. . . in the distant, early morning . . .

My first outdoor barefoot run

I did it.  That picture of my dirty foot is the proof.

I’ve been running barefoot on the treadmill for nearly a month.  I’ve missed a total of 3 days, not bad, and one of those days I did running in my VFFs on our daily pooch patrol walk.

I saw someone a few weeks back running barefoot on Butler and the idea has been percolating in my head ever since.  So today I bought some running clothing that would be ok outside in summer and this evening the dogs and I walked with increasing speed toward Butler then ran to the first entrance into Orenco Station. 

We then turned around, ran back to the entrance to my neighborhood, and walked to my house for cool down.  That final part - the walk back to my house - was the least comfortable, though not painful, of the walk.  Blacktop, or whatever is in the street, is a bit more abrasive than the sidewalk; but the sidewalk had round fruit seeds = ouchie!

This is the summary of my first outdoor run:

June 26, 2010 8:34pm, 0.53 miles,  24 minutes, 71 calories burnt, 2786 steps, 1.33 miles per hour, 45:13 minutes per mile, 116.8 steps per minute / 58.4 cadence. (Thanks iTreadmill!)

Now I was going pretty slow, but it was my first time doing this and I was worried about my poor, tender feet.  It was also my second run in one day and I was dealing with the dogs being a couple of brats.  I think this is a fantastic start, personally, especially considering my weight and current fitness level. 

Here is an article on cadence.  My cadence is quite slow compared to a seasoned runner:

Most running experts agree that the ideal runner’s cadence is 90 or faster (180 steps per minute, or faster).

But, well, I’m not a seasoned runner.  The above quote is one of my goals, but my stronger goal is the ability to be in my target heartrate for 35 minutes a day.  As my heart health improved, my cadence, endurance, and overall durability?  will increase.

I intend to make this a daily affair, though in case it’s too warm I’ll still use my treadmill in the morning.  That’s two fairly short runs (~25 minutes) per day, and the second one gets the dogs out for their adventure.  They still pull so when they do I jog in place, which is a great reminder for my form; of if I’m tired, I walk in place and use it as a short break that keeps my heart rate up and is a form reminder.

Today I did have my VFF with me in case this was too painful, as I didn’t want to be stranded.  But for now on I go without the backup - I don’t need it so long as I time my runs in the evening when the ground is cool.

I am psyched about this improvement, I was actually smiling for the entirety of my run.  Between the bare feet and the giddy smile, I’m pretty sure some people thought I was insane.  But that’s cool by me, I was having fun!

-Lisa, on June 26, 2010 at 8:45 pm

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