I left you promising I'd give you an update on my first real running barefoot attempt, so let's start there. My first week on the road was in Denver. I landed very late Sunday night and had to be up and running on Monday morning, so by the time Monday night rolled around, I crashed. I planned for my barefoot run to go down Tuesday morning. I decided to do my run on the treadmill because it would afford me a far more pliable surface than the road would. I also knew I had to keep the miles slow and short because this would be a very different experience than my body was used to. So off I went at 5am Tuesday morning.
Let me first start with the observation that altitude really does have on athleticism. Having been to Denver before, but never as an athlete, I felt a little less prepared for this-- I mean, you hear it, but its another thing to experience it. It didn't take me long to feel that impact rather acutely as my pace was naturally slowed by a sense that I couldn't get nearly enough air in me. The run itself felt a little strange at first. I'm getting more used to a ball-of-foot strike using my newtons, but what I hadn't expected is how jarring that impact can feel with nothing at all there. It took me a few steps before I noticed I was totally changing up my land to something a lot smoother and lighter. I'm not sure the entire explanation for how that happened because it wasn't conscious, but I was definitely aware that almost right away my body was conditioned to do something, it did it, it hurt, it modified. Much unlike being in my newtons, I didn't have to think about foot placement-- my body just sort of did it because of comfort. I don't think I appreciated how far off of normal biomechanics shoes really make things until that moment. It was eye opening.
I ran about 2 miles. Slowly. I was thinking I wanted to do more because it was feeling good except that there was a small spot on the inside of my right arch just behind the ball of my foot that could feel a rub from the seam of the vibram itself. I didn't want to rub that spot raw and realized I would need to get my feet used to a lot of time in the shoes first, but ultimately thats what made me stop. At no point in my run did my knees hurt. At no point did I knick the inside of my ankle bone with my opposite foot as I often do in shoes. It felt good and easy.
While in Denver I decided to check out my local Crossfit affiliate-- I am learning that this is critical to my keeping my sense of sanity on the road. So I wound up at Front Range Crossfit, the site of the Rocky Mountain Qualifiers for the Crossfit games. It was great to do a workout with a group of people that really brought their game-- and despite the incredible challenge the altitude was giving me, I hit a new PR in a lift that has stymied me for a while. So after 2 days of working with the crew there, I was beyond thrilled.
From there I headed home for a mere 36 hours which was mostly laundry, restocking cat food and some quiet time before I was on a train to Virginia (this had all unfolded on Monday in Denver). I figured I'd try out my luck there too and wound up at another Crossfit affiliate-- Crossfit Fairfax where the workout was equally challenging, but I loved it. This affiliate will likely be a frequent stop for me going forward if I spend time in Virginia.
My week at home has been good-- I am finally hitting my groove again and have really enjoyed coming back to my own box and working out again with the crew. It's nice to have everyone tell me how much I have been missed-- my affiliate really does feel like a bit of family.
And on that note, I am going to stop with a notation that I will need to explain in more detail, but...
This weekend we have a big event at the box. Jacinto turns 70. Jacinto is one of the Crossfit trainers and a bit of a legend, truth be told. We call him the Warrior and there are tee-shirts many of us sport with his picture on the front. Here is a picture I took of him at the recent Northeast Qualifier Games where Jacinto went toe to toe with all the far younger male competitors. He is our hero, to say the least.
In honor of Jacinto's 70th birthday, we do the workout of Jacinto's choice, and this annual event has become known as Jacintostorm. So tomorrow, I will be executing the following workout:
Run 620 meters
70 Squats
70 Push-ups
70 Pull-ups or Jumping Pull-Ups
70 Wall Ball Shots with a weighted medicine ball
70 Kettlebell Swings
70 Deadlifts 65lbs
Run 620 meters
Yeah, looks painful huh? So tomorrow we get our asses kicked for and with Jacinto, who proves to us year after year that you are never too old to throw down.
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