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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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