Long Month

I had a 100+ mile month.  This was the first one since last February.  I prefer the longer months.

Pepper and I had fun running the Ledges Trail and the Pine Grove Trail today for a total of 5.7.  The trail was hard packed snow so the footing was pretty good.  The sun finally came out  - seems like it's been weeks - so I took some pictures.

The Cuyahoga River

The Falls

The Ledges Trail

Pepper

Pine Grove Trail

Signal Tree

We ran to Glens High Bridge, the Glens Trail, Gorge, High Bridge and Cascade for a total of 10.5 today.  My ankles were feeling tired halfway through?  We met a few dogs and people.

Listening to The Black Keys . . . nice.

The Falls

The Signal Tree

The Signal Tree

Glen Gorge 5.66

Ran it again today.  A nice effort - working on the mental combat of hills. We started at 31F and finished at 33F.  Very hot.

In December, I saw a Bald Eagle on the Glens Trail.  I haven't seen it since.

Listen for the river.

Cool 5

We ran the WW Silver 5 again today.  The air was a crisp 13F.  Had to break some trail in the fresh 2" of snow.  A slow run, but when the sun came out, picturesque!

Speaking of . . . here are some shots from yesterday.  We ran the "Glen Gorge 5.66." That was a good run. These shots are from the Glens trail.

Product Review:

I received a gift from the Cleveland Marathon for signing up early.  It's a waist pack.  It's the perfect size for my camera and functions as an effective belt too.  I had the camera in the belt on the run shown above and hardly knew it was there.  Very comfortable.

A pic...

Oh Yeah;

Pepper and I got attacked by a dog again today.  WTF?!?  Granted, we cam up on them fast? . . .
I'm so glad I have a well adjusted and sane dog.  The crazies are astounding.

Running Form

I found this excellent collection of articles on running form and such.  Steve provides a very good explanation of how we should run and why.  Basically, it's a detailed description of everything Barefoot Ken Bob has always said: run with your hips; run upright; land on your forefoot; 180 footfalls per minuet; etc.

Big Blister 5 Miler

As I sit and listen to "Georgia On My Mind" on the radio, I lament the blues that are forming in my feet.  Ok, so, it's actually more red than blue, but when hidden beneath the skin, the blood takes a blue hue.  Yes, just another reason why shoes are BAD!  My last 6 runs have been in aqua socks that have apparently made me weak.  I've longed for the comfort of my skin against the ground, but I've been weak, justifying the covering because of the cold.  The result is an assortment of blood blisters after my 5 mile barefoot run today.

Today's run felt great.  Pepper and I powered through the miles at lightning speed.  I felt strong, no stopping (save the Pooper poop), pushing up the hills and flying down the descents.  This was one of the better runs I've had in a while.  Late in the run I felt a tweak in my right long toe.  I knew there would be a small blister forming but I wasn't too concerned.  It's always my right long toe that takes the punishment before any other.

What the cold really does is mask the ground feel just enough so that you disregard your form.  I started at 25 deg F - by the end it was 22.  Altogether, it was a beautiful day, alternating sun and overcast with only a slight wind.  I was dressed perfectly; not too many layers.  I felt my feet getting just a wee bit numb, but nothing of concern and just the bottoms - the uppers were great.  Half the run was on dry asphalt.  Some of the sidewalks we ran were not cleared.  When you run on snow that covers your ankles, your feet will cool quickly.  It's best too find a well trodden path or clear pavement quickly.  It's amazing how quickly your feet will warm back up.  However, when running at below freezing temps' the pads will numb enough to mask the ground feel you would normally have.  And this leads to slippin' and grippin'.  I was pushing off more than lifting my feet so the balls of my feet would slip on the ground, and my toes would then naturally grip in order to maintain traction.  What does all of this lead too?  Check out the pics below.

Left - Pre-Bloodletting

Left - Post-Bloodletting

Right - Post-Bloodletting - note pin pricks
need to bleed some more

Back Yard Today

Yes, these pics look bad, but the run today was worth it.  I mean, it's not bypass surgery or lung cancer.  And the lessons learned? . . . we all need lessons!

Ackhmdchh

I don't know what the title means, but it's the way I felt on my run today.  I think the aqua shoes are cramping my style.  I'm gonna' run barefoot tomorrow!

And the Cav's are struggling.

Two Poop Run

Some say (Viper), two poops in the bush are worth one in the hand.  I, however, find it merely inconvenient and embarrassing  - especially when you only bring one bag.  Pepper was apparently filled up and left me with the decision to pick the second one up by hand or, try to ignore it; claim innocence; look closely at the house to see if any one was home and looking; or, with the decision to leave it, speed off after the event while planning to not return any time soon.  Luckily it was in a neighborhood far from home.  We changed her food recently and things have gotten plentiful.  When this bag of food is done, we are returning to the other stuff.

Anyhow, we had a nice 4.25 miler today in the falling snow.  It was a good effort, a rather quick run even with the sloppiness of 3" of un-shoveled sidewalk.

I'm tired of the aqua shoes.  I need to run more barefoot.

Virtual Race Report - 1st Annual Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k

I Win!!!

I am the official winner who participated in the 1st Annual Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k and ran in aqua socks in the snow in Cuyahoga Falls on Middleberry, Tallmage and Baily Roads.  I was so quick, all the other runners didn't bother to toe the line, except for Pepper.

I heard about the virtual race from The Sean who pointed me to Adam .

I follow Adam (and not just because I can win a prize).

Happy New Year

Today, Pepper and I ran a slow 7.3 miles.  Overall, it was a good barefoot run in 30 degree weather.  Pepper chased a few geese, but no goose soup tonight.

Race Report:

I ran the Great New Years Eve Race last Friday.  I lined up about 8 deep from the start in the 56 degree overcast din that is northeast Ohio at the end of the year.  There were a ton of people at the race - it started 10 minuets late because of the crowd.

I set a new PR at 26:34.  The pace was 8:33 min per mile.  Better than 2 minuets faster than last year!  I was determined to run as fast as I could.  This was a great barefoot effort, but I think I could have run faster. . . something to consider.  I believe I was the only barefooter?  My 100 yard sprint to the finish was something to behold!  Scary fast!!