barefoot thoughts

I’ve been wanting to try barefoot running for something like 10 years now and never have, except for a few times on the beach. Way back then, I went to this website and actually started running with a forefoot landing while still wearing my shoes as a form of compromise. At that time I was running like two miles at a time and kept up with the forefoot landing for a few months or more.

Billy’s recent posts on the topic have brought the barefoot idea back to me again. I seem to revisit it about once a year but never do anything about it.

I think my biggest obstacle is not the running barefoot itself so much as the being seen running barefoot. I think I would be very self-conscious about running down the street without shoes. It’s weird enough just to be out there running while everyone drives by in their cars.

So maybe the best time to start is at night, under the cover of darkness. Of course, in the dark you can’t see and avoid things like glass and/or cockroaches and/or other disgusting or painful obstacles.

But why barefoot running… well, I don’t know, it seems neat and simple and natural and cheap. I like running and barefoot running is a different kind of running that I think I might like. Maybe barefoot running is to regular running as fixed gear bicycle riding is to regular bicycle riding – a nice, fun alternative when you want a change of pace.

But then, also, I don’t think a barefooted runner would look right wearing a standard running getup. It seems like if you’re going to run barefoot you should just wear regular clothes (well, actually, you probably shouldn’t wear clothes at all, but that’s a whole other issue.) So, run barefoot in regular shorts and t-shirt – none of that thin, wicking, racer stuff. Cutoff jeans sound about right – think, The Incredible Hulk as a runner…

I’ve actually been wanting to get into “regular-clothes running,” anyway. Then I could say stuff like, “I’m gonna run down to the market… do you need anything?” And actually run. Running as transportation. That would be a sweet way to tack on miles.

But then, again, I guy running down the street without the proper “running attire” is probably viewed as crazy and/or someone who’s actually running away from something or someone – maybe escaping the asylum or the cops.

Clearly, I’m over thinking this…

high clouds drifter

Got a bit of a late start this morning so it was already heating up by the time I made it out for a run. I had to get out there, though, because it had been nine days since I’d been on a run – last week turned into sort of a rest week.

Luckily, we’re having some interesting weather patterns right now. High clouds are keeping the temps from soaring too high. The skies remind me of a cross between rocky mountain afternoon thunderheads and coastal drifters.

What this means to me is that we’ve just entered a new rain season. By my definition, the season ends with June’s drizzle and starts with the first big drops of summer. It’s hard to be sure what the skies are telling me, but that’s what it feels like today. That leaves us with 43.4 centimeters (17”) of rain for last season – not bad considering that we got very little precipitation through late winter and spring.

Seasonal Rain:

2004/2005: 143.5cm
2005/2006: 66.7 cm
2006/2007: 15.9 cm
2007/2008: 59.5 cm
2008/2009: 43.4 cm

These are actual measurements taken from outside my backdoor. As you can see, there is no normal rain season here. Even if you looked at the past 120 or so years of available data there’s no obvious pattern (or so I’ve heard.)

The running legs felt really solid today. I got in an Arroyo Nine. The week off was probably a good thing. I had a dream last night in which I seemed to tap into a bit of my inner animal and I think that was a positive force on my running day, too. Towards the end of my run, my stride shifted a little and my speed increased. It all felt very natural and powerful. My feet seemed to be landing further to the side than normal – drifting out near hip width rather than returning back to the imaginary centerline. And I was itching to get rid of my shoes… to run barefoot... one of these days…

happy Friday on the coastal plain

I’m riding out to Venice beach Tomorrow/Saturday… Never done that before… never ridden to the beach… weird… it’s only 22 miles…

I’m a little nervous about the ride and route as it’s all new to me. I guess this is all just part of one’s bicycling revolution… first you learn to go one mile… then groceries… then work… then… then everywhere else… I’m planning to ride Totally Eighties. She’s a sweet and super sexy bike and should cruise me out there nice and easy…

I hit the burrito stand (Los Tacos) a little early tonight after a handful of beers and the library (picked up Touching the Void – following the thread…) I stepped out with my burrito (to go) and saw the mountains all lit up (above the sunset) and proud and they made me feel real good. Don’t get to see that view from there so much as usually it’s later in the night.

Tour Divide is going awesome… for those few of you who are following it and know what I’m talking about…

Friday evening with Tony and Vin

Hot sauna of a Brown Mountain ride in the late afternoon. “Lefty Tony” and I hit the trail a little too early maybe, although there was a pretty nice breeze going up there and no one else up there until the end of our ride.

Post ride:

A box of Triscuits
A hunk of cheddar
A glass of red wine
A pint of Cherry Garcia

And some couch time with Vin Scully, his beautiful drone tucking me into ten and a half hours of sleep.

brain freeze and wedgies

Maybe it’s just something about the design of my current running shoes… there’s a little crevice running across the heal… I think it’s supposed to provide flex as the heel strikes the ground… lately, though, it seems that I always come home with some sort of rock or stick wedged in there…

The weather is heating up… 85 degrees today… Hil and I went for a run this morning… and with the heat comes smoothie season… finally we’re in the mood for them again after the long winter… today’s smoothie included frozen strawberries, strawberry yogurt, and a can of Kern’s Mango nectar… spin it around in the blender and… zing… straight to the brain… very nice…

flying objects

I’ve been seeing a lot of interesting flying things…

A small bright yellow bird swooping in front of me and T80s. Possibly a Yellow Warbler. I see these only occasionally - on their migration, I suppose.

I saw another bird while out on a run. It was sort of chickadee like – small and brown but with a bright red tail – don’t think I’d ever seen one like that before.

Also, Mindful and I rode along next to a big orange dragon fly along Foothill Blvd for a while. Fun to watch it pass in front of the different backdrops – Dragonfly in front of fast food joint, Dragonfly in front of Blair’s Speed Shop (don’t have much use for that place no more…), Dragonfly in front of liquor store, and then finally… Dragonfly in front of bright blue sky with passing puffy clouds (did I mention the sun is out!)

And then a pretty cool Carpenter Bee with a black body and yellow shoulder pads buzzed over to sniff my wine this evening…

nine is the new seven

Went for a slow and easy nine-mile run up the Arroyo this morning. Nine is a good distance. Depending on how I’m feeling on a given day it can be challenging or energizing but never really draining like longer distances can be sometimes. And unless it’s super hot you don’t really have to prepare with water bottles and snacks and such. But it’s also just far enough that, run consistently, I think it could be good foundation maintenance for longer runs when their time comes.

On the run today I thought about mileage-weeks. When I’m not too into a run I start doing math in my head for distraction. Right now I think my record is somewhere in the mid-sixties but haven’t had long weeks like that in a long time. Lately I’ve only been in the 20’s/week… I’d like to get that a bit higher but at the same time don’t want to bore my self with a strict schedule. I just want to run in the Arroyo more… and maybe someday twelve will become the new nine…

burrito in the park

I found a great new park to eat a burrito in. This is a park in the arroyo that I pass all the time but I’ve never stopped there. Today I stopped under the Redwood/Sycamore canopy and ate my lovely burrito in the cool grey afternoon with Mindful Mule by my side and it was really quite nice.

After sitting still for a while I noticed an entire herd of ground squirrels (probably 10-15) foraging in the grassy meadow. Sort of blew my mind. Reminded me of all the prairie dogs in Boulder…

sleepy sun

June is grey. Miles are there but...

I saw Coyote in Griffith Park over the weekend, though.
And Raven has been following me around...

And The Tour de Vide is coming up… And Le Tour de France…

Guess I’ll just drink a thousand more cups of coffee until she wakes up…

every step counts

greenpeace.org/everystepcounts

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Datura’s Stormy Dream

Ran up the arroyo this morning to visit the beautiful Sycamore that marks one of my turnaround points.

Datura Queen was blooming up toward the overcast sky all along the route.

I noticed her on yesterday’s ride along the LA River, too. She must be celebrating something…

Datura is the powerful, seductive Queen of the underworld. If you approach her with humble reverence she will guide you through unimaginable realms of this world and share her spiritual powers forever…

But if you rudely disrupt her deep dreams she may just unleash her powers upon you in darker ways…

There were a couple of city workers out this morning with their weed whackers. But Datura ain’t no weed! She’s been here guarding the boundaries between earth and sky throughout ages. It was sad to see such disrespectful treatment of this native Queen – lopping of heads and limbs and luscious flowers – leaving them to wither at the surface…

We can only use “forgive us, for we know not what we do” for so long before it just becomes a typical sad sign of our times… it’s just no longer an acceptable excuse…

Her deep earthly dream disrupted, Datura released a pulse of her power… the sky grew dark… heavy clouds gathered, roiling above… winds gusted warm, then cold, wildly thrashing about hundred-year-old Oaks… large drops of rain were hurled at the ground… and thunder rolled… Mighty Datura was pissed.

I shared my thoughts and stride with her as I ran along the arroyo – meditative steps to soothe and heal. Hopefully she’ll return to her deep sleep and unleash no terremotos this eve.

Double Brown!

…okay, maybe I should explain…

Brown, being the mountain that I ride the bike to on many a Sunday morning. Double, indicating that I rode it twice. This is something I’ve thought about doing for a long time - a few years. But it just seems too crazy to ever attempt.

On Sunday I went riding with Cycle Tony. He just acquired one of those whacky looking Lefty bikes so we took it out for a christening ride on Brown. Tony had limited time as he had to get to his nieces birthday party so we only rode halfway up Brown – to the junction – which is a good ride in itself – a lot of people just ride to the junction and come back down.

But as we were riding back down I had this empty feeling inside - I missed Brown. When we got back down to the trailhead Tony headed off to the party and I (secretly) headed back up into the cool clouds to find my mountain. I rode to the top of Brown and then back down to the junction and then back again to Brown and then all the way down again to the trailhead.

Then to make it completely official, after riding home and eating some lunch I biked back to the trailhead to make it two complete trips from home to Brown in one day (albeit, in rather unusual order.)

56 miles (half road, half mountain.)

Double Brown.