Halfway There

A few weeks  late... story of my life. September 25, 2010: The Park2Park Half Marathon (Holland, MI) with my dear friend (and running companion) Andrew.  It was amazing. 

Andrew had mentioned early in the summer that he was going to run this race.  Eager as I was to begin training for another race, I told him I'd run it with him.  Training went well for the first few months-- however, in August/ September, my training slowed down drastically (I took "taper" to a whole new level... for you runners out there).  I was able to head out for a couple long runs here and there, but unfortunately (and I'm ashamed to admit) I wasn't very diligent with my training.  Obviously this had me worried, since I had a whopping 13 miles ahead of me.  The week before the race, I decided to train--and hard. 

Well, I must've done something right.  I headed up to Holland bright and early that morning with Andrew (6 AM was our departure time, I believe).  I didn't have much time to eat, so I grabbed a measuring cup, filled it with my special blend of Chia seeds and water ("rock snot," as my dear coworker Ariane so affectionately refers to it), and hopped in the car.

We were given our numbers and 2 packs of Gu, and hit the starting line.  It was an excellent race-- I l-o-v-e-d the course.  Pretty flat, for the most part-- with a few hills here and there.  But the course wound its way through the most beautiful neighborhoods, and right along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.  The weather was cloudy, but not too cold-- with a few raindrops every so often.  It was perfect running weather-- and, despite my shameful lack of training, I was able to keep on trucking-- and I even got a burst of energy around Mile 7 (I attribute this to my Chia seeds), which helped me  power through to the end of the race-- to finish with a new PR!  I was well pleased with my performance. 

I've run 5Ks before, and I plan to do some 10Ks in the near future, and even a full marathon in May (the Kalamazoo Marathon).  This race, however, was my second half-marathon (hopefully with many more to come).  I really enjoyed running this race-- in addition to the amazing course (and enthusiastic volunteers), I had an unusual amount of energy-- which was great, because of the many conversations I wasn't necessarily prepared for-- 99% of which were focused on my shoes (Vibram FiveFingers).  As I ran the race, I had the chance to chat with a number of runners-- I would hear one or more people say "She's wearing them!  Look, she's got those shoes!"  and after the first 2 or 3 conversations, I was prepared with answers (and a newfound lung capacity) for the ensuing questions, which were all the same:

• What do they feel like?  (running barefoot, with some protection from the rough surfaces you're running on) 
• When did you start running in them?  (March... so about 6 months)
• How is it on pavement?  (fine)
• On gravel?  (still fine)
• Are they hard to put on?  (at first, perhaps... but it gets easier)
• Do they smell? (YES)
• Don't they hurt your feet? (they're more difficult [at first] than your typical running shoes, but your feet adapt quickly)
• Why do you wear them? (our bodies were made for running barefoot, or with very minimal footwear... check out Born To Run by Christopher McDougall)
• Do you miss your old running shoes? (not at all... I can't stand putting on my Nikes anymore)

Let it be known that I do not work for Vibram or Mr. McDougall... I was merely introduced (by a friend) to an incredible product that I strongly believe in, and I enjoy telling others about my amazing "ape shoes."  Anyway, I was happy to chat with all these runners about my shoes, and I'm positive that I roused the interest of a few future FiveFingers owners.  Not too shabby.    

Anyway, I finished the race in 2:18, all the while snapping photos on my Droid phone (yeah, I know-- I probably could've had a better time had I not been technologically occupied during the race... but still, I was pleased).  The race was awesome-- my day was awesome-- and I can't wait to run the next one!