Monthly Archives: December 2009

I learned something new today, that’s for sure.  And it was a really fun run.  There’s something really cool to be said about trail running.  I’m probably not equipped to say it at this point, but I know there is something really cool to say about it…help me out if you know what it is.

Nan and I did our first real training run together I think since she was in college.  We planned to do a 12 mile trail run into Eldorado canyon, but then it snowed 6 inches over night and was 15 degrees in the morning and still snowing.  So we did it anyway, because hey, we already had the babysitter.  And what else were we going to do…run 12 miles in the snow on the road?  Besides, I had been looking for a good excuse to test out my FiveFingers in the snow.

It turned out that we went just over 13 miles, because we ran an extra segment up a long hill when we didn’t know where we were going.  Nan went a little farther than me because in the last few miles, especially up the 13th mile which was a 400 foot climb, I was putting along MUCH slower than her.  So she circled back for me a couple times.  But here were my stats:

13.1 miles – running time 2:13:38 – 10:12/mile.  Elevation gain and descent: 1461 ft.  Avg HR: 147

Its hard to go very fast in 6 inches of snow, especially up steep rocky trails where you have no clue what you’re going to step on next.  It really forces you to take quick steps so you don’t come down too hard on an invisible rock.  It was really fun though.  There were a couple steep downhills with drifts up to a foot deep where we had to take it really easy because there were a lot of big huge rocks completely invisible.  Most of the trail though was pretty smooth dirt pack with only 4-6 inches of snow.

As I started the run, within the first mile I commented to Nan that I was almost certain my feet were not going to last for 12 miles in the snow without me getting frostbite or something and that I would probably only want to do a 3 mile loop.  The first mile or so they seemed to be getting colder and colder.  Then it slowly started reversing and by mile 2 I couldn’t feel any cold, and surprisingly they weren’t numb either.  As we stopped to go through a gate, I looked down and the snow was just melting off my feet and my feet felt warm.  It was a cool experience.  I had read that it would happen, but I certainly didn’t believe it until I experienced it.  For almost the entire rest of the run my feet were perfectly comfortable and warm.  In fact at mile 10 when we were on the road, it felt refreshing to go through puddles and have cold water run over my feet.  It was pretty strange, but I was not complaining!  I was kind of in awe.  When I stopped to drink some water and stretch, it was pretty weird to think about having just run 11 miles over snowy mountain trails with nearly bare feet without discomfort.  It just didn’t seem to add up…but aparently that’s how it goes with barefoot running.  It tends to not coincide with the commonly held beliefs of our day and age, and yet it works wonders.  So what did I learn?  I learned that it can be completely comfortable to run in the snow with bare feet exposed.  And that makes me happy, because I live in Colorado and I like running barefoot.  Next snow run for me is going to be without the FiveFingers…when I’m on more familiar/smoother terrain.

Here are a couple pictures of Nan and I after the run posted on her blog