2010 Marine Corps Marathon

Finish time 5:12:56. Great weather and a fun day. Tim Bourassa and I started off together but he left me in the dust around the 5 mile mark. The course was a mixed bag for barefooters. There was alot of really old craggy pavement and some long stretches of coblestone sidewalk around the national mall. In contrast, grassy stretches were long during the middle of the race but you had to watch for glass if you want to enjoy this treat. I give it 5 friendly feet out of ten. Had I been trying to run fast, the pavement would have affected my time. Up next is the Rock N Roll Marathon in Pheonix AZ. Semper Fidelis!

2010 Hampton NH Marathon

Nice Day and a great first marathon in Hampton NH. Loco running always does a nice job. Finish time was 6:09:44. My slowest marathon to date. I started with the walkers and walked until my friend Michael caught up with me around mile 8-9. The weather was perfect and we even had a tailwind the last few miles. Barefoot friendly scale I give it 8 friendly feet. Used this marathon as a training run for the Marine Corps marathon at the end of October. Props to loco for still having beer when I finished. Congrats to Michael for whippin up on me. Rematch next year buddy!

Gloucester Meetup with KenBob Saxton

I attended a workshop with KenBob Saxton in early June located at the beach in Gloucester MA. The rain held off just long enough for the workshop and a good run on the beach. Met some nice people , you can see in the photo who was there.

I have been having trouble with my left leg still so my training has been limited to about 30 miles per week for awhile. I will need to start ramping up soon for the fall marathons that I have planned.

Great Bay Half Marathon

The weather was beautiful and the company great even if my performance was not. I finished a few seconds over 1:52 which I'll take given the way I felt the second half of the race. After mile 7 I made the decision to stop racing and take it easy all the way in. Some of the adhesions in my left leg were really sore and tightening up. I thought I would just enjoy the day instead of pushing the pace. It really made me wise up to the fact that I have a long way to go before I can run with unrestricted range of motion.

Article in the Military Times

Below is a link leading to a story featured in the Military Times this month. The story covers a handful of barefooters that are servicemembers. I was interviewed about a month ago for this article and thought it was very positive about barefooting. Here is the link:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/offduty/sports/offduty_barefoot_032210w/

At the bottum of the aricle is a link with some pretty good tips about starting barefoot running. I don't agree with it all but it is a good read. Someday I might write my own tips list for fun.
Ben

Hampton Half Marathon!

The clouds burned off and the tempeture was just high enough to strip off the vibrams and brave 13.1 miles. The first 2-3 miles my left foot was pretty numb but warmed up once we moved out of the wind. Tim Bourassa and I both completed it barefoot. It was the fastest half I have run in 3 years and the fastest I have completed barefoot. I was a little slower than my target pace but slowly getting faster over time. Final time 1:40:58. We had a nice after race party involving a few adult beverages and some tall tales. Next up is probably Great Bay Half on April 11th.

New Years Day Hangover Race

I showed up at the Hangover Race in Salisbury MA again this year and had a great time. Preston and I had to wear Vibram Five Fingers cause it was quite wet on the ground but took them off after the race. I ended up running 20:13 which is the fastest I have run since I fell in January 2008. I feel so fortunate to be running well again and I can't wait for what is too come the rest of 2010!

Link to Great Article

It is not often that you read something that is actually interesting and original. Here is a link to an article that is a little longer than the norm but it will keep your attention if you are passionate about kinematics.
http://www.menshealth.com/men/fitness/muscle-building/understanding-your-muscles/article/6bde7ea369683210VgnVCM10000030281eac