Barefoot and happy
It's been quite a while since I felt limited by my feet, but yesterday I definitely hit that point. I ran 19.3 miles in a cool rain, with the second half at marathon pace. My feet got tender by about mile 17 and I found it hard to keep my pace up, and by 19 I was ready to walk the last bit.
Fast running seems to put a lot more pressure on the feet. No surprise there, but I'm just realizing that I should have spent more time this summer at race pace if I want to run a fast marathon. I've done shorter, faster races without problems, but going beyond 25k at race pace is something I haven't really practiced.
I had no injury or wear or blisters, just very tender soles. It feels very much like I used to feel whenever pushing to a new mileage, so I'm confident I can train through this limit too. But probably not before the Cape Cod Marathon (Oct 25). So I may fall back to FiveFingers in order to retain my chances of breaking three hours.
The good news is that otherwise I felt great. My aerobic base is at least as good as it's ever been, and 19 miles felt quite comfortable, other than the sore feet. I was actually aiming for a round 20 miles but miscalculated my turnaround point.
John
Wait a minute Ed, you don't have limits. Come on now!
It seems like folks say that the wetness makes their soles sorer, faster. Perhaps it's the increased friction. I always felt it was a cooling presence and felt it was helpful.
But I can't say I've ever run that far or fast barefoot, so limits it is. Good luck on your continued training.
Creator of RunForth | @robraux | shodless.com
Yeah, I agree about the course. I ran it once eight years ago, it felt extremely hilly.
I have no idea whether I have a 2:59 in me for that course, and there's only one way to find out.