Happy Halloween!...Warm Weather is Over

Where did the Indian Summer go?


OK Barefooters...time to get real.  It looks like the extended, nice dry 50s and 60s are gone and it's back to normal Fall-like temperatures.  I always cringe this time of year when I have to transition from running in just shorts each morning to taking time to figure out the right combination of headband, gloves (or mittens), shirt (short or long sleeve), tights (or shorts) and maybe even a jacket...Argh!!...too much to think about so early in the morning.  The other thing I dread is the "never quite dry" pavement which seems like even if it didn't just rain overnight, is always still kind of damp.




As barefooters, we know that the moisture is the main factor in how many miles you can do, depending on your fitness level and ability to withstand the cold (come on mitochondria, fire up!!)  Still, it's nice to know the REALLY cold stuff is still a couple months away (hopefully!) so we can use this time to shorten up our distances and get our bodies and minds ready for the truly nasty and cold (but hopefully not dangerous) stuff coming our way.



Glass in Foot - Oct 11

However, over the past month, I've been able to keep up my high mileage and have continued piling up miles in the quest to get back on pace for a 2000+ mile year.  After still being behind on that goal at the start of the month, I'm happy to report being about a hundred miles ahead of the goal with weekly mileages in October of 76, 66, 72 and 67 to try and stay ahead of the curve with cold weather and some upcoming travel expected in November.  I finished up the month with a nice cold 14 miler on Halloween to finish off another 300 mile month.

 

 

 

Felt Good to Get It Out!

One minor set-back happened on October 11 when on one of those cold damp mornings I picked up a piece of glass in my left foot as I changed my route back to one of my shorter North routes.  I think I picked up the glass somewhere around the recycling place (junkyard) on 226th Street and Hwy 31.  It's difficult to see glass when the pavement is wet because everything looks shiny.  I knew it almost immediately when it happened but was able to run back on it (about 2.5 more miles).  Then the next day, I tried unsuccessfully to get the glass out before my 12 mile run, but did manage to work it out with a needle later that afternoon.  Here is a picture of what I dug out...it felt much better afterwards.

Rob Jones Journey - 31 Marathons in 31 Days in 31 Cities!

The highlight of the month was on Friday of the next week, I returned early in the morning from a MI business trip to run with Rob Jones at the downtown Indy Firestation on 10th street.  Check out his story at robjonesjourney.com for more info.  Rob is running 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different cities...oh yes, and did I forget to mention, he is a double amputee! 

I ran with Rob on the 3rd of 4 sections of his run that day, about 5.4 miles.  He stops for about 20 minutes in between each loop, starts at 7am each morning and tries to be on the road in his RV to the next location each day by 2pm.  He is travelling with his wife Pam (a gold medal Olympian herself from Great Britain) his mom who is also his masseuse and another buddy who doubles as photographer and driver.  It was truly a blessing to be a part of Rob's run and help him raise awareness and money for our wounded veterans.

Next month I will have two races:  the Indy Monumental Half Marathon on Nov. 4 and the Space Coast Marathon on Nov. 26, so this "may" be a lower mileage month as I also have business trips to Germany, Austria and Michigan in between the two races.  As always, with the mileage and with the weather...I'll see what God provides.

Blessings to All,

Barefoot Dan


October Mileage =  300.34 miles

Barefoot AT Hike - Fontana Dam to NOC

Hello Barefooters,


Fontana Dam NC in the Rain

4 Amigos at the Start

Wow, where did September go?  It was a very busy and fun month.  I started off with a quick two day business trip to CA which included a nice barefoot run in San Jose.  I came back that weekend to get ready for my two week trip on the Appalachian Trail.  I left on Monday and drove down to Fontana Dam in the remnants of Hurricane Irma.  I did a barefoot walk across the dam and back, and then went to meet my hiking buddies (Steve Walker, Bill Johnston and Bill Schulke) at the Fontana Dam Shelter (aka the Fontana Hilton).  Shortly after arriving and sitting by the campfire, we witnessed a loud Crrrrr-ACK and looked up to see a large tree falling just 75 yards from the shelter...although it was down the hill, and not dangerous from our position, this would be an omen of what was to come for the next week of walking in the woods...Many downed trees and branches to hike over, around and through!

"Pack Off" break on the trail

Barefoot on the AT

It rained pretty consistently through that first night in the shelter, but began to clear up nicely as we started our 29 mile, 5 day hike from Fontana Dam to NOC (that's Nantahala Outdoor Center) and yes, I went barefoot.  My thought was to switch to sandals as needed...and as it turned out, I never unclipped them from my backpack the entire week.  As hikes go, this was actually a fairly easy schedule, hiking only 6 or 7 miles per day, although some of the elevation changes were extreme.  This was the perfect opportunity for me to try barefoot hiking once again, while I had done some sections in Virginia this way a few years ago, that time I only went for a mile or so and then had put my shoes back on as we were trying to do 12 mile days on that trip. 

Barefoot Coffee Break

Bill Johnston

This time was different.  With lower mileage goals, I took it slow, and did a full "pack off" break each hour, moving about 1 mile an hour on average.  This pace allowed for good careful foot placement as I walked.  And there were many things to avoid.  Of course the usual rocks and roots, but now with the wind damage there were MANY acorns on the trail along with downed leaves, branches and whole trees.  The acorns liked to hide under the freshly fallen green leaves and found my arches over and over again.  But again, slow careful foot placement was the key whether going up or down the mountains.

Hurricane Irma wind damage on AT

Tent Under the Laurels

We camped in the shelters the first two nights and after that I broke out the tent...mainly because that third night there was no shelter, but after that I used the tent every night since I remembered how easy it was to set up.  No sense carrying it if I wasn't going to use it.  Backpacking is all about conserving weight in the pack.  It's nice as you go along day after day, literally "Eating your load" and the pack weight keeps getting less and less.  I start with a roughly 35 pound pack which allows for full tent, sleeping bag, cooking system, 5 days of food and oh, 1 pound of unused sandals!  This time I also experimented with a reduced sleeping pad.  Instead of the traditional roll out/blow up Thermorest pad, I used the backpack frame pad integral to my borrowed First Ascent pack.  This pad is part of the backpack frame, but is Velcro removable and can be used as a camp seat as well as unfolded at night to make a half sleeping pad.  It's not quite as comfortable as a full pad, especially on the hard floors of the shelters, but worked very well when using the tent and saved about 2 pounds (and lots of space) in the pack.

The Motley Crew Ready for Kayaking

After 2 days, one hiker (nameless) got injured (rolled ankle) and opted to leave the trail with another of our 4 at Stecoah Gap while Bill J and I marched on toward the NOC.  We stayed together more than previously now that the group was thinned by 50% but we still separated on the trail each day...no matter who you a hiking with, it usually turns into a solitary effort for most of the trail.  The nice part about this is you have lots of "alone" time to think about life and get extra praying time with God.  In my case, these were mostly breath prayers, looking for help and safety with the next step or trail section.  Barefooting definitely makes my prayers more necessary and immediate as sometimes without it, I would be completely paralyzed and unable to move forward or see clearly how to get around, though or over the next obstacle in my path.  There is always a smooth part of the path...a better way forward...if we wait for Him to direct our steps.

Kayaking was Fun

We did make it to the NOC where we were met by two other Indiana hiking buddies, Paul Peak and Shelley Lea.  We stayed at the Ash Cabin for week two, which was a nice change of pace from the trail.  We played golf one day at Smoky Mountain Golf Course and rented inflatable kayaks another day for a 4 hour "Class 2" (yeah right) float trip back to the NOC.  On Wednesday and Thursday, Shelley and I hit the trail Southbound from NOC to Wesser Bald Shelter...5.5 miles out + one overnight + 5.5 miles back.  For this 11 mile adventure, I did use my new Merrill hiking shoes...I figured I paid for them I might as well use them while I'm here (but I think I still prefer barefoot if I can go slow and at my own pace)  Paul Peak joined us each day for the 1 to 2 mile section closest to the NOC.  He was a sight for sore eyes on day 2 as he was carrying a beer cooler back pack which made the last two miles SO much more enjoyable.

As far as running, I took a big ZERO for the first week of the AT experience but did get in a couple of runs in week two along the somewhat dangerous Hwy 74 leading into and out of the NOC. 

Shelley, Paul, and Dan - week 2

The last week of the month was spent up in Traverse City Michigan with my work collegues on a team building exercise where at one point we built a Rube-Goldberg machine with 22 people, 7 teams and 35 individual motions...it was a neat experience.  The weather was nice in upper MI and I got in a barefoot run each morning, one with my collegue and new running buddy Ravi on the first day of the conference.  The last day I went long and ran straight up and back on MI-22 for a nice 14 miler.




BCHS Class of 1982 (26 of 145)

Now I'm down in Seymour IN at my step-mom Helen's house where I got to come and enjoy my 35th High School Reunion last night in Brownstown IN.  John Nichols and I met for golf at our local course Hickory Hills in Brownstown and then we met up with 26 classmates last night for the party.  It was so good to see everyone and reconnect.  Our class is fairly good about doing this every 5 years or so and I'm always amazed at the diversity in the students of BCHS and where they've all ended up over the years...of course in a class of 145, there are still many we don't know what happened to, or where they are, but FaceBook has helped us stay connected for this one.

I'm hoping the nice weather continues in October and I can get back on pace for another 2000 mile year.  We'll see what God provides. 

Stay Safe and Enjoy the Fall Weather!


Barefoot Dan


September Mileage (running only/not counting hiking miles = 191.8 miles)