34.9 -- The Summer of "The Barefoot Mile" is coming to a close.

Well, something different is developing at last.  I had a tight schedule today, and my goal all summer has been consistency.  I have been very lucky that the weather has been amazing (I don't mind the heat).  For some reason I have been able to consistently go out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to run my barefoot mile.

I had dreams when I started out that by the middle of the summer I'd run a 5K - the one I ran in last year. I had visions that by the end of the summer I'd be running longer distances.

But I learned quickly that I had to have patience.  Learning to barefoot run takes time and care.

So, I stuck with my "Barefoot Mile," going round and round until ... until ... well, I didn't know quite what I was waiting for, but I think I was waiting for something like today.

I had a tight schedule today because we are having a lot of celebrations this weekend.

I thought maybe I might miss the first of my scheduled running days.  The first one all summer. (Or at least one of the only ones.)  But I so did not want to miss it.  So, I set my alarm for 5:30 and tried to make a little plan where I could get my work and preparations and packing done, and also get my Barefoot Mile in.

I was a good girl.  I did not run first, and then pack.  I packed first, telling myself that if it went well, I would get to run.

When I got to the end of my usual little route, I just did not want to stop.  I had to keep going a little bit. And the only reason I stopped was because I thought it might be unwise to overdo it.  I really felt that I had a lot more in me.

I ran 1.9 miles, I found out after checking on mapmyrun.com. I felt really great after, a couple hours after, and even now at the end of the day.  Feet feel good.

That means I'm moving on to 2 miles now.  It's finally time.

Okay, I admit that my feet ached when I got up to go have my hair rinsed at the salon after having sat in the stylist's chair for a while.  And they also ached when I got off the bus after coming home from my hair appointment in the city after that.  But no more than they ached when I first started acclimating them to the barefoot mile.  And within a  yard or two of walking along they felt good again.

So, it's time to say good-bye to The Barefoot Mile.  I will always have great affection for that mile.  That mile that formed a base.  Yes, I will always remember "The Summer of the Barefoot Mile."

But now it's time to move on, to new challenges, and it's time to get to know mile number 2.