Naked Running

If you are interested in exploring trail running, ultra's or not, get a hold of "Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel".  The author has a blog as well, linked from my site.  Good intro with useful tips I even found useful, along with several laughs.

I am transitioning from traditional trail and road shoes into a pair of 2mm drop New Balance Minimalist shoes.  I am doing several stretches and strength exercises, along with at least two grass runs a week (4+miles) either barefoot or in the new Minimalist.  The author (Jason Robillard) of the squirrel book is a big fan of barefoot and minimalist running.  He, like one of my favorite ultra marathoners - Anton Krupicka - want to have on as little as possible when running.  When you see Anton in a race, most likely he'll be in his New Balance minimalist, super short (read old school) running shorts...and that is it. Jason goes as far as recommending a full blown naked run.  Apparently there are races of this type around the country.  I was aware of the Michigan Naked Mile run, but wasn't aware is was a bit broader than this. 

To be clear, I haven't run through Montville naked...yet.  :-)

However, today I did shed one more layer.  The GPS watch.  For an over-analytical runner, with an engineering background, and ITIL focused work environment, running without metrics which are supposed to be put into the training log is 'inconceivable'.   

However, I have to be completely honest with you.  It wasn't by choice.  I drove to Montville high school at 6:30AM, and half way there realized the missing gadget.  The mental tug-o-war was on, do I turn-around and get the watch or keep driving.  If I turn around, I run the risk of missing my morning office meeting.  I followed the responsible path, and kept driving to the high school - feeling completely lost without my 'numbers'.  

Almost at first step, I felt extremely liberated.  Today was my recovery day, 4.2 miles around sport fields at a leisurely pace. With my minimalist on, and no watch, suddenly there was absolutely no concern for pace.  Am I running 8:20, 8:30, 9:00?  Hell if I knew, and I found myself not really caring about it.  I felt good the entire run, and finished fresh.  I spent more time observing the cloud patters, doing a self evaluation (quads feel good, right calf is tight, breathing is normal, etc) as opposed to gazing at the watch every 60 seconds for a pace check.  For you ultra analytical runners, I strongly suggesting doing the same on your easy days.  Remember, we aren't just training our body but the mind as well.  Both get fatigued from the daily grind.  

I am down to just the minimalist and shorts...maybe the naked run is closer than I originally thought!