Barefoot Mile Number 73 -- Inclement Weather and Wet Pavements

Last we left off I had planned to run in the evening and found out when the time came that I was not ready to barefoot run in the dark. So, I made a plan to get up reeeeeeallly early the next morning and get my run in.

Well, it was also dark really early in the morning!  Lol! Forgot about that.  I guess summer really is over.

AND, it was pouring rain all day.

So, today I was going to run on my cross-training Kung Fu day.  Based on the way it's felt after the 5K distance I've been running recently, I thought maybe I could do both in one day.

But I was wrong!

It rained a lot on and off today, and I waited until there was a clear moment. I didn't like this because I was in my running clothes doing housework, getting "just one more thing done" and then looking out at the weather, and then "just another thing done" and looking out at the weather again.

Finally it seemed right. My running partner -- Daffodil-the-dog --  refused to come out the door.  She HATES muggy weather.

So I went out by myself.  I was actually a little nervous because I had heard one is more prone to blisters when the ground is wet.  This was going to be my first day out when the ground was really sopping wet.  Yes, I had been truly blessed all summer in that the weather had simply been ideal to break me in as a barefoot runner. Guess the barefoot honeymoon is over and there's going to be some rough going now.

It turned out that it felt pretty good.  I think I was running faster but it's hard to tell because I did not time myself. I passed a shod runner coming toward me and he said, "Barefoot running!  You are brave!"

But things got a bit uncomfortable towards the end  when I had to go to the bathroom.  As I passed a spot where I could have headed home, I wondered if  I should cut my run short and take care of that need.  But I was stubborn and ran the extra 3/4 of a mile or so I had left.

Well, this is the very first run that I felt horrible afterward.  I actually felt sick.  I always dislike it when running bloggers start talking about the issue of  going to the bathroom.  But it really is an important factor -- learning and how to manage, time, and deal with. In this case it made such a difference to my final finish.  All summer long I felt so fantastic after my runs.  I may have been a little tired.  I may have needed to rest my muscles and let them recover some.  But overall I would be flooded with good feelings.  Today, however, I actually felt sick in my core.

I think it was a combination of things, but mostly the extreme humidity.  I was completely drenched, and I think Daffodil knew what she was doing when she refused to go out.

Needless to say, I was not able to get to Kung Fu class.  I am sad about that, but it's all in the process of learning.

I think I do have a little blister from running on the wet ground too.

All in all, however -- I still think it's all good!

(I'm going to have to take some more pictures soon.  The last few posts have been visually dull. Sorry about that.  I don't have the gorgeous scenery around me that Barefoot Neil Z has -- nor his photography skills.)