2017 Miles in 2017

Happy New Year Barefooters,

Brrr...
December running keeps the mileage low.

I'm resting now and enjoying the colder temps to take a break from the higher mileages.  I've enjoyed the month of December and was able to time out my runs to still achieve my overall annual goal of 2000 miles and still not run in any of the super cold temps.  In Indiana, along with the rest of the nation, the temps have been anything but "barefoot friendly."  I was lucky enough to find a sunny window this past Thursday to get in a 17 degree 6.34 mile run to hit my mileage goal for the year >>> 2017 miles in 2017!!!!

The difficult thing with these winter runs is to find enough dry pavement and low wind to avoid frostbite.  In this case I actually drove to a nearby subdivision (something I rarely do) in order to run directly from my car on dry pavement without stepping in slush, water or ice and still get in the 6 miler.

This was actually the lowest total annual mileage in the past four years but I was very happy to get over 2000 once again.  Of course this was a secondary goal to the main goal of completing my 50Sub4 Quest which I did back in November.  I was also blessed in November to achieve a new Barefoot PR in the Half Marathon of 1:44:40...not that fast really, but of course, a BPR is a BPR!!

Other great barefoot accomplishments for the year included running barefoot in 7 different countries and 3 new ones:  Mexico, Belize and Indonesia.  And at least four new barefoot states of Florida, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Nevada.  I also got in two 300+ mile months in both August and October.  I also complete my longest section of the Appalachian trail completely barefoot with over 50 miles in September.

I've now run over 2000 miles barefoot each of the last 4 years and still continue to run more miles each year barefoot than I ever ran with shoes.  Hmm...there may be something to this barefoot thing!!!

As far as totals, I've now run 11,240 miles barefoot in my life of a total of 34,818 overall miles giving me a barefoot percentage of 32.3%.  This means I've now run around the world about 1.4 times and about a third of it barefoot!

I know it all sounds like bragging, but...

I must give all the glory to God and thank Him once again for the amazing healing powers of this body He gave me.  It is truly amazing what can be accomplished when you take only what God provides, one day at a time.

Happy Winter Running Barefooters and


Have a Happy and Prosperous 2018,


Barefoot Dan


December Miles = 82.28 miles
2017 Mileage = 2017.00 miles

Two Early Christmas Presents!

Merry Christmas Barefooters,
(a little early I know!)

New Half Marathon BPR

November was a great month for some early Christmas presents!  I received both a new BPR (Barefoot Personal Record) in the Half Marathon and finally achieved induction into the 50Sub4 Marathon Club after an 8 year quest.  Also, in between these two gifts, I got in some excellent European runs while on a business trip mid month to Germany and Austria.

The month began with the Indianapolis Half Marathon on Nov. 5 with my team the CUMC Running Angels.  We were running once again to raise money for World Vision to provide clean water to African communities.  This was our second year as a team and was also my third time for the event.  However, this was the first time I ran the Half Marathon instead of the Full.  I decided after last year's thrashing in the Full Marathon I would limit it to the Half and later also to use it as a tune up run for my full marathon at the end of the month.  The weather was absolutely perfect with dry conditions and 44 degrees at the start. 

I ran with headband and gloves and it turned out to be good decision.  I never felt overly warm but stayed comfortable the entire race.  I got many comments as always on the barefoot thing but kept the conversations short and did my best to keep my head in the game.  I got early on into a pretty solid 7:50 pace and basically stayed there the entire race.  I hit some rougher pavement around miles 8-10 but still pretty much stayed on pace. 

I knew as long as I kept my average below 8:08 I could get a PR and as it turned out that was not hard to do at all.  This was definitely a "Good Day" since PRs, even BPRs, have not been that easy to achieve in the past!  As I was the first one in our group done, I hit the massage tent before going back to the World Vision Team tent.  Once there the participants get announced and welcomed into the tent by stating how many people they provided water for.  My total this year was $1125 so 22 people were served...THANK YOU ALL FOR THE DONATIONS!!  Then I enjoyed the unlimited Donato's pizza and waited for my team-mates who began coming in one by one.  Pretty much everybody had a good day and we celebrated a post pizza party with a trip to Westfield for another breakfast!

Then about 24 hours later I jumped on a plane and flew to Europe for a 10-day 3-location 2-country business trip.  I arrived early Monday morning, rented a car and drove to Munich Olympic Park for a nice "knock-out-the-jetlag" run in the misty rain.  I had to wait for two more co-workers to land and then we drove up to Regensburg.  We stayed there two days where I got in a bridge run each morning.  On Wednesday we flew over to Warstein area and each of those two mornings I got in runs both to and around the local lake in Mohnesee.  After that, we flew back to Munich were we stayed the weekend and I got a nice Saturday "long" run around the Isar River in downtown Munich.  Not a big fan of Munich as I stepped on a broken beer bottle and pulled at least two pieces of glass out of the right foot. 

 

 

On Sunday we drove to Austria and upon arriving in Villach I met my friend Anthony for a quick run on the Drau River path before sundown.  Anthony used to live in Livonia MI and I've run with him there but now has relocated to Villach so I always have a running buddy there now too!  The next morning it began snowing early so I got in a snow headlamp run on the same path before the workday began.  I also got to experience "thunder snow" which was a first although I never saw any lightning.  We then travelled back to the Munich area and I got in a run in Unterhaching prior to my flight back on Tuesday. 

After Dinner in Cocoa Village

Once back in Indiana I got in a few pre-Thanksgiving runs and tapered for the Space Coast Marathon on Nov. 26.  I flew down to Florida the day before the race and Earl the Pearl (Earl Strong) picked me up at the airport.  We went to his daughter Brittany's house in Titusville and visited with family before going to the packet pickup in Cocoa Village.  We had a nice dinner with Earl's family and then made our way to the hotel for the night in Cocoa Beach.

Cocoa Village FL

The next morning Earl and I boarded the 5am bus for Cocoa Village and got ready for the 6:30 am start.  The half marathon started at 6am but on the other half of the course so that "thinned the herd" significantly prior to the marathon start.  The roads were very smooth on the first half of the race and a little bit rougher on the second half.  But even though it was rougher AND hotter on the second half there was absolutely no way I was going to miss my 4 hour marathon and fail at FL for the 3rd time this year!!  I went out with the 3:55 pace group led by Scott from Miami (originally Edinburgh Scotland) and hung with the group for the first 2 miles.

3:55 Pace Group at the Start

Space Coast Marathon -Packet Pick Up

  However, it was remaining pretty congested in the group and as a barefoot runner I need to be able to see the road and move side-to-side as needed.  So I ran ahead of the group starting at the 2.5 mile mark.  I dropped my pace down to a pretty consistent 8:40 from the groups 8:58 pace and got ahead of them by about 2 minutes at the turn (approx. 6.5 miles)  I held that pace through the first 15 miles or so and then started paying back the bank...not a good strategy for making a good time, but I have played this game many times before and was hoping not to give back to much time.  My miles slipped above the 9 minute pace at around 17 miles but I kept doing the math and didn't let myself slow too much.  At mile 24 Scott and his now much smaller 3:55 pace group came along and encouraged me to hang with them for as long as I could.  I said "Sure, just don't get more than 5 minutes ahead of me!"  I ran a faster mile 25 with them () but then let them go and ran a slower mile 26 () but just fast enough to still pull out a 3:55:53 finish.  I was VERY happy and so glad to finally capture this elusive State of Florida and complete the 50Sub4 quest.

Scott - 3:55 Pacer

I hung out at the massage tent, by way of the beer tent, and relaxed for about an hour until Earl came in.  We snapped a few pics in the heat and made our way back to the bus to get to the hotel and get cleaned up.  We took a quick stroll on the beach before going out for one last meal before he took me to the airport for my evening flight out. 



50Sub4 Finisher Shirt!

Once back to work I submitted my times and photos to the 50Sub4 Club and by Wed. got the notification that I was accepted into the club as the 101st member.  I knew that I missed the top 100 as I would have been the 92nd member had I completed the circuit at Disney back in January.  Oh well...I kind of like the 101 number!  Thank you God for the amazing healing powers of this body and for these early Christmas Gifts of running accomplishments.

Everyone enjoy your December, some time off and some cooler barefoot runs!

God Bless You All,

Barefoot Dan

(November Mileage = 145.71miles)

Getting Hot After the Race\

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)

Over 300 Barefoot Miles in August

Hello Barefooters,

Saturday 16 mile run to Tipton Co. Line and Back

Well the Summer is drawing to a close and the kids are back in school... 
But there is something I really love about August and this one was memorable.  I really enjoy the dry warm weather and the ability to get in some good long runs before work each day.  My runs are pretty much all with the headlamp and based on the time available and the weather.  Most days I run between 4am and 6am which gives me just enough time to get ready and then put the girls on the bus by 7:15am.

McGregor Park Hike

It seemed like my body finally woke up and began acclimating to the higher mileages (finally) as I was steadily falling behind in my normal 2000 mile year pace.  I was able to rack up some of my highest weekly totals of the year so far with a 75, 80 and 70 mile week.  And this last week looks like it will be another 70+.  At the start of August I was 215 miles behind the 2000 pace but by the end of the month I pulled that number down to ~50.  Yes, I'm a "mileage geek" who actually keeps track of that sort of thing.  It is actually a pretty difficult thing to do (running 2000 miles in a year) knowing that your AVERAGE weekly mileage needs to be 38+ miles per week and also knowing that December through March don't usually yield those high miles due to cold weather, so you have to "make hay while the sun shines" in August and September!  Still, it doesn't even feel like work sometimes when you "get in the zone."  And that's what I absolutely love about barefoot running...some days I might go out for a 4 miler and feel so good I just extend it and go for a 14 miler!...I would NEVER have done that in shoes!! 



Pretty view on practice hike

Sunny Hike - Testing New Shoes & Socks

Of course since my September may be pretty light on actual running miles due to my 2-week Appalachian Trail hike, I will probably be way behind again by the end of Sept!...but oh well, I'll make it up again somehow.  The other complicating factor will be two business trips in the month of September as well.  I will be going to CA the first week of the month and then to Michigan the last week of the month.

 

 

Still, I am REALLY looking forward to this AT hike.  It will be good to be out "alone" in nature for an extended period of time.  We will be out for 2 weeks with 8 guys, one week on the trail and one week in a cabin.  We are doing a very nice section of the AT in North Carolina starting at Fontana Dam and ending at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) which will actually be pretty light daily mileages and (I hope) allow me to do a significant portion of the trail barefoot...we'll see what God provides...I did a portion in Virginia barefoot but always put my shoes back on before the end of the day...I may not have shoes this time and go with only sandals, we'll see...still two more weeks to decide that.  Either way, it will be fun.

Rocky Trail Somewhat Mimics the AT

I have done some practice hiking trying out the different footwear.  At McGregor Park which is just 2 miles from my house, I have now done 3 practice hikes with a full 36lb backpack.  Each time I hiked the outer trail (which was originally the only trail there) and it is a 1.6mile loop.  The first one was a few days ago in the heat of the day with the hiking shoes and the new Ininji socks.  They worked very well and I got no blisters or rubbing. 

The 2nd time was in the cool of the morning and I went completely barefoot.  Only one lady was on the trail but she did stop to ask me about barefooting and the benefits.  The crushed gravel trail was definitely slower in barefeet but there were some grassy sections to help my average speed.  The slowest gravel sections were about 1MPH which is what I pretty much expected. 

Ininji Socks With Sandals
New Combination!

The third trial hike was with the Ininji socks and the sandals and this seemed to be a pretty good combination as well.  Granted there are no major ups and downs in McGregor Park, but I think the sandals will be a good alternative on the Appalachian Trail in a couple of weeks.  My test hike speed with both the shoes and the sandals was about 3MPH with full pack, of course this will be somewhat slower perhaps when I hit the higher elevations and mountain climbs in North Carolina, but it was a pretty good test and served to give me confidence if nothing else.  As always, with the weather, terrain, and how the body feels...I will have to see what God Provides...He hasn't failed me yet!

Well, Enjoy The Fall, and God Bless!

Barefoot Dan


August Mileage = 321.71 miles (biggest month of the year so far)

New York State of Mind

Hello Barefooters,


As the Summer rolls on, I'm continuing to rack up barefoot miles, although still not at any record setting pace.  We've had some cooler, rainy weather lately, but overall it is turning out to be a pretty normal Summer so I am getting in some really good longer morning runs with the headlamp.  Sunrise is noticeably later now than it was in late June which causes me to have to leave on the headlamp later and later.  I do enjoy being able to come back after my runs and dive into the pool in the backyard to cool down prior to showering up for work.

Saratoga Spa 5-Mile Trail

Sarah on the Trail

 

This past week I've been on vacation in NY with my family.  We had a wonderful, relaxing week making memories as a family.  The vacation actually started last Friday evening with a drive up to Howe in northern IN to visit Linda's Mom and Dad, Frank and Mary, and to celebrate Mary's 80th birthday a few days early, before beginning our drive out to NY.  We took the family out for breakfast at the Howe Diner on our way out of town.  The first night was spent in Geneva in the Finger Lakes Region of NY.  Then we continued on to our main destination:  Saratoga Springs, NY. 

S'mores by cabin in Saratoga Springs

My wife Linda had booked us a cabin in in Saratoga Springs from which we were able to launch our daily sight-seeing excursions.  It was a nice "tiny house" which comfortably slept the 5 of us.  We had a fire-pit off to the side which allowed us to make a fire and some S'mores on one of the non-rainy nights and and enjoy the great outdoors.  At least two of the overnights were rainy so we were appreciating the fact we weren't in our normal tent and fighting the dripping ceiling!  I skipped running the first morning in Saratoga Springs due to the rain but was able to run each of the next four mornings.  Each day I did the same 7.9 mile out-and-back down the mountain to the restaurant in Wilton NY.  This allowed me to stretch the legs on more hills than I am used to in my normal flat Indiana running.

Our daily excursions took us into the Adirondacks, one day to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, another day to Saratoga Spa State Park and another to "The Wild" at Tupper Lake, NY.  Each day we got in a lot of hiking and I got a chance to break in my new Merrill hiking shoes which I was hoping to use on my upcoming 2-week Appalachian Trail hiking trip in September.  However, on the second day which included a 5 mile loop hike at Saratoga Spa, I began to develop a blister under the callous on my left pinky toe...same toe that caused me so many problems on my last AT hike two years ago...So much for spending the money on "good" hiking boots because these were the same as my cheapie hiking shoes which I left behind in Liberia after my January mission trip.  Its the same old, same old...I HATE SHOES!!!  Maybe I will look into some heavy duty hiking sandals before Sept. rolls around.

Times Square

Anyway, after 4 days we checked out of the cabin, parked the car at the Saratoga Springs train station and took the 4-hour Amtrack ride to New York City for two nights in our Time Square hotel, the Gallivant...again all booked by Linda (she is a pretty good travel agent!)  I had left the hiking shoes in the car and only brought my sandals to NYC and was VERY happy about that choice.  We did a LOT of walking in NYC, one day walking all the way from Time Square to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan to view Lady Liberty.  We also took in the 9/11 Memorial Museum at ground zero.  This was an excellent museum and I highly recommend for anyone visiting the city.  It was very well done and brought back (somewhat regretfully) all the same emotions I felt in the days, weeks, months after 9/11.  This was an excellent, unedited and un-politically-correct version of the events of that time period and there was a LOT of detail I hadn't seen before.  Believe it or not, it was actually somewhat overwhelming to be there and I saw many reduced to tears at the displays...Linda and I both became emotional at different times during the visit but both at the display showing the jumpers and the discussions by those who had witnessed this.

Broadway

We got to enjoy two Broadway shows while in town:  "Waitress" and "School of Rock."  Both were excellent, but "Waitress" ranks as the number one Broadway show I've ever seen (of the 6 I've experienced).  We also went to the NY Museum of Modern Art.  I was pleasantly surprised as it was very good and included Van Gough's "The Starry Night" as may Picasso's, Jackson Pollack's etc.  We got the full New York food experience and really enjoyed the late night "slice" and got pizza after each of the Broadway shows...it's fun eating pizza at Midnight with the family!

At Museum of Modern Art

Each of the two mornings, I got up and went running barefoot in the blocks around the hotel.  The Garmin was definitely more accurate than the I-phone app MapMyRun although both seemed to get confused from time to time with the tall buildings all around.  I only ran less that three miles each day and did have to dodge broken glass on a couple of occasions.  I ran with the headlamp the first day and without the second day as it was later in the morning and there are so many light around Time Square it's almost daylight 24 hours anyway!  I definitely wouldn't want to run all the time in NYC but for 2 days it was tolerable and gave me a chance to go out and get some GOOD food-truck coffee each day before the family woke up.

Amtrack Train from NYC back to Saratoga Springs

On Saturday afternoon we took the afternoon Amtrack train back to Saratoga Springs and then drove a couple hours to our last hotel which was also in the Finger Lakes Region, this time in the town of Auburn.  All in all, this was a very relaxing and enjoyable vacations with the family and I feel like we make some pretty cool memories.  God is Good!!


Enjoy What's Left of Your Summer!


Barefoot Dan


July Mileage = 206.98 Miles

Barefoot Summertime!

Greetings Barefooters,

Nice pink and orange sunrises lately!

I hope you are enjoying the summertime as much as I am.  I love the warmer temps and being able to go for long runs with the only thing holding you back is how the body feels and how much time you can afford to spend.  Most (all) of my runs are done pre-dawn with the headlamp, even on the weekends, in order to get the coolest time of the day.  The days are some of the longest of the year right now and I'm usually turning off the headlamp around 6am and doing the second half of my run in the early daylight.  I have a newly created 10.3 mile loop down Hinkle road south across Hwy 38 and into the new subdivisions.  This 10 miler is the staple of my pre-dawn runs and has allowed me to rack up some big miles as of late.  That being said, I am still way down on my running totals from the previous few years...but I still have half a year to catch up!

I got to run in two new locations this month.  Linda and I went to "Dome School" in North Branch MN to learn some techniques for working on our geodesic dome house.  This was very eye opening and we learned a lot.  It also allowed for some early morning runs in and around North Branch which is a very nice quiet little community just north of Minneapolis. 

Additionally, the following week, on my way back from a MI business trip I stayed in Marshall MI and got in a 10-miler that morning as well.  As soon as I got back to the hotel it started to pour so I was glad to be carrying my Iphone, both for the MapMyRun output as well as the Accuweather Radar!!

While I am ramping up the miles for the summer, I'm also learning to "listen to the body" and only do what feels right.  Some days it feels like I could go forever and other days I don't feel like getting out of the driveway!  I've found that big miles Mon, Tues, and Wed.  lead to a "backing off" on Thurs which is what I did this week only running a 4 miler yesterday and then 1 mile this morning after 3 ten milers back-to-back-to-back earlier in the week.  The short 1 miler this morning was due more to rain than how I felt but I let the weather kind of dictate my runs as well.  With respect to both the body and the weather -- I just take what the Good LORD will give me each and every day, without forcing it, and that works out pretty well. 


No real marathon goals until later in the year so it's a good time to just take it easy and enjoy the barefoot summertime!  Happy 4th of July all!


God Bless,


Barefoot Dan
June Mileage = 206 miles