Right, it's been four weeks and there is more than likely some catching up to do. The question is, where to begin? We'll begin where I would like to begin. Two Tuesdays ago.
On second thought, we'll begin in another spot. There's a bit of a preface for the two Tuesdays ago affair, so bear with me as usual. Rest assured, there will be plenty to be beared.
Back in August I finally got my money together and made my way to the nearest REI so I could throw down a few bills on a pair of those sweet Vibram Five-Finger shoes. The endevour was a borderline success. They had them of course. They had a lot of them. Yet, they didn't have a pair that would fit right for my little man feet. But, the clerk said he could order a pair of tiny midget Vibrams and ship them in a little box to my house. I agreed, gladly paid for the shoes there, and was duped into their membership (Twenty bucks a year. But seriously, it seems like a really good deal. I've only bought one thing from them since, though). A week later they came. My parents got to the box first and my mother thought perhaps one of her sisters had ordered a pair for her (apparently they were talking about these shoes the last time my mom visited them). Apparently they were too small for her feet (and she's got tiny feet. What on earth does that say about me?). My parents were about to send them back to REI chalking it up as a mistake. At this point I still have no clue that these have even arrived yet. I'm waiting patiently each day for my Vibrams so I can frolic gracefully through the forest like a deer. Finally, one day my mom calls from work and asks if I bought Vibram shoes. "Yes, and I've been waiting for about a week and a half for them." And so the mystery comes to an end. My parents didn't think I would buy them, let alone put up the money to buy them (they were $95) which was why they didn't ask immediately if I had ordered them. But I did. I got them. Now it was time to try 'em.
They were snug at first. VERY snug. See, your toes (at least my toes) are used to hanging out in one big room. The five of them are always together, hanging out and talking. "It's dark and stuffy in here, but at least we have each other." Then I slap these things on and they had a rather difficult time going into their separate compartments. Pinky-toe wouldn't leave his compadre, Ring-finger-toe. Tried to slide in the same compartment. That may have been the hardest part, getting them to be independent. But they did it. And I'm proud of them for it (although Little Pinky-toe still has some issues).
Alright. I have the Vibrams. They're snug. Not a lot of wiggle room. It's as if I put on new skin but the skin has yet to stretch itself and become less tight and more malleable. The only way to do this is to take them out.
First excursion was on my Schwinn mountain bike. I took it out to a park I've been many times before. It's about a 20 minute ride from the house and has a pretty flat paved trail. That was a pretty fun day, and really it's a whole story in and of itself, which I will keep myself from telling here. Let's just say, this trail is also by the Meramec river, there was some unexpected mud, and I haven't cleaned or ridden the bike since.
Next excursion came a few weeks later. This involved an actual run. There's another park near the house about the same distance called Cliff Cave Park (another park near the river, except this river is the Mississippi. During the spring and sometimes early summer the paved trail can get covered with quite a bit of mud and giant puddles). I come to this place often when I want to run outside. It has a 5.1 mile loop but there's only a little bit of tree cover on the trail, so I generally avoid it mid summer. Spring and fall are the best times to get a run on it. Anyway, I get the Vibrams on, grab a bottle of Propel and drive over to the park.
Now, the cool thing about the Vibrams (at least this is what I read) is that instead of hitting heel toe you're running on the balls of your feet. This gives less impact on the hips and knees, which is better for you in the long run (ha). Also, since you're running this way you're not throwing your leg forward, therefore, not hyperextending your leg. The guy at REI told me that one. Basically, it's the closest you can be to being barefoot. You just have a thin sole of rubber to protect your skin (since we don't walk barefoot anymore like our ancestors and have major calouses and hardened skin on our feet).
With all that said, I ran on the balls of my feet, which gave my calves a work out. Now, the first time you run in these you're really not supposed to run more than a mile or two. I ran about four. Let me tell you, my calves were killing me. I walked like C-3PO for three days.
Now, with that large and unnecessary preface, prologue thing finished, we can talk about two weeks ago.
I found this trail near a park called "Lone Elk Park" which is about a twenty minute drive from my house. It's west from the city on highway 44, so by the time you get that far there's more trees than buildings. Which is nice. I ran on this trail, and let me tell you it was a beast. First off, its about 7 miles one way (I didn't run that far). I ran a good portion of it though, even did some exploring to take in the scenery. It was a beautiful day. Temperature was just right. Hardly any people (Well, at first. Only saw one person going in. Coming back I saw about nine). The terrain ranges from gravel, to rocky, to smooth dirt paths, so it's great either on foot or mountain bike (which I did see a few mountain bikers). Much of what I was on was flat, but the trail does move in and out of wooded areas, and one portion has a very steep rocky trail, which is where I saw the mountain bikers. I don't know if could ever conquer terrain like that on foot, let alone bike.
Now, the only downfall to this trail is that its near a horse stable. The terrain is great for foot or bike, but there's also a nice serene area to ride horseback, which I saw a girl doing when I was making my way back. The reason this is the only con to the whole trail is that you have to avoid a lot of horse poop. And I do mean a lot. I guess it provides for an extra challenge while running. It demands a little more of your reflexes.
Once again though, I over did it. My feet were a little sore when the day was over. But the next few days I was walking like C-3PO again. Doesn't matter though. It was worth it. Maybe I could document the trail another time. I thought about it as I ran; "I should really take pictures of this place and make a blog post." I blogged (of course), but no photos. Maybe next time.
Wow. I wrote a lot. Sorry. I didn't even get to Thanksgiving. Well, I ate a lot and watched the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on ABC Family. I did some other things, but nothing involving my body getting worked over. Unless you want to count digestion. And there was a lot of that. So, I believe that wraps up November. My birthday is coming up in three weeks and Christmas is three days after that, so keep gifts in mind.
Take care. Follow your dreams. Be merry. Peace.
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