I haven't been posting in the barefoot forum much lately, but I have been reading all the threads and have been doing a lot of reading on the runningbarefoot.org website and associated google group.

 

I started some barefooting in late March, but in early July I decided to try to make the switch totally and have ended up running low mileage (less than 10 miles/week) as I learn and adapt to barefoot running technique.  About two weeks ago I was about ready to give it up as I had a bunch of lousy sessions where I could barely run two steps on some of the rougher asphalt in my neighborhood.

 

But after some persistence and starting to adapt to the technique, I occassionally have a really good session and my "bad" sessions aren't quite as bad.  Still need to work on relaxation a lot though.

 

Anyway, here's my race report for this past weekend's Prosperity Hoppin' 5k race (copied from another forum so I didn't have retype anything):

 

Last year, I was in the midst of base training and ran the Prosperity Hoppin 5k race and set my 5k PR.

Fast forward a year and my mileage is down--way down--but I'd committed to running this race months ago with my dad who run/walks the event.  Due to my low mileage I just resolved to run more for fun than to beat any time.

Arrived at the race start/finish area about thirty minutes to the start. After picking up my packet, I changed into my usual racing outfit and headed out for some warm-up. I carried my shoes in my hands as I warmed up, testing the roads to see how friendly they would be to my bare feet.  Running on the side of the street, I was landing on lots of pebbles, but the middle of the street felt smooth--better than the roads on which I normally run. Had to stop once when my Garmin started beeping cause I have a high heart rate alarm set up--took a couple of minutes to figure out how to cut that off.  And then a couple of minutes later I landed on a rock with the ball of my foot and stopped running cause that one stung bad for a few seconds.  I was just about to put my shoes on for the rest of the warm-up, when I thought, "It's just a couple of blocks back to the start area; I can run back there and then put on my shoes if I still want to, after toweling off all the sand and grass stuck to them. So my warm-up ended up not being as long or sustained as I wished.

Once I returned to the start area I struggled with the decision to run with shoes or barefoot.  I've only been running exclusively barefoot for about six weeks and was still learning and practicing barefoot running technique.  But 5k at a faster pace than I've ever run barefoot might be trouble.  But it sure would be nice to see if I could run a 5k race barefoot, and with the roads so smooth (or at least the little bit on which I'd warmed up), this would be a good course to see. Asked my wife--who doesn't understand why I'd want to run barefoot--if she minded if I ran barefoot, and once she granted her blessing, I decided to go for it.

I'd forgotten to bring something to attach a chip to my ankle so I had to steal a shoelace off my shoe to tie it to my leg. Then I posed with my dad for our pre-race photo (taken by my wife and my mom).

 

 

 

We headed for the start line, received the starting instructions, and then were off.  I moved towards the middle of the road where there was less trash and rocks, and I tried to keep slow to counteract the tendency to start way too fast.  The first three quarters of a mile is a loop that has us running back by the start line for encouragement from the spectators and picture-taking by my wife and mom.

 

 

I felt pretty good for the first mile but looked down at my watch and saw that I was running around a 7:15 mile pace which is too fast for my current conditioning.  My legs and feet felt fine but the lungs were already starting to burn and a side stitch felt imminent.  Around the halfway mark, I took a cup of water from the water stop, drank one sip, and poured the rest over my head.  Still no problem with legs or feet; just the burning lungs and pre-side stitch.

I kept forcing myself to run, even though I really really wanted to take a break.  I found myself focusing pretty hard on my immediate surroundings and on my running form.  With about three-quarters of a mile to the finish line I caught up with a high school age runner who sped up to keep pace when I started to pass by him.  We conversed a little, and we turned back on the main road through downtown I ended up on the side of the road where I promptly landed with the ball of my left foot on a rock.  I slowed down and kind of limped-ran for a few steps before I told my foot to relax.  It did, the pain faded, and I started back running with a normal gait.  The teenager pulled ahead.

The last turn leads to the only uphill on the course.  I was already winded by then, so I just tried to maintain effort and not hard charge the upslope even though the finish line was just a couple hundred feet ahead.  Once I completed the small hill, I quickened my pace to finish with a decent sprint.  Finish time of 25:17.

 

After grabbing a gatorade, I walked to join my wife and mom, who were at the top of the hill, waiting for my dad to finish.  Then cheered him in for his 5k PR.

 

Examined my feet later.  Suffered from small blisters at the tips of three toes.  Looking at some of the pictures my wife took, I suspect I caused them when I shifted to the final sprint and pushed off with my toes for at least a few steps.

Overall, a satisfying 5k.  I am happy to discover I haven't lost any time since my last 5k in April even with the reduced mileage.  Hoping now I can start building up more miles as the barefooting becomes more natural.

Congrats on the race.  I'm considering doing my first BF 5K this fall also.  I've only been trying the barefoot thing for 4 weeks and I have another 8 weeks to get ready.  I have to decide if I am going to just finish a 5K barefoot or go for a PR.  I know they are mutually exclusive.  I have not developed a good enough form to run fast yet.

Thanks for that great report and pics!

 

Awesome! 

u did great and thanks for the pics and report--you r a champ