tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76027501866823557182024-03-13T15:31:36.249-04:00Barefoot Road to DublinA journal about training to run the 2011 Dublin Marathon -- barefooted. (Well, more or less.)Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-12347928268950483172011-04-05T20:02:00.000-04:002011-04-05T20:02:37.075-04:00Forsythia, for Crying Out Loud<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIudn9sPcBOs7Q_slurEh8-60CpmqtHQjYZqGapdwGphyphenhyphend9Y0iOr0GYhUaN9E5Bb6Jb0C9XQIApg2mUnJVFYhjpbVgwZSNyrLTgO4WS1U3LQ60c-HoZBShbMouU1_By7ev6HEk5PDxIkc/s1600/forsythia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIudn9sPcBOs7Q_slurEh8-60CpmqtHQjYZqGapdwGphyphenhyphend9Y0iOr0GYhUaN9E5Bb6Jb0C9XQIApg2mUnJVFYhjpbVgwZSNyrLTgO4WS1U3LQ60c-HoZBShbMouU1_By7ev6HEk5PDxIkc/s1600/forsythia.jpg" alt=" " /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forsythia, the front porch, Blue Bell Hill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>Sunday's run, a fun six miles through the hills of Manayunk in my huaraches. Spring has definitely settled in. The first blooms of the season -- forsythia, daffodils, celandine -- all painted the same exuberant shade of yellow. I wonder why. </i> <br />
<br />
The Broad Street Run is less than four weeks away. I'm ready in the sense that I will be able to finish. I'm not ready in the sense that I am not in shape enough to turn in a decent time. Oh well.<br />
<br />
As I've already reported here, I have not been training enough -- blame it on the weather, blame it on my health. Blame it most of all on laziness and lack of preparation. What I have learned over the years, and still forget from time to time, is that I work best with a pre-determined program. More on that in a later post.<br />
<br />
It's all good. I'll get through the Broad Street Run. I've got time to really work on my performance for the <a href="http://www.doublecreek.org/">Double Creek</a>. And I have decided to follow this <a href="http://dublinmarathon.ie/dublinmarathontraining.pdf">"programme" from the Dublin Marathon website </a><a href="http://dublinmarathon.ie/dublinmarathontraining.pdf">(PDF file)</a> to get me ready for the big event.<br />
<br />
It's hard to be anything less than hopeful this time of year.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-19179732008524684722011-03-10T14:46:00.005-05:002011-03-10T16:32:49.904-05:00A Personal Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCT2OeN_j83-UNUkhmbDVFkn_oFN6UO56Cjjo9yZz1bHYnCrBbhrBpA5_C5sq3ZdxrzS3SDvieCiWKdUuJqh-NhxmchMHZGSjjecbAGnBAhbHGLElijmdNerE1BHtxDPBSH0pT16YK_g/s1600/mirrorimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dan Allen." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCT2OeN_j83-UNUkhmbDVFkn_oFN6UO56Cjjo9yZz1bHYnCrBbhrBpA5_C5sq3ZdxrzS3SDvieCiWKdUuJqh-NhxmchMHZGSjjecbAGnBAhbHGLElijmdNerE1BHtxDPBSH0pT16YK_g/s1600/mirrorimage.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>Today's run, five miles in the rain.</i><br />
<br />
Here it is, nearly the middle of March, and I haven't updated this blog for over two months. What gives?<br />
<br />
I could say that it has been a terrible winter for running here in Philly, with snow and ice covering the ground through most of February. I could also tell you about a bad bout of sinusitis which waylaid me for four weeks. But this sounds like nothing but excuses.<br />
<br />
Excuses, excuses, excuses...<br />
<br />
Where to go from here?<br />
<br />
Spring has arrived. The snow is gone. On Sunday we'll turn the clocks forward, providing an extra hour of light at the end of the day, perfect for after work runs. And my sinuses, like the ice clogged streets, have begun to clear. <br />
<br />
I'm still determined to run the Dublin Marathon in October -- paid the registration fee, booked the lodging. I've also registered for two other events, Philadelphia's <a href="http://www.broadstreetrun.com/">Broad Street Run</a> on May 1, and the <a href="http://www.doublecreek.org/">Double Creek</a> Half Marathon in York County in mid June.<br />
<br />
The Broad Street Run is in seven weeks, and I am woefully out of shape. But I work well against a deadline.<br />
<br />
So no more excuses.<br />
<br />
And I promise to update my blog more often.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-47283765615472426172010-12-28T20:31:00.002-05:002010-12-28T20:50:24.387-05:00Running in the Snow<em>It is the day after what the Philadelphia Inquirer has rated the <a href="http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_left_story/20101228_Not_a_blizzard__but_snowfall_was_one_for_the_books.html">17th heaviest snowfall</a> in the city’s history, and man, I really need to go for a run.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Thirty-five degrees, bright and sunny, but a foot or so of snow just isn’t going to go away that quickly. <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/">Vibrams</a> for traction, <a href="http://www.injinji.com/">Injinji socks</a> for warmth, by the end of the block my feet are soaked, my toes going numb. I push it out for a mile before I decide to cut back, give it up before hurting myself. But then my feet begin to warm up from the exercise, feeling floods back into my toes. I keep going, up and down the narrow streets of my neighborhood, figuring if I stick close to home I’ll be alright.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Mountains of snow, seas of slush, but I manage to pull out five miles. Good as long as I keep going. But as soon as I finish the run, stand outside my door and fumble for the keys, the cold slams in. </em>Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-91419145361816859902010-12-19T21:20:00.002-05:002010-12-19T21:28:22.000-05:00My First 10 Mile Run Without Shoes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-StxVkTYGvYS02yVMpjtIES7Utad7QflqR8GWAOn10KZ528QfLXzLEtadm_Rd3LFnUkRiuR6SXIvjIN6LJ50JjPyh6S2MOLBHTZNTv3zhEi1X9Z8KeQj5qHuQlK0YDS_Laf1HD3VRQD8/s1600/roxboroughmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Map of the run from Run.com." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-StxVkTYGvYS02yVMpjtIES7Utad7QflqR8GWAOn10KZ528QfLXzLEtadm_Rd3LFnUkRiuR6SXIvjIN6LJ50JjPyh6S2MOLBHTZNTv3zhEi1X9Z8KeQj5qHuQlK0YDS_Laf1HD3VRQD8/s1600/roxboroughmap.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 10 mile run through Philadelphia's Roxborough neighborhood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A major milepost for me last week -- I completed my first 10 mile run in my huaraches. A typical December afternoon in Philadelphia – overcast, cold (35 degrees), snow flurries. Ice along the banks of the canal in Manayunk.<br />
<br />
I seem to be acclimating to the winter weather. My feet were cold throughout the run, but not enough to shut me down. Heeding advice I picked up from barefoot running blogs, I carried a pair of thermal socks (didn’t need them), and chose a route that in the last half provided the opportunity to bail out and grab a bus if I ran into problems.<br />
<br />
Here’s a link to <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/loops/philadelphia_10_mile_loop____roxborough-0ahIZxWLQe/">my route on Run.com</a>, if you happen to live in the Philadelphia area. Please note that there is a significant climb about midway.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-29961854347492780952010-12-10T10:33:00.000-05:002010-12-10T10:33:41.191-05:00Yesterday it was my birthday ...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuizM2eptqYNloIy64j2_tWGNQRc7YBpjZz8ee9AGd7bdAczMD90O-gz-RzSGogkhCFp6wElDb7qNIQhu40DNp51ZLVgwiAI0xCLOxrkdS74G9FZoDe4WySe2hzxKoJOwNzTUmF_rBSfU/s1600/turning40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cormac Clancy and Dan Allen having a pint." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuizM2eptqYNloIy64j2_tWGNQRc7YBpjZz8ee9AGd7bdAczMD90O-gz-RzSGogkhCFp6wElDb7qNIQhu40DNp51ZLVgwiAI0xCLOxrkdS74G9FZoDe4WySe2hzxKoJOwNzTUmF_rBSfU/s1600/turning40.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cormac Clancy and yours truly, Dublin, December 2001, just before my 40th. <br />
Say what you will about these guys, they do take their pints quite seriously.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote><i>Yesterday it was my birthday <br />
I hung one more year on the line <br />
I should be depressed <br />
My life's a mess <br />
But I'm having a good time </i><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><cite>-- Have a Good Time,</cite> Paul Simon</div></blockquote>Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-35980525321325508812010-12-07T20:09:00.001-05:002010-12-07T21:57:30.666-05:00How I Hate the Indoor Track<i>5 miles today on the indoor track. </i>Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-59062425634330843592010-12-05T18:50:00.001-05:002010-12-05T18:51:07.574-05:00Gallery<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danallen/5234750964/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fusiliers Arch, St. Stephen's Green by _Dan Allen, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusiliers Arch, St. Stephen's Green" height="492" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5163/5234750964_e40981a167.jpg" width="630" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fusilier's Arch, St. Stephen's Green, Winter 1984-85</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>No run today. Instead a bike ride to Chestnut Hill, where I met Donna for a drink. Road home as it was getting dark, beautiful Christmas lights on Germantown Avenue. Biting cold.</i><br />
<br />
Today I have begun the daunting task of uploading photos to Flickr to create a <a href="http://barefoot-to-dublin.blogspot.com/p/gallery.html">Gallery for this site</a>. Most of these photos were taken close to thirty years ago, so I may have gotten some things wrong. Old friends, if I have left out anything important, please let me know. Also, please let me know if you have your own photos or memories to lend to the effort.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-33704379848680593112010-12-04T20:33:00.001-05:002010-12-04T20:46:05.526-05:00Cold Weather<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9I7Et9IzdtGeZT4Rc1fL2xEvS8b-GHwofRYSM3xLDUaJta7U0jKpivTF1SQnf0s9d2PB8Gm2zapUKZhKiX4-zYYWU53A4vLF5-elhQQXQJG3Q05W_TDgNXyRp8mcXwSS3QvlF_bj6UQ/s1600/snow-aprtment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9I7Et9IzdtGeZT4Rc1fL2xEvS8b-GHwofRYSM3xLDUaJta7U0jKpivTF1SQnf0s9d2PB8Gm2zapUKZhKiX4-zYYWU53A4vLF5-elhQQXQJG3Q05W_TDgNXyRp8mcXwSS3QvlF_bj6UQ/s1600/snow-aprtment.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my apartment, Herbert Place, winter 84-85</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>Ran into work yesterday, 8 miles. The temperature was around freezing when I started, and according to the scrolling banner atop the PECO Building, 34 degrees when I hit Center City. I wore a pair of <a href="http://www.injinji.com/">Injinji</a> socks with my huaraches to help protect my feet from the cold. They helped, but were not enough. My toes were numb for much of the way. Not a good thing, considering how important it is to receive feedback through your feet when running barefoot or with minimalist footwear. Either my feet will have to toughen up to the cold, or I will have to come up with an other solution.</i><br />
<br />
I've been reading in the news, and in Facebook postings from friends in Ireland, about how bad the weather has been this past week. Lots of snow and ice.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichvLjcgnQew21LrT1p1Pxn83l2iTsLhWCtWCAojxz8e55U0ESc2Wh2HySdJM4L102Umi6bS7F2uwK3FfsCXamPuLS2aKgtbFcGfVayDWo-K4Xc3N8H02n03T916UZ0UijUtTwaHTel0Q/s1600/ducks-snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ducks in a snow lined pond." border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichvLjcgnQew21LrT1p1Pxn83l2iTsLhWCtWCAojxz8e55U0ESc2Wh2HySdJM4L102Umi6bS7F2uwK3FfsCXamPuLS2aKgtbFcGfVayDWo-K4Xc3N8H02n03T916UZ0UijUtTwaHTel0Q/s320/ducks-snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold ducks, St. Stephen's Green</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And so I have been remembering another patch of icy, cold weather in Dublin -- late December, early January 1984-85. I awoke one morning to heavy snow coming down, trimming the roofs and chimney pots outside my apartment window. I grabbed my camera and made for St. Stephen's Green, where I snapped this photo of the ducks floating in the snow lined pond. All of the color had been bleached out of the day, rendering everything in black and white and gray. Somewhere I have a photo of the Fusilier's Arch at the top of Grafton Street, faded out in the swirling snow. When I find it, I will post it.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-68621030373409317322010-11-30T20:34:00.000-05:002010-11-30T20:34:10.212-05:00Commuting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMLiLLjhmBni61b2E1XFbR0sAzxMiq-eNxD66LbBmwnP-r75HwE20azgDQDmQd25QKiYVVWfOc8G9oNMA5QHiZHndgbzPQBXN3hS3M3YsZkcyYN5nsqmyouBPym-eWtpCBZrGGpQrjco/s1600/snow-colored-doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Canal path covered in snow." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMLiLLjhmBni61b2E1XFbR0sAzxMiq-eNxD66LbBmwnP-r75HwE20azgDQDmQd25QKiYVVWfOc8G9oNMA5QHiZHndgbzPQBXN3hS3M3YsZkcyYN5nsqmyouBPym-eWtpCBZrGGpQrjco/s1600/snow-colored-doors.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My walk along the Grand Canal, circa January, 1985.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>I commuted to work this morning via my feet, for the first time making the 8 mile run in my <a href="http://barefoot-to-dublin.blogspot.com/2010/11/huaraches.html">huaraches</a>. I left the house at 6:20, while still dark, and had to rely on street lamps to make my way. But as I came down Ridge Avenue toward the Wissahickon, a rose-colored glow appeared in the east, and by the time I passed under the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, morning was upon the world. </i>Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-40042457707285205372010-11-16T16:09:00.002-05:002010-12-06T20:15:22.924-05:00Why Dublin?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeRFIiNTo_8nt_js9kABFHYMOI5tohGTkiXvX_tRODddz1qA_Q5HYeI100I86hcfkc-dWv19MRQxApi1gsbcJCBDGGgLpnCeGyj_UAY-NkVoNQEZL-FeqhyphenhyphenTcCcdHAjEpTD-xbTLBC2A/s1600/trinity-id.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dan Allen, Trinity College ID, 1983" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeRFIiNTo_8nt_js9kABFHYMOI5tohGTkiXvX_tRODddz1qA_Q5HYeI100I86hcfkc-dWv19MRQxApi1gsbcJCBDGGgLpnCeGyj_UAY-NkVoNQEZL-FeqhyphenhyphenTcCcdHAjEpTD-xbTLBC2A/s1600/trinity-id.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinity College ID, 1983</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>Took my huaraches outside for the first time this afternoon. A pleasant five mile run in damp weather. Still got to get used to that cord between the toes, but I’ve gotten much better at tying them. Fall leaves beautiful.</i><br />
<br />
There have been two great cities in my life. One is Philadelphia, where I've lived for most of the past thirty years. The other is Dublin, where I spent the best years of my twenties, and to which my heart will always belong. When I was about to turn forty, nearly ten years ago, I marked the occasion by running the Philadelphia Marathon. As I prepare to turn fifty at the end of next year, it seems only fitting that I mark that occasion by participating in the <a href="http://dublinmarathon.ie/">Dublin Marathon</a>.<br />
<br />
I had three extended stays in Dublin. In spring of 1983, I spent a semester at Trinity College as part of a study abroad program through Temple University. From fall of 1984 through spring of 1985, I did the whole wannabe-writer-in-exile gig in a small apartment on Herbert Place. I didn’t get much writing done, but I took a lot of great walks along the Grand Canal. I forget at the time how I explained my long stay through the spring of 1989, but the real reason was that I had fallen in love with the sister of one of my friends. But that’s a long story.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I spent enough time in Ireland back in the 80s to put me at risk for mad cow disease, according to the American Red Cross. Which is why to this day they will not accept my blood.<br />
<br />
Dublin has remained in my life. In the past ten years, I’ve been back to a number of times with Donna, my fiancée. First, just the two of us, then with her two children, Erin and Alex, and the last time, with the kids AND her parents. To which I can only add, Whew!<br />
<br />
All my old friends are now Donna’s friends too. My old stomping grounds her places to revisit as well.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-67133053629654141702010-11-10T20:44:00.002-05:002010-11-10T20:49:16.990-05:00Huaraches<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3jSEOUQg8-ZwoMB035GMop539d6gW6rQTPGJ7F0grOBUZojlE_Ts4OUkheBHTav7jjSFsXmvONsCGyk5OcV7HsOGck8e3mco_Ltl9oLGuOHTV9YcCm700N34ek9YMrkwJD3khJARqlk/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Homemade Huaraches." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3jSEOUQg8-ZwoMB035GMop539d6gW6rQTPGJ7F0grOBUZojlE_Ts4OUkheBHTav7jjSFsXmvONsCGyk5OcV7HsOGck8e3mco_Ltl9oLGuOHTV9YcCm700N34ek9YMrkwJD3khJARqlk/s1600/h.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan's Homemade Huaraches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I took my brand new home made <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huarache_%28shoe%29" title="Info at Wikipedia."><b>huaraches</b></a> out for their first test run yesterday. I did about three miles on Drexel University's indoor track.<br />
<br />
<b>A few first, quick impressions...</b><br />
<br />
For the most part, they felt great. Not quite the same as barefoot running, but closer to barefoot running than Vibrams. Very liberating! And a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
I haven't yet found the best tying method, and it does feel weird running with a cord between your toes. I'm going to be patient for the time being, and allow for a learning curve. The real test will be taking them outside for some longer runs.<br />
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I'll continue to report on my experiences. In the meantime, if you want to learn more, I purchased my kit from <a href="http://invisibleshoe.com/">InvisibleShoe.com</a>. The website provide a lot of great tutorials -- not just on huaraches, but on barefoot running techniques as well.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-43918509867759591702010-11-02T21:17:00.002-04:002010-12-05T19:38:47.549-05:00Persistence Hunting<i>Today's run: .5 miles (unscheduled). </i><br />
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<i>I reached the intersection of Walnut Lane and Ridge Avenue just as the 9 bus was taking off. Damn! I thought. At least 20 minutes until the next one. Then I thought, no, don't let this one get away. I started after it, as fast as my dress-shoe-clad feet would allow. It was soon out of sight. But as a good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting">persistence hunter</a> knows, it's all about the long haul. You see, just like a gazelle, a 9 bus can go a lot faster than a human being, but also like a gazelle, it has to stop from time to time. Catch its breath, so to speak. Unlike a reasonably fit middle aged man with delusions of grandeur. So there I was, running down Ridge Avenue, for blocks and blocks, an endeavor so stupid it can only be fun. And then, just as I crossed Manayunk Avenue, there it was, far ahead, trying to blend in with the other traffic, hoping I wouldn't see it. But I had. A renewed burst of speed. Caught it! Just in front of the train station.</i><br />
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<i>Made my day, anyhow. And impressed the hell out of the driver. </i>Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602750186682355718.post-63629826379667053412010-10-31T19:30:00.002-04:002010-10-31T20:27:56.011-04:00Hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSsYaGyuYI43ASKcYp31T1VJHJTCez-mBW48fBdsOjnc9MGmtsMLbjRCFOkSuLHVbo1BueyaaojzRSJf_-bfTcbPi4rdOiVVvmDQO2-M8YzoossUquKpyqrcAjyA8d3in6JXZ_M1o7ig/s1600/signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Signs indicating directions on a country road outside Dublin." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSsYaGyuYI43ASKcYp31T1VJHJTCez-mBW48fBdsOjnc9MGmtsMLbjRCFOkSuLHVbo1BueyaaojzRSJf_-bfTcbPi4rdOiVVvmDQO2-M8YzoossUquKpyqrcAjyA8d3in6JXZ_M1o7ig/s1600/signs.jpg" /></a></div>Hello. My name is Dan Allen, and I am planning to run the <a href="http://dublinmarathon.ie/">2011 Dublin Marathon</a> next October. I will be nearly fifty by then, and this whole endeavor is intended to distract me from that reality. Also, I should mention that I intend to train for and run the marathon barefooted.<br />
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If you're still here, let me explain that last part a bit farther. The germ of this idea began about a year ago when I heard a radio interview with a man named <a href="http://chrismcdougall.com/">Christopher McDougall</a> who had recently published a book called <a href="http://chrismcdougall.com/book.html"><cite>Born to Run</cite></a>. In a nutshell, the book's premise is that running barefooted is far better for us than running with shoes. And yes, when I heard that I nearly turned to another station. <br />
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Instead, I listened a while longer, and McDougall's argument began to make sense. After all, for the last two million years, give or take a millennium, we human beings have been running, and for the vast majority of that time, we weren't wearing Nikes.<br />
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McDougall is good about backing up his assertions with statistics, statistics that suggest that the running shoe industry is <i>causing</i> injuries rather than preventing them. Running shoes, the argument goes, keep us from feeling pain, but do not keep us from hurting ourselves. Also, we run far differently in shoes than when barefooted, striking down hard with our heels rather than distributing the huge force of that impact.<br />
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All of this began to resonate with me, because I have experienced extreme pain from running. Just before I turned forty, I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. The last six miles were excruciating. My arches felt as though they were on fire, and every time my feet struck the ground, that fire shot up through my legs. The memory of that pain kept me from running another marathon.<br />
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But now here I am, a decade later, planning to have another go. I've been doing some short three mile runs through the neighborhood barefooted, and longer runs wearing <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/">Vibrams</a>, a minimalist alternative to standard running shoes. Running this way takes some getting used to. I get blisters on the balls of my feet when I over do it, and an ache in my lower legs. But overall, I am feeling much better, and having a lot more fun.<br />
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So have I found the answer? I don't know. Too soon to say. A large part of the reason I'm writing this blog is to explore and share my experiences. It should be an interesting adventure.Dan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808081336879760080noreply@blogger.com1