Old Trails, New Terrain

Last week was an eventful one for running in my new Vibram KSOs. I increased distance and covered new terrain.

Until Wednesday, I had only run a series of three-milers in the silly toe shoes. I ran four miles that evening on the roads, which actually seemed to loosen up my legs that had been a bit tight since switching over to my latest foray into less shoe.

I tacked on almost another two miles Friday afternoon, but on trails instead of asphalt. I ran another four-plus miles on more trails Saturday morning.

My legs are using reverse psychology on me. Instead of feeling tight and tired after longer runs on tougher terrain, my limbs feel loose and ready to go.

The Vibrams provided lots of ground feel, which was difficult when it came to a few jagged gravel patches along the two trails. However, with the rubber padding, my inclination was to try to continue moving quickly, whereas being barefoot would have made me slow down to avoid pain.

Some of the hills were tough because the silly toe shoes don't provide a whole lot of traction. With wet leaves and loose soil, my feet wanted to slide in some places.

Overall, running the trails in the Vibrams was much more fun than running on pavement. Too bad the lack of daylight makes it tough to enjoy such environs during the work week. C'est la vie. Cheers!

Two Week Taste
Saturday evening, the Enthusiast and I cracked open a couple bottles of our homebrewed porter for an early taste. Early results: F'ing yum!

The official unveiling will be Thanksgiving, when I pass the poison to family members and loved ones.