Journey of a 1,000 Barefoot Miles Km - The Vulture Bait Ultra Edition

A view of Fanshawe Park close to the start line of the Vulture Bait Ultra Marathon

All I can say is, Wow what an experience, there is no other way to describe it participating and finishing your first ultra has got to be one of the most satisfying moments I have ever been involved in. Don't get me wrong, meeting my future wife, my marriage and the birth of my kids are tops in my books but holy crap this is way up there. A few years ago I couldn't even run a mile without falling over in pain, and here I am today finishing my first ultra marathon and barefoot to boot (or should that read shoe to barefoot?). Now, let me clear it has not been a smooth path getting to this point, more like a very rocky and sometimes frustrating one to say the least. If you were not aware this was our second attempt at finishing this race, last year both Nicole and I DNF'ed and it weighed on the back of our minds for the last year with the intent to rectify that wrong. Now that being said the both of us probably did not have the mindset nor the training to realistically finish last year, but it was still left a very bitter taste in the both of our mouths that we did not. I pulled my groin after 30 plus km and pulled myself from the race at 48km finally once I realized I could not go any further. Even though there was only 2 km left to finish, I did not feel doing permanent damage to my groin was worth it, at the time. Nicole was pulled after 25 km because she did not make the cutoff, she was having to much fun taking pictures and talking to everybody on the course that she lost track of time, so there were officially two wrongs to be corrected, not only finishing but proving to ourselves that we both have the ability and the drive to push through, and persevere the adversities to the ultimate goal of finishing.

It has been a year in the making, a lot of ups and downs for both Nicole and I as all our nicely laid out plans of getting an official 50 km ultra done this year was looking like a complete bust. First of all our first scheduled event in May, the Manitoba Trail Ultra at Spruce Woods, was rescheduled to August due to major flooding throughout Southern Manitoba. Then in August it was cancelled for the second time and for the year due to unsafe conditions as deemed by the Race Director and Manitoba Conservation. This is why it is so important to have a good race director, even though we were disappointed that the race was cancelled I do not want myself or anyone else to participate in a race that is deemed unsafe due to trail conditions. Also the Lemming Loop Run was also cancelled due to unsafe conditions, and finally we did not believe we had the funds to get back to Vulture Bait in London, ON to get another crack at finishing that one. But with some creative financing and some planning, we officially signed up on October 7th, for the race to held on October 15. Wow, it has been a year of late registrations, nothing like planning ahead, oh well what fun would that be right?

So the last minute preparations started in earnest, including flight reservations, hotel, car rental, sucking up to my sister so she will watch the kids while we are away (just kidding on this one, my sister is the best, she helps us out all the time with our crazy little adventures, sometimes I think the kids want us to go away more just so my sis' gets to watch them). The biggest challenge is to decide what running gear to take, the conditions were calling for cool and light rain, gear is always important in this type of race because you are out there for 5 to 7 hours, a lot of different weather conditions can happen in that time period. Oh well at least the footwear issue is taken care of, that would be none and my ZEMGear 360's as my emergency toe covers just in case. We were flying into Hamilton on Friday and then a short drive down the 403 to London followed by a quick dinner at Tony Roma's then hopefully some sleep. Well it was wishful thinking, but sleep was not going to come easy Friday night, to much anticipation and preparation of game plans swirling in my head. In total I think I managed about 4 hours, not a good thing because Saturday was going to be a long and draining day.

6:00 am, Saturday morning came quicker then the both of us really wanted, it was a slow drag of our posteriors out of bed, organization and finalization of running gear to be worn, put on BRS shirt, take off, rethink what I was wearing, put on Bismark marathon shirt, assess, no this is not right, take off, put back on original shirt, realize that I forgot to glide the nipples (very important, don't want that rub, rub, bleed effect), shirt comes back off, glide, then shirt goes back on again. I think I am ready, nope forgot my shorts, put shorts on, find my hat, Northface jacket and gloves good to go. No, wait something missing, think, think, hmmm what could it be, oh yes must find 360's, can't go to breakfast with no shoes this early in the morning they might think I was weird or something. By this time I think Nic was all ready to go and was patiently waiting for me, wow this is kind of ironic, usually it is the other way around. After a quick really awful breakfast (thankfully it was free but I still almost considered asking for a refund), we packed up the car and checked out. The weather was not the best, off and on rain, about 5 degrees Celsius and a stiff north wind, it was going to be an interesting run, that much I was sure of.

I know I will regret this but I have to explain our drive to Fanshawne Park from my perspective, prior to Nicole attempts to twist things around. Nicole asked me the night before if I knew where I was going, of course I said yes no problem, because I was quite sure I would remember the route as we drove there. Just because I didn't remember the street names that we need to turn on really doesn't mean I didn't know how to get there right? Well withholding this tidbit of information apparently was not a good idea, as Nicole didn't figure she needed to set the location in the GPS to assist in getting us to where we needed to be, well as we drove towards downtown I haphazardly mentioned that the first street we needed to turn on started with a 'D', Dundas or something like that and the next turn would be at a street that I couldn't remember the name but there was a Brick or something like that on the corner. Well this did not go over so well, so as Nicole lovingly chastised me for not relaying this information earlier she starting frantically entering info into the GPS to secure directions. That was when I spot Dundas and cheerfully mentioned, "Oops that was the street we wanted, so I proceeded up to the next street to double back. Once on Dundas we headed east and I started picking out familiar landmarks from last year. Now more confident I would recognize the street to turn towards the park on, I mentioned that I knew I would be on the right road, because I remembered a particular monster truck that was parked as a display in a customization shop. Well once again this did not go over to well, I really didn't consider that the display that was able to be moved might not be there a year after I had seen it last, hmmm food for thought. Anyway as we got closer to the turn, I spotted what I was looking for, The Home Depot on the corner (yeah I know what your thinking, Home Depot is not the Brick, that was exactly what Nicole said, but it does sell bricks does it not). As we headed up the road I saw my monster truck and this little smile creeped across my face and Nicole just shook her head, I did not say a word. After that, it was smooth sailing to the race start.

Nicole and I 'Toeing the Line' Before the Run

We got to the start, parked and headed to pick up race kits, got some comments about my shoe choice (decided to not mention at that point that I was not going to wear them for the run) and just got prepared for the race to come, also would like to note that Nicole won a door prize this year to go with her early entry draw prize last year, and I won squat. After the explanation of the rules and the all the other pre-race info delivery, we started heading down the hill for the start line.

The Runners Making Their Ways Down To The Start

Nicole and I Prior To The Start

(Still Clean)

There was alot of anxious anticipation by the both of us to get going as we milled around more towards the back of the pack. With all that nervous energy I was looking around at all the different runners and checking out the reservoir when I notice a pair of bald eagles gracefully gliding through the air just over the water. Dipping and diving, obviously looking for breakfast, it was just what I needed to calm all the nervous energy that was building in me. Appropriately we had the best fly by that could be had to start a race of this type, it was very fitting, all we needed was a vulture to appear and the day was set. I just stopped and started watching them as they floated in the sky together without a hint of effort totally free of any apparent worries, just being together was all that seemed to matter. This became my goal for the day. I was going to start and finish this race with my wife with no care of time, just finishing with my partner in life, so we can enjoy every minute of it together. With this thought, all the nervousness went away, a smile creeped onto my face as I pulled off my shoes to get ready for the signal to go.

A pair of eagles flying together over the reservoir prior to the start of the race.

(Who needs a plane flyover when nature provides one for you)

As the signal to begin was sounded there was the ever present slow movement of runners as the pack proceeded onto the trail. The conditions were going to add to the challenge of this run, with the cooler temperatures, the off and on drizzle and the gusting winds in the open areas it was going to be interesting to see what shape the trails would be in as the day went on. With a smile to Nicole, and a quick 'Are you ready', we headed off. I had some comments from some of the runners about my bare feet, but that was fairly typical at the start of any race. That was when I heard someone from the starter's area, chime in with this little dosey, "You are going to regret not wearing shoes for this." The only thing I could think of at the time was, "I would only regret wearing shoes for this." But I just let it go because nobody was going to ruin this day for me and we started to pass some runners. As the runners started to spread out, we were just enjoying the run, not trying to go to fast, but ensuring we were going fast enough. The intent was to finish the first 25 km in around 3 hours, because the cut off would be 3 1/2 hours at the half way point and if you were not finished the first 25 km by that point you would not be aloud to go any further. I was going to ensure that this was not going to happen again to Nicole.

The first 5km of the race was criss-crossing through some easy trails from one side of the access road to the other using a combination of different walking trails. The route at this point was pretty flat and easy to keep a good quick pace due to the easy terrain. The ground cover consisted of hard pack dirt, to grass, a little bit of gravel and a good carpet of soft pine needles. What a treat this was to run on, talk about varying the sensations to your feet, especially since everything was still damp due to the week or so of rain that the area had been getting. A prelude of what was to come later in the run presented itself as we entered the first real wooded area, it was a dirt single track (which turned into mud) with some areas of leave coverage. Lots of downed trees and branches littered the trail along with some good ups and downs. Let me say, after this run I have learned the importance of why to slow down to achieve good traction with barefeet, because if you go to fast you will end up skating everywhere with no control (I almost ended up going off a cliff at one point). Needless to say this area did slow us down a little bit, with gauging for traction, keeping an eye out for those ever jumping out to surprise you tree roots and rocks, and of course the occasional good hearted splash through a puddle. I had a couple more comments about my lack of foot coverings, which I quickly corrected them on by saying, "I've got a nice layer of mud developing here, does that not count." This got a couple of giggles and some strange looks, but darn it I was having fun.

A view of the damn from the first aid station

As we tromped out of the woods adjacent the dam we hit the first aid station, a rather busy place at that point with about 10 to 15 runners re hydrating themselves by grabbing water, Heed, Coke or an assortment of other good ultra sugar type treats.  The volunteers were working like a well-oiled machine, as a cup of fluid disappeared another one magically appeared, no one was waiting for anything. These volunteers were awesome, they did not miss a beat, but with them being so busy I was able to sneak in and out with a coke, a chocolate chip cookie and a hand full of chocolate covered raisins to help with the refueling process.

Nicole had a glass of water and a Gu to help refuel, I was personally leaving my Gu's till a little later as it was still early. As we were getting ready to head out of the parking lot and up the gravel road to the main road, all I hear is a 'Holy crap, he's got no shoes on!". I looked around with this look on my face, and said, "Where? Oh, you mean me? My shoes are right here", as I held up my shoes with a grin and we started heading up the road. We passed by a number of runners up the road, with a couple of "Doesn't that hurt", "Wow that is crazy" and " Your the man" comments, my responses in order were, "Nope, feels great", "Not really, quite natural really" and "Thanks, right back at you!"

As we pulled out onto the road to head across the dam seen above we hit our first bit of traffic, I was getting some weird looks from some of the vehicles and thumbs up by others. This was also our first encounter with the wind as it picked up to the point that it blew the hat right off of my head, luckily it did not go over the edge so I was able to sprint back and pick it up.

Nicole heading to the dam crossing making good time



As we continued down the road towards the front gate with some quick cuts into the woods for some more trails we were heading to one of my favorite parts of the run. Just beyond the gate, we turn into the evergreens and follow a path of soft pine needles that winds through the trees like a outstretched red carpet. It is the most surreal feeling as you enter this area, it's so peaceful you get lost in the beauty of it all, then you loose focus and trip over a outstretched tree root, bringing you back to reality.But it was nice as it lasted, but it also gets you prepared for the focus that is required for the trails to come which is the beginning of the technical trails.

Don't let the looks of the trail fool you, this is actually a treat to run on soft pine needles with the occasional stick or root to jab you in the foot just to keep you on your toes.

Once you exit this area, there is a short jaunt up an old jeep trail to another gravel road along the south part of the reservoir. This is another perfect spot to pick up the pace normally before you get into the ups and downs of the technical single track trails to come. Normally on a dry day the trails are challenging but fun because you can really fly over them, at least that was my experience last year. But this year with all the rain they have turned into a very muddy, slippery trail, especially with all the foot traffic that was trampling over it today (over 300 pairs of trail shoes and one pair of trail skin). Normally I attack the uphills and pick my way through the obstacles but with all the rain, I could not get any traction at all, so I had revise my running strategyy completely. Instead of running light and landing more on the midfoot with my toes slightly curled up, i had to had to be a little more heavy with the landing and dig my toes down in the mud to help stabilize my balance.This was definitely more of a challenge and having to concentrate more on footing and my balance through a larger twist into the run. When I mentioned skating earlier in the post I was not kidding, as my feet got muddier (at one point I had about an inch thick layer of mud on my feet) it was harder to get any traction at all and my feet continued to slip out from under me. So I went with it, where I found that the mud was the slickest, I started this skating motion with my running and concentrated on keeping my balance by utilizing my arms as stabilizing bars, it worked really well. That is until I got to a down hill portion of the trail, skating down a hill with barefeet over roots and rocks, not a good idea. This caused me to walk most downhills or find a path least travelled in the underbrush so I had traction. There was one hill in particular that led down to a bridge over a stream, last year I ran down it really quickly, this year it took me a couple of minutes to negotiate my way down. I was definitely using a lot of different muscle combinations to not only stay upright on my feet but to ensure I did not go sliding off the trail into trees or off the side of a cliff.

Me negotiating down a hill

This was a standard trail lots of mud but the

leaves actually helped with traction.

One of the hills up, this was a lot steeper than it looks

and lots of squishy between the toes mud

Last year I was proud to say I did not fall or trip once at this race, this year I was not so lucky. I hit the mud 3 times on the first lap as I tried to figure out my footing tactics, and it must of worked because I did not hit the ground again on the second lap, so what ever I did to compensate did the trick. I will admit there was a few times when it was pretty close, but I was able to keep my balance. We were still keeping a decent pace going back and forth with a bunch of runners including Raymond who was running his first 25km and Marcel our very optimistic Frenchman who keep telling Nicole, "You will finish, you have to believe you will finish!" This is very true advise, you do have to believe you can do it, any negative thoughts and that will play on you and odds are you will not finish the race.

Aid stations 2 (12 km mark) and 3 (18 km mark) were not quite as busy when we arrived, the majority of the faster runners were quite a bit further ahead of us and that was ok. We stopped for some water and some quick snacks and headed out as quickly as possible. The terrain between aid station 2 and 3 consisted of asphalt road, chip and seal, a little bit of gravel and more awesome trails. The trails were really messy, and I had to let a few runners by for fear of holding them up to much, traction was still a bit of an issue. I was definitely utilizing a different combination of leg muscles at every turn, trying to stabilize myself or keep moving forward, this was becoming one hell of a workout, but I was enjoying every minute of it. About the half way point between the second and third aid stations there is a crazy steep hill that you have to go down, normally I take it fairly slow due to the loose rocks that cover the entire single track length. But this time add the slippery mud and this was a really interesting challenge, I was actually contemplating sliding down on my butt, but I figured that would hurt more than if I tried to negotiate my way down. Once I was down I had to pick up the speed to catch up with Nicole again who scaled the hill like a mountain goat, I am still amazed at how she just cruises down all the hills with little to no trouble at all. We were still making good time, at the rate we were going we would come in at the half way point at about 3 hours, that would give us 4 hours to complete the second loop.

Between Aide stations 3 and 4 there are some more asphalt roads, single track trail, a creek crossing and my favorite area for the entire race. That would be entering an area of pines that create a corridor or a canopy over your head its so quiet you could hear a pin drop or a shoad runner clomping away at least. It goes really quiet through this area and the ground is covered with red soft pine needles that make it seem like you are running on a thick soft red carpet absolutely awesome feeling on bare feet. Its like you are running down a aisle towards the front and everybody is watching you and silently cheering you on. It is a very surreal feeling, one that I quite enjoy. I was still finding that I was skating quite a bit, so I started running back and forth between the mud trail and the areas beside the trail to see if I could find a bit more traction. It appeared to be working cause I was able to pick up some speed and make my way by a few runners. There were quite a few areas where I had to slow down and pick my way through but for the most part I was quite happy with the pace that we were keeping through this stage of the race. When we hit Thorndale Road and crossed the bridge over the river, the rain was starting to come down a bit and the wind picked up. It was a bit of a challenge through that area until we reached the trail head again at the top of the hill. But once we got back into the woods again it was smooth sailing except for the mud. As we reached the creek crossing I just smiled, everybody was complaining about having to get their feet and shoes wet and the water was higher than last year, etc. I just did a quick look for the quickest path through and jumped on in and negotiated my way to the other side. It was great, very refreshing and I was able to get most of the mud off of my legs and feet at the same time.  The bigger challenge was getting up the hill on the other side to the trail because there was nothing left of the ground that would work for traction just mud, so you had to make your way into the brush a little bit to get a hold of some tree branches to help pull you up.

The creek crossing, last year you could see the rocks out of the water but not this year.

Note the mud hill on the other side not easy getting up.

This is the very scenic part of the trail, single track running along the river for most of it, including some areas where the ground just drops off towards the river. It was really interesting at corners here, because if I did not have my footing in check I would of just slipped and slid right off the trail and the cliff. So needless to say I made sure I was planting my feet on as solid ground as I could find.

By the time we reached the 4th aide station at 22 km we were quite excited because we knew the first loop was almost done and we were in great shape to reach our half way point goal. I took my first Gu at this stop because I felt it was important to start the energy boost now and not leave it to late. Everything was going good, both Nicole and I had lots of spring in our steps and were raring to 'Get er Done'. As we came out of the woods by the golf course, we ran into this volunteer who was screaming her head off, then she saw my feet and her eyes opened wide. I wasn't sure if she was surprised by my bare feet or that I was carrying a very clean pair of shoes in my hands. I was a little amazed that my shoes were still as clean as they were as well, but they were new and I didn't want to get them all messy unless I had too. There was a good group of us running towards the finish area and cut off for the next lap, and once again the majority of them veered off to the finish line, and only 4 of us veered to the left. I yelled 'Great run' at Raymond as he headed to the finish line, this was his first 25km run and he did fantastic. As we passed the mid point we were at 3 hours and a minute (plus or minus a few seconds), so I looked at Nicole and said half way there lets go finish this off. Nicole was estactic because she had made it past the half way point and she wasn't getting pulled.

With objective one done, we headed out onto lap number 2, we ran with a gentleman named Hans for the first 3 or 4 km of the second lap. What an inspiration, he is a 78 year old great grandfather who has been running numerous ultra marathons over the last few years. He was out here running the race with his grandson (who finished way ahead of us), and was going to continue to run for as long as he was able. He looked strong and had no signs of fatigue at all, I just hope I can do what he does at his age that would be awesome. The funny thing was he keep telling me he was in awe of me because I was running this barefoot, and I kept turning it back around to him, and he keep shaking it off like it was no big deal. I had the pleasure of meeting his family after the run including his wife, his son, grandson and great grandsons and they were a treat to talk too.

As we hit the first aide station again, we stopped for a bit longer as Nicole had to use the facilities and I started talking to the volunteers. One of them remembered me from last year as the barefoot runner with the kilt. It was interesting, it seems I was the talk of the course for going out barefoot again this year and with the conditions that were at hand to boot. So after some questions and answers, Nicole and I headed out up the gravel road to a bunch of good lucks and have a great run. I really like how all the volunteers are so friendly and appear to be having a good time. Its also amazing the selection of drinks and food products that they have available even this late into the run.

Everything was going great as we went along, we ran over the dam, passed the gate, ran the pine needles hit the dirt roads and boy was I smiling as we passed the spot where I put my VFF's on last year. My feet were feeling fantastic, no ill effects of running 35 kms without shoes, I could sense it I was going to finish this thing off without my shoes. That was objective two complete, now just one more to go and then the big finish, things were looking good and both Nicole and I were getting more and more confident as we progressed. Its funny one of the reasons that Nicole got pulled last year was because she was camera happy and taking to many pictures. So what do we do this year, we stop and take pictures, it seems to be a trend with our runs, we are out to finish but we are also out to just have fun.

Nicole looking relaxed, confident and

 fantastic at 38 kms

The time slowly ticked away as we passed Aide Station 2 and then 3, we were still making good time but there were some areas where we had to walk up hills or down hills because the traction was not there. But I do have to say, other than forced walks due to conditions we did not walk very much at all. I was very happy with that, I felt strong for pretty much the entire run, my legs were finally starting to get a little heavy from all the extra muscle work near the end. The traction was a little better on the second lap as well on the flats, unlike the first lap where I was slipping and sliding everywhere, this lap I seemed to figure it out. Things were going fairly smoothly as we carried along the trails. I will say I did end up stepping on a couple of roots or stones that were hidden within the puddles on the trail but other than that everything went perfectly.

As we hit the 4 aide station, we had about 25 minutes to finish the last 3 or so km, so after a little bit of refueling we set off. This was objective three, last year I pulled myself out at this aide station because my groin would let me go no further, so the perma-grin attached itself to my face for the rest of the way. I was glad that there were no bugs out, because I would of been eating lots of protein with me showing all that teeth. So here we were at about 47 or 48 kms in, and only a couple more to go and we would be officially finished our first ultra marathon, who would of thunk it.

1 km to go, woo hoo!

As we hit the 1 km remaining sign, we had to stop to take a picture to commemorate the occasion, because damn it we were almost done. A little bit of gravel road, some single track and a grass run to the finish line and the nemesis that is the first ultra is done. As we broke out onto the grass to some cheering, all we hear is 'sprint the last little bit to the finish'. All I can think is, but I am sprinting can't you tell. As we got to the timing pad, Nicole and I finished like we started, we crossed the line at the exact same time, 6 hours 56 minutes and zero seconds (not the best time but for the conditions I will take it). So the last goal was completed to start together and to finish together, my partner in life and my partner in running. We did it, together, now how many people can say that, at least I know I can.

What a day, what a great weight off our shoulders, now we can move onto the next challenge.

Nicole and I after we finished, notice the nice shiny metals

and my nice clean shoes.

Better shot of my barefeet and yes we are tired but still standing.

Just a little bit dirty but the ZEM 360's are clean

They performed admirably sitting in my hands.

Vulture Bait 50 km done like dinner.

Here are my miles for the last couple of weeks lets see where we are at.

Tuesday October 4, 2011

Run Around Assinoboine Park

Barefoot: 4.06 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 4.06 miles

Thursday October 6, 2011

Run From Work to Charleswood

Barefoot: 11.57 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 11.57 miles

Saturday October 8, 2011

Run with City Park Runners

Barefoot: 8.79 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 8.79 miles

Sunday October 9, 2011

Run with Leslie

Barefoot: 2.79 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 2.79 miles

Saturday October 15, 2011

Vulture Bait Ultra Marathon London, On

 Barefoot: 31.21 miles

ZEM 360: 0.00 miles

Total: 31.21 miles

Totals This Post:

Barefoot: 58.42 miles

Minimalist: 0.00 miles

Total: 58.42 miles

Year to Date

Barefoot: 698.57 miles

Minimalist: 80.20 miles

Total: 778.77 miles

Not to shabby for a total since mid April.

Have a great week, brisk and cold weather is a comin' so we will see where we can get before it gets to cold to continue with the barefeet.

May the wind be brisk to help push you along.

On on,

Bob

Journey of 1,000 Barefoot Miles - Week Ending October 2, 2011

What more can you say about the weather that we are currently having, this has definitely been a barefoot runner's dream type situation. Here we are heading into October and we are still consistently hitting the 20+ degree Celsius mark. Absolutely fantastic, I am having such a hard time controlling my giddiness about this and the desire to strip and run through the fields screaming at the top of lungs is being barely held back (aren't you glad I have some willpower left, because that would not be a very pretty sight).

Update: We hit 32 degrees yesterday if you can believe it, we were actually warmer than Phoenix, AZ at 27 degrees. All I can say is wow!

I do know one thing, when it does start to cool down, and it will (this is Winnipeg, Canada after all), I will look back at all this beautiful sunny weather we have had this year with fond memories, because it has been an absolutely perfect year for running. A lot of firsts have happened for me this year: my first and second official barefoot marathons were completed, I broke under the hour mark for a 10 km, amassed some additional PB's, completed my first barefoot gravel half marathon, ran an unofficial 50km, ran downtown Winnipeg in a red dress with a bunch of other crazy runners (and no it wasn't Halloween), amassed some major miles and learned a whole bunch about what the human body is actually capable of doing if you allow it too.

I have made some great new friends and acquaintances alike over the last year as well, it amazes me how many people are generally curious or interested in the way I run. I can honestly say, I have probably met or talked to more people this year, then I have in the last 10 years. I don't know what it is about barefoot running or running in general that allows people to throw away their inhibitions and just start a conversation with a complete stranger. It makes for some pretty interesting discussions, that is for sure.

Within my last post I mentioned that the week ending October 2nd, I was expecting to pass the 1,000 km barefoot mark for the season, and I am happy to report that I have achieved that. As of Saturday morning prior to my run with City Park Runners I was sitting at 621.19 miles or 999.70 km, I found it quite interesting that I was that close before I put my barefoot to concrete sidewalk outside the store. Basically by the time I hit the other side of the bridge into the park, I had passed the mark, even though my Garmin was not working properly I still consider that the spot.

Although this was not the original goal that these posts were about in the beginning, I am proud that I have passed this milestone and still have some time to tack some additional miles on prior to the end of the season,.Who knows 700 miles is in reach maybe even 750, only time will tell to see where I end up. But I do know one thing for sure, I will be starting over again next year more determined to eclipse the 1,000 mile mark then ever.

Does anyone else have any goals they have achieved or want to achieve next year as well? Races? Distances? Times?

My miles for the last week are as per below:

Monday September 26, 2011
WH3 Monday Night Run
Barefoot: 4.02 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 4.02 miles

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Barefoot: 5.75 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 5.75 miles

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Run Home From Work
Barefoot: 13.18 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 13.18 miles

Saturday, October 1, 2011
Run with City Park
Barefoot: 6.95 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 6.95 miles

Sunday, October 2, 2011
Barefoot: 12.01 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 12.01 miles

Week That Was
Barefoot: 41.91 miles
Vibrams: 0.00 miles
Total: 39.33 miles

Year To Date
Barefoot: 640.15 miles
Vibrams: 80.20 miles
Total: 720.35 miles

Have a wonderful weekend, and take advantage of the great weather everybody, I know I will be.

"20,000 years ago if you didn't learn to run barefoot you were eaten"

quote courtesy of Vibram

Journey of 1,000 Barefoot Miles Week Ending Sept 25, 2011

all photos courtesy of City Park Runners

Have you ever had one of those moments when you were a little hesitant or unsure about something, when your brain and body are not on the same page. One of those moments when you need that extra bit of encouragement from a friend or maybe just a kick in the rear end to get you going?

Or in my case Sunday, I heard a whole bunch of comments like, "What are those on your feet?" "Ummm Bob, you forgot to take off your shoes?" Or my favorite, "Bob your not running in those are you?"

It's really interesting being known to run barefoot, its either complete shock and dismay when someone who has never seen you run before notices the non-existent foot gear, or total confusion when someone you know sees you in something other than bare feet. Yesterday I was taking part in a great little event put on by City Park Runners called 'A Run Through History' in support of Variety of Manitoba when the both of these situations happened. Lets back up a bit and I will start from the beginning.

It was going to be a great day, the sun was shining, the weather brisk and cool, a slight breeze coming out of the north, overall perfect conditions for a run. Nicole and I set out with the kids to Lower Fort Garry for the 9:00 am race start time and arrived there with lots of time to spare. I checked in at the kit pickup location and secured the race bibs for both Nicole and myself. Unfortunately Nicole was not running as someone had to watch the kids while the other ran, and this is another reason why she is the best spouse in the world for her willingness to give up her run and let me complete mine. Now Nicole did get out to run early Sunday with Gail, and I was glad for that, because if she did not I would of felt very guilty and it would of been interesting trying to figure out how to make it up to her.

For some reason, I was not feeling my usual get up and go to take off the shoes and just run. So as we walked down this nice new asphalt path towards the fort and the start line. I noticed I was still wearing my Vibrams, which I pondered was a little weird, usually I ditch the shoes first opportunity I get and stretching my legs on this new asphalt with shoes on was a little strange even for me. So with a quick head shake to loosen up the cobwebs, I took off the VFF's and started doing some quick sprints to get the blood flowing. I didn't think about the shoe thing again till we reached the gravel entrance to the fort, and I stepped onto the cold (and I mean cold) very pointy gravel. After a couple of interesting steps, I turned and looked at Nicole and said, "Hmmm maybe I will be using my Vibrams today after all." So I proceeded to put them on and carried on my little way to the kit pickup table. I ended up getting a couple of comments about the shoes that were currently covering my typically bare feet, but I was for some reason this morning I was a little leery to run without them. Strange considering I have ran over worse gravel and in colder temperatures, so this really made no sense to me.

As we gathered at the start line, more comments started coming as running friends and associates alike started to notice my shoes. About a minute before the start of the race, a friend stared at me with a look that spoke to me with something like this "What the hell are you doing mister barefoot runner, get those shoes off your feet." With a shake of my head, I suddenly thought to myself, what am I doing, why am I wearing these, I hate running in shoes. So with a smile and a grin, the VFF's came off and they were thrown towards Nicole and the kids for safe keeping. With that it seemed all was right in the world again. I got back into the running pack, with some "Alright now that is more like it!" and the standard whispers of "He's got no shoes on" and "He's not going to run like that is he." All I could think in my mind was, "Oh yes, yes he is" as a smile creeped across my face.

Then there was the call of Ready, Set, Goooooo!, and we were off. It was slow going for a moment or two as the quicker runners maneuvered to the front and the runners like me made our way through everybody else. But once we got going, we got going. The gravel I was so worried about at the start was still a little cold and stabbing at the bottoms of my feet, but I just got into my high tempo running gait and 'Ninja-toed' my way through to the asphalt path just outside the gate. To explain what I mean by 'Ninja-toed', this is when I use a very light step at a very high cadence so basically the bottom of my feet barely touch the ground. As my foot starts to touch down, I am already starting to bring it back up, creating a very light and silent running stride (hence the reference to Ninja). When I run like this, you will not even hear me coming, or at least that is the objective.

As I turned onto the asphalt path which leads to River Road, I turned on the jets and just started running (some say I float along). I passed a bunch of runners and was just enjoying myself as I scanned around looking at all the trees changing colours. I actually forgot about running for a couple of minutes and just enjoyed the scenery as I cruised along until I approached the turn onto River Road. There was C my personal trainer directing the runners on where they were heading. With a Go Bob Go, and my quick response of "My core is missing it's workout something fierce" with a smile on my face, I rounded onto River Road. I continued to catch up and pass runners along the way and all I could think is wow I feel great and my legs were responding well, this is going to be a quick run. As I looked to the right, you could see the Red River through all the colour changing trees, it really was quite the sight. All I could think was this would make for some great pictures. What a great day and a great location for a run, thank you City Park for picking such a perfect venue.

I looked up the road, and could see the turn around spot in the distance as the first place runners headed by me, I figured I was only about 5 minutes behind the leaders (honestly that is not to bad for me, I was quite impressed with that).I still had a lot of umph left so I started to pick up the pace a little bit. I passed by a whole lot of familiar faces heading back the other way with a whole bunch of 'Way to go's' and 'Great run' and so ons I felt absolutely free and was having a great time. As I made the turnaround and started the trek back to the finish line, I passed a whole bunch of runners I knew including Laura, Elaine, Leslie and Erika, they all appeared to be having a great time and why not.

Heading back up the road, I was really not trying to look at my Garmin to see how far I had gone or how fast I was running, but curiosity killed the barefoot runner so to speak. So with a quick look I was surprised to see that I was just above a 8:00 minute mile and I was approaching the 2 mile mark. Wow, I was so surprised I almost tripped over my own bare feet, I had never been able to run that pace before in a race. I just started to smile, that was when I heard some whispering behind me, "I have to catch him, I can't let Bob beat me!" That was Laura, her competitiveness breaking through as she partnered up to catch me. Well I figured I would make it harder for her, so with a big grin I picked up the pace ever so slightly to make it a little bit more challenging. Now Laura is a great runner and a good friend so I have no problem if she beats me, but I was trying to not let it be to easy for her. I knew in the end she would probably pass me but I wanted to milk it for all it was worth and I did. I didn't let her pass me until we were back onto the pathway to the fort. As she did pass me, I told her to go finish it off strong because I was going to come back at her if I could. I think this motivated her to push quicker, I was just having to much fun so I let her go (I probably wouldn't of been able to catch her anyway at least not yet I am working on it).

As we rounded the corner back onto the gravel road into the fort, I heard a couple of people gasp as they noticed my bare feet. All I could think as I started the loop around was I was going to go as fast as I could and hit that finish line flying. I swear my feet barely touched the gravel as I did not feel anything (I finished the gravel portion at a 7:44 min/mile pace which is absolutely crazy fast for gravel) and then I heard Erick call out on the megaphone, "and here comes Barefoot Bob". All I could do was smile as I crossed the finish line. I finished in 25:17 officially which is still a minute faster than my personal best 5km time. I was shocked because I was only shooting to break the 26:00 minute barrier and I absolutely killed it.

Congratulations to all the runners who finished hard (Laura finished in 25:02 which is a great time and the winning time was 17:18 by QF and SK was a half of a step behind at 17:19), and to the others that finished their first official 5km run (congrats LM with a 36:48 good run). A great thanks to the organizers Erik, Cheryll and the rest of the staff at City Park Runners as well as the volunteers for Variety the Children's Charity of Manitoba for putting on a fantastic event. Of course we cannot forget about all the volunteers who took time out of their day to help make this event a great success. Last but not least to all the spectators and the fort staff who dressed in character to keep everybody entertained for the day with a little bit of history to go along with the fun. I am really looking forward to this event next year. You never know, I might be trying to break the 24:00 min barrier by then.

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Thanks again to City Park Runners for the photos and to putting on such a great event.

Look at those great jackets

And we are off, 'See Sheldon Run'


A beautiful day for a run



One and Two come in neck and neck

John coming in strong

Laura, how dare you beat me

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!

Lookout world you haven't seen the last of me!

Damn that is a great jacket.

He got the biggest cheer, running with a coffee carafe like that.

What a beautiful sunny day in Manitoba

Can't get any better than this.

Lower Fort Garry

Lower Fort Garry volunteers in period costume

Milling about before the run.

So after such a great run I have to end off with a great Chinese quotation:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

or a more topic related quote could be:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's bare feet."

To carry on with my mileage reporting for the year:

Monday, September 19, 2011

WH3 Red Dress Run 2011

Barefoot: 0.00 miles

Vibrams: 4.25 miles

Total: 4.25 miles

Note: I am sure there are some questions about the above item, let us just say I was a little concerned about what I was wearing at the time of this run to have to worry about watching for broken glass, etc in downtown Winnipeg as the sun was going down. I am going into no more detail than that, but it may lead into a future post, and yes there is pictures but I am not going to post them even if you say pretty please.

Tuesday September 20, 2011

Lunch Run at Work

Barefoot: 6.95 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 6.95 miles

Thursday September 22, 2011

Run From Work to Charleswood

Barefoot: 11.60 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 11.60 miles

Saturday September 24, 2011

Run With City Park Runners

Barefoot: 5.30 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 5.30 miles

Sunday September 25, 2011

A Run Through History 5 km

Barefoot: 3.11 miles

Vibrams: 0.00 miles

Total: 3.11 miles

Total for the Week:

Barefoot: 26.96 miles

Vibrams: 4.25 miles

Total: 31.21 miles

Year to Date:

Barefoot: 598.24 miles

Vibrams: 80.20 miles

Total: 678.44 miles

So with the above numbers I will cross the 1,000 km (or 619 mile) mark barefoot since April by the end of this week. Even though I will realistically not reach the 1,000 mile mark this year (unless Winnipeg decides to have Hawaii type weather for the rest of the year, NOT!), this is a huge successful venture in my books. This also gives me the modivation to reach for the goal again next year.

But on that note, lets see how far I can get in the upcoming weeks before the snow flies and the city starts putting chemicals that burn the bottom of my feet back onto the sidewalk.

Until next week and the confirmation of the completed km's.

May your souls tread lightly over the gravel that is life.

On on

Bob

Journey of 1,000 Barefoot Miles - Week Ending September 17, 2011 Bismark Marathon Edition

So this has been an interesting week, since last Sunday when I ran the entire Treherne Half Marathon barefoot on gravel to the dismay of a lot of people, and accepted an invite to join a friend on an excursion to Bismark, ND to run there on Saturday, I have found out alot about the resilience of my feet and body in general.

Lets start with Sunday, after I finished the half, my feet were a little tender, ok that would be an understatement they were down right sore. After running 13.1 miles on gravel (with about a mile reprieve on asphalt) that was very understandable, I figured I would have tender feet for a couple of days. I was wrong within hours my feet were back to normal, my calves were a still a little tight the next day and my big toe was still sore from my toe drag at mile 10 or so, but other than that my feet felt fantastic. Also note my toe healed up nicely in a couple of days. I was even able to do some trail running Monday night out at Kilcona Park with the WH3 barefoot and it felt fantastic, no ill effects of the race the day before.

But just to be on the safe side, I did not run the rest of the week, since I committed to going to Bismark with Mike (from See Mike Run), I wanted to ensure my feet were ready for what I was thinking was going to be a fast half marathon. Nothing like a last minute decision to run a race, within the last two weeks I have signed up for 2 runs at the last minute (Treherne the Wednesday before the race and now Bismark the day before). The crazy thing is that on the trip down to Bismarck, I was contemplating running the full instead of the half because I didn't know what I would do waiting the extra approx 2 hours for Mike and David to finish after I was done. So as we drove the 450 miles (not km's eh Mike) to Bismarck I tossed the idea of throwing caution to the wind and running the full marathon around. So here we are driving for about 7 hours to an American city, trying to figure out what race I was going to complete. We arrived in Bismarck around 6 pm and headed straight to the race pick up / registration area which was located in the mall which was adjacent the Scheel's (a really cool sports equipment store similar to MEC and REI). Still completely undecided which way I was going to go, I started the registration process and got to the run selection and checked Full, I thought why not you only live once, right?

Now lets put this into perspective for all you runners and non-runners out there:

• 
  
  I have not ran more than 16 miles since June 17th in one shot (only adding 10.2 miles onto of my max run, no problem).



• 
  
  I haven't trained for a marathon at all and definitely not at race pace.



• 
  
  I was still battling my breathing issues, carried my puffer through Trehere just in case and would do the same here.



• 
  
  There was a killer hill to tackle not once but twice (1.5 or so miles up at a 5% grade incline)



• 
  
  There was chip-seal on the course



• 
  
  There would be off and on rain throughout the run and a pretty good head wind



• 
  
  Of course I was running barefoot
  

That all being said, I was pumped to get out there and run. It was really interesting, as I was registering, one of the ladies behind the table noticed my Vibram shirt and mentioned that her son runs in them, and Mike mentioned that I actually run barefoot and would be running tomorrow that way. That was when all the hoopla started, all of a sudden they were quizzing me so they could write down my bib number, my name and contact info on a separate sheet, for at the time some unknown purpose. It really didn't hit me until the next day what it was, but I will expand on that later. I just answered their questions, smiled and we headed out to go check in at the hotel and then off to Olive Garden for some pasta and beer (a traditional pre-race feast).

With a 7:30 am start time and really not sure where were going and how to get there (thank you Garmin GPS), we wanted to ensure we were up early enough to ensure we had plenty of time. After we got back to the hotel, it was a early bedtime to try to maximize on the sleep that we would probably not get and true to form all three of us didn't get much. Pre-run jitters are common, as you start to run the course in your head and lay out and try to perfect your strategy for the day ahead (note: I have found this really never goes to plan but so be it I still do anyway). It was interesting to hear this never goes away, I found out that David who has run over 80 marathons and a number of ultras (including The Canadian Death Race and numerous other 100 milers) still has this happen as well.

Mike was up at around 5:00, I dragged my butt out of bed at around 5:20 and David fell out of bed at about 5:35, a quick shower, dress and prep for run and we headed downstairs to hit the continental breakfast and a coffee. Met some other runners from Ohio and Kansas who seemed a little over dressed to me wearing touques, tights and heavier running jackets, but they were ready to 'Get 'Er Done!' (That one is for you Mike). Here I was planning to wear my shorts, tri shirt (which is sleeveless) and my arm sleeves for the start, along with my bare feet, must be a Canadian thing, overheating is not a good thing in my mind. Anyway, we piled into the car and headed out to find the run, thanks again GPS for pointing us in the right direction. About halfway there we picked up a runner who was walking along the side of the road looking rather chilled. He in fact was from Houston Texas, and was only wearing his running gear which consisted of a muscle shirt and shorts, he was very grateful for the ride. He was unaware how far it actually was from the hotel to the start line so we were glad to give him the opportunity to warm up before running the full marathon. As we arrived we started to get ready, I took off my long sleeve shirt and my VFF's but left my Injini toe socks on to keep my toes warm, I did get some looks from other runners as I was walking around in socks (just wait till those come off, hee hee!).

It wasn't long before everybody started lining up at their posted target times, we all settled on a 4:00 goal (I say this with tongue in cheek) and positioned ourselves in that area. Off came the socks and the OMG's started with earnest and with them the questions. Now I do not think myself an expert in any stretch of the imagination (with only about a year and a half of experience) on barefoot running but I do like to pass on my knowledge if people are interested. This race seemed to be one where there was a lot of interest, I had numerous conversations and questions with runners, volunteers and spectators alike on the way i run. You would almost think this 'Barefoot Running' thing was catching on or something. After the National Anthem was sang (and she did a fantastic job), we counted down from 10 to the start, it was nice to hear everybody get louder as we approached one..... and we were off!

It's always interesting how runners always position themselves in time areas that are realistically beyond their capabilities, even at the start. I love optimism (and I will admit a 4:00 marathon for me is a stretch but I can keep that pace from the start for a number of miles), but Mike, David and I must of passed numerous runners in the first few minutes that couldn't keep up that pace at all. For some runners this could be very frustrating, if they are looking for a time or a personal best to have to weave in and out of slower runners that they really shouldn't have too. I personally say, even though it is frustrating, you have to keep a positive outlook and be happy they are out enjoying a run, because not that long ago you were probably exactly like them. Life is to short to let little things like that get to you, enjoy the day.

On to the race, let me say it was a blast, they had friendly volunteers and for a smaller race and not ideal weather conditions there was some very enthusiastic spectators along route. I kept pace with Mike and David for probably the first 10 miles or so, which was fantastic for me because they are both stronger runners than I am. The course of the start was on a bike or runners asphalt path so it was a little congested until things started to thin out, but once it did it was smooth sailing. I had numerous conversations along the run (which did slow me down a little bit) with runners along the way, either with runners that had started the conversion to barefoot or wanted to give it a try but were a little hesitant, too the runners that thought I was totally nuts but amazed at the same time. I ran and talked with a younger guy from Bismarck for about 5 minutes about how to start running barefoot and what not to do. I was amazed at how enthusiastic he was, I almost thought he was going to stop and take his shoes off right there, but luckily he didn't he still had a good 24 miles to run. I do not know what it is about running, but you can talk with a complete stranger about anything and there is no problem, no inhibitions at all everything is fair game. One girl I was talking to about barefoot running suddenly changed topic to bodily functions and noises without a bat of an eyelash. This is someone I met not 2 minutes before, where else do you get that. This is another reason I like to run.

As we trucked along the course, we started heading to "the Hill", that would be Mary's Hill towards the The University of Mary (she must of been important to have a University named after her) which was located on top of a plateau to the north side of town. This hill was very interesting, not usually on the course the race director had to change the route due to the flooding of the Missouri River, thus the hill was added (not once but twice - at mile 5 and 18). It is a on paper, one mile long at a 5% steep grade incline up towards the University (officially I would say 1.5 to 1.75 miles up to the top by the University but who's counting). This was going to be a challenge for us flatlanders but of course we were up for the challenge. Along the way to the Hill we passed a couple of young musicians playing away to help inspire the runners. It put a smile on face to see a couple of teenagers playing their hearts out in the cold and drizzle as they were. One had a full drum kit set up and was going at it like a wild man and the other was a younger teen who was strumming Smoke on the Water on his electric guitar. Very impressed that they took the time to do this, they were still going at it as I passed them for the second time on the second lap, pretty darn impressive. There was also a harpist playing at the University grounds as well, I would think her fingers were probably pretty cold strumming the strings for 4 hours, so kudos to her as well. The view at the top of the hill behind the University was really impressive, you could look into the river valley and even with the fog and mist it was still a pretty impressive sight. I of course had to stop and take some pictures, as I decided that I was going to play tourist on this little adventure and I was having so much fun. As I started up and headed towards the first Relay Transition Point, the strangest thing happened, I heard some guy on a bullhorn calling out relay numbers as they came into the transition area (not unusual) but then i heard him announce the following, " Look out folks, here comes our Barefoot Runner, give him a big cheer when he goes through!" I really didn't think much of it, I waved, high fived a bunch or spectators and runners alike, smiled and thought to myself, wow that was nice, and carried on my merry little way towards the down the hill part of the run.

As David and Mike pulled away once we got down the hill and headed back to the end of the first loop, I got once again into a conversation with a couple of runners who were running the half marathon, they were having the time of their lives and you could see it all over their faces. Not really paying attention to my pace I ran with them for a while, fielding more questions and comments, having a few laughs and just enjoying the run. They started to slow a little bit and I said my goodbyes and good lucks and slowly pulled away. My legs and feet felt fantastic, there was no sign of fatigue at all, and I was keeping a good pace somewhere around 9:10 mile, which I was ecstatic about. I then started running with this one older gentleman who was running a leg of the relay, I believe he was a city engineer as he was telling me about the earth dikes that were still along the side of the road and how they had just finished clearing some of the dikes off the course route that week, kudos to the city workers who helped get the course in as good of shape as it was. He also told me he wanted to run the half but he was out early putting all the race signs out so he decided that the relay would still give him the chance to run. Awesome stuff, I like to hear stories like this, it shows dedication, unfortunately I did not get his name but I know he finished strong.

Once again, I was coming around the corner towards relay exchange number two, when once again "I hear, "Here he comes give a big cheer for our barefoot runner, Bob Nicol from Winnipeg". I really didn't think much of this once again, just thinking that's strange why did they announce my name as I ran through with some more hi-fives, etc. As I headed to the half way point and the end of the first lap, I started thinking to myself, 'How did she know my name?' (this also happened at the rest of the Relay Stations as well, very humbling. Shaking that off I proceeded to the half way point, and came up to the only area that was really a little confusing, there was a volunteer standing on a split in the path asking the marathoners as they came through if it was their first or second time through? Me not really comprehending what he was talking about, said, "Damn only the first time, I am not that fast", thinking he was talking about finishing of my second loop. Nope, it seems the start of the second loop consisted of a loop inside a loop so you pass that junction twice in about 15 minutes or so, a little confusion but I guess it could of been worse. As I ran towards the half way point (and the finish for the half marathoners), I once again heard, " Lets hear a big cheer for our barefoot runner, Bob Nicol from Winnipeg who is running the entire marathon barefoot today!" At this point, I started wondering what the heck is going on, this is a little weird, I am no where near the front, I do have a good split with just over a 2 hour 13.1 miles but really. Then as I pass the announcer he gives me a big thumbs up and a quick reference to 'Born To Run' being a great read and wishing me good luck on finishing, as I was the only barefoot runner.

I was a little taken aback by all the attention, but figured ok, lets finish this baby off. I headed out on the final lap, with a little bit of a slower pace but still good in my books. As I finished the loop I came up to the volunteer who directed me around the first time, and joked with him see you in a couple of hours, he smiled and cheered me on. The second loop was very similar to the first time around a lot of chatting with everybody, I got to see a really cool drum solo, and the guitar player was still cranking it out as I ran by. Everybody was throwing comments my way about my feet and I was having a great time. I even started playing duck, duck, goose with another marathoner as I would pass her, then she would pass me, then I would pass her. We did this the entire rest of the race. Going up the second hill I decided to walk a good chunk of it to conserve my energy for the final push to the finish, this was a good thing as there was a killer headwind as well for the entire distance up the hill. I ran down the hill with a fresh abandon, just letting go and with a great tail wind to boot, I have never had that type of energy at this stage of the run (was around 20 to 21 miles). I cruised to the bottom, and stopped for my one potty brake and a gel stop. I think the volunteers thought I was crazy because I was grinning from ear to ear and even started picking up some of the cups around the garbage can that missed (must be a Canadian thing). Off I went to catch up to my duck, duck, goose partner, when I noticed that she was slowing down quite a bit, so as I passed her I told her she had to run in with me and I wouldn't take no for an answer. She smiled, agreed and I took off ahead, so I got a couple of minutes ahead of her and started to walk to let her catch up and pass me, even though I felt fantastic and could of ran it in I was having fun and I wanted to help this runner get in. So once she got about 500 yds ahead of me, I started running again and passed her with a 'Duck', ran ahead stopped and started walking again, in which she passed me again with a smile and a 'Goose'. This happen a couple more times until we were at about mile 25 and change, this was where Valerie from Nebraska and I started running together to the finish. We also picked up Melissa who was part of relay team (who were running in support of a friend with cancer), Melissa started running a couple of years ago to get active and has lost 60 pounds since starting. She was doing awesome but I could see she was starting to falter a little, so on went my 'Motivational Speaker Cap' and I told the both of them, let's go we are almost there, and I want to both of you to kick my barefoot Canadian butt. They both laughed and the closer we got, the more I pushed them to finish. You could see Melissa's teammates cheering her on in the distance and that must of inspired her as she took off from the both of us, it was great to see and put a smile on my face. That was when I looked at Valerie and told her, now its your turn and egged her on through the finish line. She beat me by 3 seconds. Official time was 4 hours 36 minutes and 55 seconds. With a quick hug and thank yous from both of them we parted ways, it was fantastic to see. This is another thing I love about running, to see them as they crossed the finish line was priceless, and why I will continue to run.

Even though i could of shaved some time off my finish, to me it was not about that, it was seeing the looks on everybody's faces as they crossed the finish line realizing if they push themselves that little bit harder, they can do it and have done it. To cap this off I had a great time running this race and even though it was not a personal best, I will not forget the fun that I had and discovering how my body and feet have adapted. Previously, I could of never imagined running a marathon, let alone one without training for it, I be thinking this ultra marathon thing could be possible after all.

There are some pictures at the end of the post for your viewing pleasure.

Here are my miles for the week:

Monday, September 12, 2011

WH3 Run at Kilcona Park
Barefoot: 2.35 miles

VFF's/NB Mimimus: 0.25 miles

Total: 2.60 miles

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Bismark Marathon

Barefoot: 26.37 miles

VFF's: 0.00 miles

Total: 26.37 miles

Total for Week

Barefoot: 28.72 miles

Minimalist: 0.25 miles

Total: 28.97 miles

Year To Date:

Barefoot: 571.28 miles

Minimalist: 75.95 miles

Total: 647.23 miles

The drummer on course kept a good beat

Young guitarist, sorry so blurry tried to snap photo as I was running by.





This was the path were on for the majority of the race, not to wide but it was doable.







Me before heading up the hill, this was around Mile 5 .






Harpist at the university grounds, very nice lady.







A look from the plateau behind the U of Mary down into the river valley

Another view from behind the U of Mary.

Have a great week everybody,

On on,

Bob