Naked Feet

Yesterday was a good day. I went back to the gym and actually lifted weights. It's been a long time and I’m sure there were some grannies there lifting more than me, but that’s OK. Luckily, they’re not in my age group for the 5K's or triathlons. I followed that with a short swim. I’m not sore today, nor did I expect to be.

Today was an even better day. I ran faster than I ever have without someone or something chasing me. I ran my 3.25 mile course in 27:18 which is about 8:24 per mile. That’s reeeaaalllly fast for me. And it was a steady effort. And my heartrate only averaged 166. OK, that might be a little high, but I also learned that my AT must be about 173. I could hold 173 steadily, but quickly began to redline when I went beyond that. I even went this fast without Doza dragging me around. That felt pretty good. I’m going to try to sign up for a 5K soon. It should be fun. Fun and run used to never coexist in my vocabulary. In fact, they were at opposite ends of the spectrum and couldn't get along. And here they are becoming friends. Isn't that nice?

Anyway, on to the reason for the title. I really need to get better about packing my gym bag. I forgot socks today. I used to be a Boy Scout, so I'm usually prepared (the motto for those who don't know), but even my backup socks weren't in my bag. Now, the last time I wore even those really low socks to run, I rubbed my achilles raw and suffered for a week. I have never run without socks and wasn't looking forward to it, but hey, I decided to suck it up and just run without socks. You know, it wasn't bad at all. It didn't hurt, and in case you forgot already, it was my fastest run. Did I mention it was my fastest run? OK. Just making sure. Don't worry - I am level headed enough to know that the speed of my run was more influenced by leg speed than naked feet. I do not plan to start running without socks unless forced to do so. That claim only becomes void should I start a pro triathlon career and need quick transitions to make the big prize money. I don't think I need to worry about that. If I turn pro, I'll have my sponsor give me enough shoes so that I can run without socks and change shoes before they get gross. My daughters are good at letting me know about things like that - shoes getting gross, me stinking after exercise, eating too much garlic, etc - they're always watching out for me. God bless them for caring for their father.

Keep it in balance.