Stupid Is As Stupid Does

I never cease to amaze myself (or my wife) at how stupid I can be. Today's run was at Bartlett Park. My plan was to run after work, before the rain came in. I haven't run here in some time and wasn't sure of the condition of the trails with all the rain in the past month(s). I also haven't run in my Five Fingers in a long time. So...my bright (stupid) idea was to run Bartlett Park in Five Fingers!

The trails were a total mess. There was long areas of mud bog throughout and the creek had about six inches of "stanky" water in it. With the FF's, I had no traction whatsoever. I lost count of the number of times I fell on my ass because my feet slid out from under me. Once down in the creek, I thought I would never get out! The sides were very slick, so I had to move down to where I could grab ahold of some roots and pull myself up.

The FF's force me to a mid-foot foot strike. I am by nature more of a heel striker, so the mid-foot strike starts to hurt my calves and hips after a few miles. I kept my pace slow and my feet under me the best I could.

All in all, I had a great time in the woods and in the mud! Today is my 41st birthday and I am just happy to be able to still run!