wet run of the season. Running barefoot on wet asphalt and concrete poses it own unique challenges, because if your form is not perfect, this will cause friction thru rubbing that you do not want. Also with the wetness, this will also soften up your skin layer that little bit allowing the blisters to be created easier. One other issue with wet asphalt and darkening skies is it is harder to pick up the rocks and gravel that you want to avoid. Not impossible, but one or two usually slip through. Anyway, in short I ended up with a couple of blisters by the end of the run, one on each foot (a matching pair). The one thing that amazes me is that blisters now are nothing, I just drain them, add some antibiotic cream, and they are gone the next day, like they weren't there at all.

Friday, April 22, 2011 (Good Friday)
Barefoot: 6.01 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 6.01 miles

I want to start off this day report with a big congratulations to Nicole and Gail who left very early Friday morning for a small run from Westwood in Winnipeg to Oak Hammock Marsh. This small accomplishment consisted of just under 30.0 miles, Nicole was using her Vibrams and Gail was using a pair of running shoes that would of been considered new in 1985 and have travelled some serious miles. I am proud of you both for setting this goal and accomplishing it with flying colours, and no worse for the wear. The 50km trail ultra on May 14th will be no issue for either of you at all. A big Woohoo goes out to the both of you.

Friday's run was alot of fun for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got to go out with a very close friend, Gail E. (another Gail), and for the first time the both of us were able to beat another good friend's time by a whole minute. Now, there is the point that he just had major dental surgery and this was his first real run in a week, but I'm going to gloat anyway. Also we had a great time in my books, I believe running with Gail pushes the both of us to go just that little bit faster and harder. I am going to miss not having her to run with at the half marathon next week, to help spur me on. Anyway it was a great run as I said, we ran thru the Wolseley area, then over the train bridge to Wellington Crescent back towards the Miss, back into Wolseley prior to heading back. Even with my slightly tender feet from the night before, we had a great run and time of under 57 minutes for 6 miles. Thanks again Gail, we must make a habit of this, because I had a blast.

Week Totals
Barefoot: 30.25 miles
Vibrams:7.02 miles
Total: 37.27 miles

Year To Date
Barefoot: 57.16 miles
Vibrams: 21.83 miles
Total: 78.99 miles

I am a little lower in mileage that I would of preferred but I have some big races coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I do not want to go crazy with mileage and either hurt myself or burn myself out. But once summer hits, my mileage will be increasing as my feet get stronger again.

Oh yes, I almost forgot about the exciting news. Our running group was contacted by Shaw Cable last week about doing a piece on 'Barefoot Running' and my '1,000 mile challenge'. I was honoured and humbled that anyone would be interested in this, and with some thought and a lot of encouragement from friends, I have decided to go ahead and 'run with it' so to speak. So next Wednesday, they will be coming out to do the interview and film shoot to introduce Winnipeg to the Crazy Guy Who Runs With No Shoes! Wish me luck, I will probably need it.

Until next week,

On On.

Got Vibrams - City Park Runners Does

As of today, City Park Runners located in Winnipeg is now offering the Vibram Five Finger Shoe line to its customers. City Park Runners is an independant dealer with a commitment to personal service to any and all that walk in the door looking for the perfect running gear. Heck its my favorite store to shop in and I don't wear running shoes, now that should tell you something about their passion for helping all runners, not just looking to sell you another pair of shoes.

Not only does City Park carry the Vibram line, but they also carry numerous other minimalistic brands as well, including the New Balance Minimus, the ECO and the Nike Free lines.

Drop in and take a look around, you will not be disappointed, you will fall in love with the service and the personal touch that you receive.

2091 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 0L1

Phone: (204) 837-9242
Fax: (204) 837-9272

Email: citypark@mts.net

Question Regarding Vibram Five Fingers

We got a question asked of us, and not knowing who or how to reply too, I figured it was best to do a quick blog entry regarding.

Question: Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "April 11 Long Run":

does any one know where in winnipeg i can get a pair of vibrams??? thanks i have just started running barefoot and would like to try a pair

Even though this is only one question, I actually have two answers for this, or one answer and a recommendation per say.

Answer: There is no local businesses that currently sell Vibrams in Winnipeg or Manitoba. City Park Runners is on the short list as a retailer, but they are still waiting to get confirmation and stock for sale. The nearest location that carries Vibrams is Scheel's in Fargo, as well as a another small independent running store (the name escapes me at this moment). There is also a couple of retailers in Saskatoon. If you make to the Twin Cities, there are numerous sporting stores like REI that carry Vibrams. If you visit http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/, they have a function that will allow you to locate stores. Please note if you are going to look at ordering Vibrams online, order from Vibram direct or http://www.rei.com/ or when they have them in stock http://www.mec.ca/ Do not order from anywhere else as there are numerous companies and stores that are currently selling counterfits (yes I do mean counterfits, there is a market for them).

Recommendation: If you have started to learn how to run barefoot, it is my suggestion (and numerous experts on the subject) that you run barefoot until you figure out the right form that works for you. You will change your bad habits (from shod running) much quicker if you learn how to run barefoot naturally. The point is you need to learn how to feel the ground and pick up your feet verse a swinging motion. There is a wealth of knowledge out there at your fingertips from people who have been running this way for years, eg. Barefoot KenBob is one of the pioneers of making barefoot running more mainstream his forum is http://therunningbarefoot.com/, Jason Robillard is another big proponent of barefoot running http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/ both of these are great resources for not only learning the proper form but for also getting the answers to questions that I know from experience you will have along your journey to 'Happy Feet'.

Also another great resource is The Barefoot Runners Society, a website with barefoot and minimalistic shoe runners that share experiences and knowledge pertaining to this subject. Members are located all over the world and the wealth of knowledge is unbelievable, plus the barefoot running community is absolutely amazing, everybody on there is friendly and just want to help. If you want to check it out the link is http://www.barefootrunners.org/ and if you are interested in becoming a member let me know and I will send you a invite.

Also the biggest and most important piece of advise I have about learning how to run barefoot
is start slow, listen to your body and your feet do not over do it, and relax, running is suppose to be fun, if you are not relaxed while you are running how can you have any fun.

Good Luck and Happy Feet To You

Barefooting Bob