First Barefoot 5K Road Race

Last night I ran my first 5K road race barefoot.  My work offers to pay for the entry fee and also gets us t-shirts.  We gather together before the race and have our picture taken.  Then we split up to run the race and gather back afterwards for pizza.

Only one person in the office knows I run barefoot.  So I showed up wearing my old minimalist sneakers for the pictures.  Afterwards I snuck away and left my shoes in my cubical and walked down the stairs, hoping I would avoid meeting anyone.  As I exited the stairs a lady from accounting was just leaving the elevators and inquired if I ran in bare feet.  So much for stealth mode.

I stood in the shadows as much as possible before the race.  I was very nervous and could feel the adrenaline coursing through me.  Would the pavement be too hot, it was 93ºF and had been scorching hot all day.  Half the race was on older pavement, but the last half was on pavement laid down just last year and was still black.  I figured I could try and run on the concrete sidewalks if the pavement got too hot.  Also, my furthest distance running barefoot was 2 miles and on that run my legs began to stiffen up as I attempted to adapt to my new running form prescribed by my coach.  I figured I could run/walk the last mile or the whole race if needed.

I was in the middle of the pack and it took about 3 minutes to reach the starting line and then we were off.  The pavement was much cooler than I had expected, being shaded by the buildings along the street, the second half I was sure I wouldn't be so lucky.  As one runner passed me he commented on my bare feet and was duly impressed. Got at least one other positive comment as well, no negative remarks.

Around the mile mark we entered a residential area where the locals had put out a few sprinklers and hoses to help cool off the runners.  I didn't seem to get wet enough to make a difference.  At the water station I took a few sips and then just dumped the rest over my head.  With about a mile to go the fire department had set up the best sprinkler yet, it was more like a local rain shower.  That seem to help me a little bit. 

Around 2.2 I stopped running, which is now my longest barefoot run.  The rest was mostly walking with a few short runs.  At the very end of the race the city fire department had another hose showering the runners.  This location caused a large puddle to appear, which I gladly walked through, cooling off my feet.

I finished in 40:21, a few minutes slower than last year, but I'm very pleased.  It was 14 degrees hotter than last year, I was attempting to run using a new form I've just started working on and it was my first barefoot race. What more could I ask for.

After the race I went back to the office to grab my stuff and to grab a slice of pizza.  I went into the celebration room barefoot and while grabbing my slice to go and one of the guys commented on my footwear. 

Today at the office the lady from accounting asked if I ran the whole race barefoot and another lady inquired if she had heard correctly that I ran the race barefoot.  She was impressed but I could not convince her that my feet possessed no special powers.  So I guess half the office will know shortly that I ran the race barefoot.  This might be the best way to come out of the barefoot closet.