Tag: barefoot

Run at the Rock: 7 Miles of Trails

December 5, 2011By y2kemo

crossing the finish line at the Run at the Rock

What started out as a simple 5K in May 2005 turned into 10Ks, half marathons, and trail races by the fall. I ran a local trail series. Ran a couple 10Ks. And when I heard about the Run at the Rock 7mi/14mi race at Cedarock Park in Burlington, NC, I cleared my calendar. After all, I’d been getting in the miles and figured I only needed to throw in some mud and hills for good measure. Right? Right.

In ’05, I crossed the finish line at 53:20 (7:47 pace) coming in 20 out of 186. The following year, after recovering from a calf injury, I finished 35 out of 254 in a time of 56:09. Five years later, sporting Vibram KomodoSports, a few extra pounds, and a bit of facial hair, I decided it was time to give the race another go.

Barefoot Running: The Army Ten-Miler

October 13, 2011By y2kemo

Each year tens of thousands of runners and spectators come to Washington, DC to run the Army Ten-Miler (ATM). Put on by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the race starts and finishes at the Pentagon, passing by DC landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capitol Building.

Five years ago I ran the ATM at 1:13:05 (7:18 pace). Back then I was a little younger, about 20 pounds lighter, and wore feet coverings more commonly referred to as shoes. For the ATM2011 I was going to take a different approach—ten miles, sub 8, and barefoot.

Blue Ridge Relay 2011: Don’t eat the chili

September 13, 20111 commentBy y2kemo

runners at a finish line — Our 2011 Blue Ridge Team “Lost Soles”

Over the weekend I joined up with Team Lost Soles to run the 208 Mile Blue Ridge Relay (BRR208). Starting at Grayson Highlands State Park in VA we followed country roads and wound our way through North Carolina’s High Country to the finish line in Asheville, NC.

The team was a great combination of runners ranging in age from 28 to 59. Everyone supported one another as we prepped, ran, waited, and finished our legs. Each was determined to finish the race at an 8:45 pace. And after 30 hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds we bested that goal with an 8:44 pace.

I’m Running the 2011 Blue Ridge Relay

September 8, 2011By y2kemo

This time tomorrow I’ll be running with Team Lost Soles in the 208 Mile Blue Ridge Relay (BRR208) as a last minute sub for an injured runner. Starting at Grayson Highlands State Park, Grayson County, VA, which is near the base of Mount Rogers (5729′), the course follows country roads and winds its way through North Carolina’s High Country to the finish in Asheville. The course features some of the region’s most spectacular scenery including the balds of Grayson Highlands State Park, the New River, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain (5964′), and Mount Mitchell (6684′), the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.

No gas. No shoes.

December 31, 2010By y2kemo

What a crazy two weeks it’s been. Last week temperatures rose into the upper 90Fs (mid 30C) and the barrios of Buenos Aires were intermittently without power and water. Luckily (or is it thankfully?).

This week there’s a petrol shortage that’s said to last until after the new year. As a result, cars have been lining up for several blocks just for a chance to fill up their tank. As I did for the power outage, I wanted to get in on the action. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way I planned, and the story ended up being about shoes instead of gas and street fires.

I Heart Running

July 9, 2010By y2kemo

I <3 running. All I need to do is throw on a pair of shorts, an optional shirt, and my Vibrams (also optional), and I’m out the door. Sure, that’s all I need but I tend to run with a visor, sunglasses, an iPod, Garmin Forerunner 305 w/HRM, and my dog, Bella.

Unfortunately, this past year has been a rough one. I’ve battled injuries (from shin splints to knee probs to a thrice torn calf ) and put on 35lbs (thanks to my reluctance to give up the high calorie runner’s diet). Yeah, this past year has sucked pretty bad.

Well, my leg is finally healthy (knock on wood), and I’m ready to get back to where I was. To motivate myself I’ve set a personal goal of 100 miles in 30 days.

Running, Injury, and Awakenings

May 7, 2010By y2kemo

In Awakenings, a doctor (Robin Williams) finds himself with a ward full of comatose patients; victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years prior. He tries out a possible cure on one of the patients (Robert De Niro) and it works. The patient has a blast, lives life to its fullest, but eventually falls back into a coma after only a short time.

In January, I tore my left calf. The doc gave me PT exercises and my leg got better after 5 weeks. My first run out and the calf tore again. Back to the doc. Back to the PT. Another 5 weeks and bam, the calf tore again! Sweet JMJ. Well, I took it easy. Completed the exercises. And it appeared I was ready to go.

Running Barefoot

January 20, 2010By y2kemo

When I run, I enjoy the fresh air, the wind in my face, and the ground beneath my feet. Back in December, I ran my first barefoot race—a 5K in sub-freezing temperatures. On Saturday, I kicked it up a notch and ran a solid 8 miles sans the feet-protecting injury-inducing coverings. Now, before you pass judgment and consider me an idiot (not that I would argue to the contrary) you should understand that running without pain is more important (to me) than running with shoes.

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