No, they are not bowling shoes.
These awesome shoes are about as minimal as you can get. Ultra light. Decent ground feel. And the added bonus of letting my toes stay dry and share their heat with each other. Inside those dazzling shoes are a pair of SmartWool running socks, and another pair of socks over those to act as a wind break, since the shoes are built for speed, not for warmth.
Being my first run in anything other than VFFs, and, of course, yesterday's brush with amputation, I decided to stay close to home... just in case.
Good thing, too.
Oh, no... I was fine. It was the dog. She got slush up in her business. No, no... the between-her-paw-pads business. And she did not care for it one bit. So, I took her back in after 1.5 miles.
And I went back out.
That's right... 17F, windy, and slushy, and I went back out. I went back out because my feet felt GREAT!
What a revelation... warm feet! How could I have been so stupid to have been missing this? It was right here, all the time. This must be what the amish kids feel like on Rumspringa, or a defrocked priest, his first night at a singles bar.
My feet were so warm, so far above frozen flesh, that my brain was free to notice other things, like that my fingers were a little cold. Ok, a lot cold. So cold that my left pinky finger was sticking straight out.
Yes, I had gloves on. But the wind was wicked and the sun was setting, so the gloves needed a little help.
Thanks to some old windproof mitten shells, I was back out and feelin' perky.
Another couple of miles, and I decided that discretion would be a good play. Not wanting to tempt fate, after... you know... my toes... freezing... literally.
Reasonably normal shoes, wool running socks, and I was a new man. Ok, gently used man.
I pushed the VFF thing too far. In hindsight, it was stupid. I'm a huge supporter of minimalist running, but not at the cost of body parts... even the small ones.
There's nothing wrong with being a little obsessive-compulsive about some things, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the big things, like walking. Or, for that matter, the slightly more personal but still obsessive-compulsive things, like a running streak.
Keep chasing your goals, but also, keep perspective. And stay warm.
Good running,
Doug
Numbers: 3.4 miles, and all 10 toes present and accounted for.
Was I right or was I Right, right right right
ReplyDelete@Marty - Yes, you were right. As usual. :-)
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