Okay people, calm down. Plastic bags? I know the BCR Boston weather tweak threads. I've read it all. Here's the thing. If you were required to plunge your fresh feet into buckets of ice cold water as a prerequisite to starting the course, knowing full well that the rest of the course was as dry as a bone, would you not find it just a bit irksome? That's what it is. Irksome. It barely registers as annoying. We plunged through twice yesterday at mile 3 for the 30 seconds it took to get through the one wet spot in 12 miles of trail. Then ran the next 9 miles on comfortable, dry trail. Except we had wet, then drying, socks and shoes. Irksome. Not really annoying, just irksome. Like if there was a way around that damn puddle it'd be worth a small bit of effort to find it. So, was I serious about plastic bags? Maybe just as serious as I was about stilts and piggy-back rides. Not really serious, but wondering aloud whether there might be some way around that one, lone, single, solitary, damn wet spot.
BodyGlide is a great suggestion. I'll try that next time. And I may (if I do anything at all besides plunging through it four times!!) settle on just removing my socks, running through the pond, then putting the socks back on when my shoes drain a bit. Or not.
Four loops. Four pairs of socks. Check.
More than likely it will not even be an issue. It's in November. Maybe we'll have to skate across.
A nice pair of smartwool socks will do the trick. Wool does a great job of making your feet feel great even when they are wet. Hell, I wear them even when it is not wet out because they really help with the blisters...
+1
I actually changed into a pair of SmartWools for the second loop yesterday.
I have started wearing Injinji liners with ultra thin wool socks (Balega) over them. My feet have been pretty comfortable given the rainy conditions we have been having. Hopefully the combination will work for the 50k.
Sara
MM #2929
Okay people, calm down. Plastic bags? I know the BCR Boston weather tweak threads. I've read it all. Here's the thing. If you were required to plunge your fresh feet into buckets of ice cold water as a prerequisite to starting the course, knowing full well that the rest of the course was as dry as a bone, would you not find it just a bit irksome? That's what it is. Irksome. It barely registers as annoying. We plunged through twice yesterday at mile 3 for the 30 seconds it took to get through the one wet spot in 12 miles of trail. Then ran the next 9 miles on comfortable, dry trail. Except we had wet, then drying, socks and shoes. Irksome. Not really annoying, just irksome. Like if there was a way around that damn puddle it'd be worth a small bit of effort to find it. So, was I serious about plastic bags? Maybe just as serious as I was about stilts and piggy-back rides. Not really serious, but wondering aloud whether there might be some way around that one, lone, single, solitary, damn wet spot. BodyGlide is a great suggestion. I'll try that next time. And I may (if I do anything at all besides plunging through it four times!!) settle on just removing my socks, running through the pond, then putting the socks back on when my shoes drain a bit. Or not. Four loops. Four pairs of socks. Check. More than likely it will not even be an issue. It's in November. Maybe we'll have to skate across.
I haven't had the pleasure of reading the BCR Boston tweak thread. So, in all honesty, I wasn't TOTALLY sure if you were kidding or not. AND YES, for like thirty seconds I pictured myself with bread bags on my feet as people whispered and giggled at me. Then I thought, hey, at least my feet would be dry after that water crossing!
The end of summer gave me some experience with running with completely drenched feet, between the rain/flooding and the humidity. My last pair of running shoes needed newspapers crunched into them after nearly every run for a week or so. It was annoying to squeak my way through the miles but my feet survived. On my thirty miler, I did change socks at mile 20, and it was a welcome switch from totally nasty to a fresh short-lived dry feeling.
I've been running in my flats a little too much lately, and I have a blister already from those. I'll be taping that spot and hoping for the best. I like your stilts idea though! But, I'm easily amused, so of course I would like that idea!
Ice is a whole other story! I love running in the colder weather but the first signs of ice, I'm on my treadmill. Again, this goes back to how I'm far from graceful!
Michelle
I'll have to dig out my smartwool socks. I forgot how awesome they are!
Some of my running friends know about the lesson I learned this past May with what NOT to do with a blood blister. Draining the blister immediately after the race with the race bib safety pin is not a smart thing. That move led to an infection (red streak going up my foot from the blister area) and a round of antibiotics. It was really really gross.
It depends on how deep the stream crossing is but there is a technique for short, shallow ones that will typically keep your feet dry.
Accelerate right before the stream to get some speed, then take quick steps to splash the water out of your way. The trick is to swing the other foot higher so that you don't splash it as you bring it forward. We have a lot of standing water in rainy season here and I can usually keep my feet dry for puddles up to about 4-5 inches deep.
Good suggestion, too. Unknown rocks at the bottom will make that difficult in parts of this crossing.
#2867
The water hazard is only about 200 feet long, but it comes near mile 3, so you run the next 9 miles in wet shoes and socks. That turned out to be less bad than I feared. Not optimal, but not terrible either.
I did a preview run a few weeks ago, and it wasn't that bad. My trail shoes drain pretty well so my feet were fine by the time I got through the loop. Doing 4 loops back to back I might have a change of shoes/socks available for halfway or the last loop, but I'm not going to worry about it and don't expect to actually change shoes.
Run to Win25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)
With stilts and piggy-backs off the table has pole vaulting been considered up unto this point?
It's vastly under-rated and there happens to be ample material available if the demand is there. Of course, the selection of such an item will most definitely be based on the location of the race in which the ditch/creek/river/bayou resides. Personally, I would tend to lean towards the strength found in one of your harder woods such as an oak or maple, however, do not underestimate the flexibility needed for such a task. I recommend hickory as it has the strength of a hard wood with the flexibility grained in. Without both said factors you may just find yourself wet and on your back in the middle of the referenced terrain above wondering why you didn't simply bag your feet like a fresh loaf of bread.
Whatever you do, good luck.
Ha! Pole vaulting.
I also relearned an old word in another forum. Trebuchet. (Hi Greg!)
Trebuchet.
This requires leet landing skills, which will likely degrade after the first couple of loops. Make sure someone films your attempt.
When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
And will throw my Garmin readings all off, come to think of it.
"leet"= (feet, meet, elite, leap, great, least, leer, sleet?) I'll go with feet and assume you meant some kind of tuck and roll.
leet = elite
Also, the garmins suck with regard to elevation so don't worry about that. Just make sure you get it on video.
Helmet-cam, baby!