In a perfect world, I’d run naked. That not being possible, I wear only what I think is necessary. Over the years, I’ve come down to a pretty minimal list – ’cause that’s the kind of guy I am.

Here’s what it takes:

Running kilt

Except for running barefoot, my running kilt, from Scott Schneider of runningkilts.com, is the most comfortable way of moving I’ve found. (See my inital review of the kilt here.) Once I got over being self-conscious about being seen in public wearing a skirt, I never looked back. Unless it’s cold enough for tights, I now wear my running kilt on all my runs. I can’t understand why more men don’t wear these.

Garmin 210

For years I ran gadgetless. No iPod, for sure, because I don’t listen to music. But not even a watch. Then I bought a Garmin, and became a data junkie. I still make sure that I run Garmin-free on a regular basis, but the numbers have been good to me.

Soft Star Moc3s

It’s a hard thing for a hardcore barefoot runner to say, but I love my Soft Star Moc3s. Actually, it’s not really that hard a confession to make – because these are, without any doubt, the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. With them, I can run farther, on more different surfaces, and in more varied weather conditions than I can barefoot, and without losing any of the barefoot form that I love so much. They’ve even enabled me to run trails, which I’ve longed to do for some time. I’m a convert (though I still run barefoot whenever I can).

Buff

I started wearing Buffs in my ultra-distance cycling days, under my helmet. I re-discovered them when I began running. A Buff is simplicity itself – a tube of microfibrous fabric that, with different arrangements, can be worn as a scarf, bandanna, headband, beanie, face mask, tube top, helmet liner, wristband, cap, pirate, Sahara style, and other variations. They’re made on a specially-developed tubular loom, so the finished garment is seamless. And they come in about a bjillion colours and patterns.

______________________________________________________

It goes without saying that above gear list is for warm weather. And I should add that I regularly trim the list down to the barest essential, i.e., just my running kilt.

In the winter? Well, in the winter, I run on my treadmill. Naked.

I often find a theme, motif, or meditation topic that will carry me through a particular period in my running program. A few years ago, it was Jiddu Krishnamurti’s statement that “Truth is a pathless land.” This past year, it was about sorting through my experience of being an Aspie. Looking at – and experiencing – my running through such lenses is a good way of gaining new insights and learnings, and almost always informs the rest of my life as well.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the running I’ll do this summer, both “free” running and as training for the Vulture Bait 50K Ultra I’ll do in October. I’ve also been reading the Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which has introduced me to the Taoist concept of the uncarved block.

_________________________________________

The Chinese character p’u, often translated as “the uncarved block,” refers to a state of pure potential which is the mind’s primordial condition before the arising of experience. The Taoist concept of p’u points to perception without prejudice, i.e., beyond dualistic distinctions such as right/wrong, good/bad, black/white, beautiful/ugly. It’s said to be a state of mental unity which places the Taoist practitioner into alignment with the Tao.

Seen through this lens, our potential is what we might be, and reality is the shape we actually carve out for ourselves. The metaphor suggests that each of us is born with a personality like an uncarved block of wood. Ideally, we want to leave our shape untouched and unformed, so that we can experience life fully. But everything we experience and all that we’re taught carves away pieces of that original simplicity. Taoists try to regain the early sense of unlimited possibility by trying to “unlearn” things until everything becomes a new experience.

That’s what I want to do this summer.

_________________________________________

With the Mississauga Half Marathon done, I can now go back to more free running, at least until it’s time to start training seriously for the Vulture Bait. Or perhaps – just perhaps – I can use the concept of the uncarved block to blend training and free-form running into a harmonious unity. That might, in fact, be a very appropriate way to train for a 50K ultra.

Summer’s a big deal for me. It’s when my weekly distance goes up, I get to wear as little as possible while running, and training needs recede and free-form running takes over. All that lends itself very nicely to incorporating the concept of the uncarved block into my runs.

During the coming months, I’ll run – both barefoot and my Soft Star Moc3s – on the roads, on some trails, and on an indoor track. That’ll be a nice mix, and will keep things from getting stale. Better still, it’ll provide me with a lot of different contexts from which to explore this uncarved block thing. It’ll help immensely that it’ll be my kind of weather – warm to hot, mostly sunny, and a little bit humid. That will relax my muscles and free up my head, so that I can run freely and in peace. I will happily get into total lizard mode.

I’m looking forward to this part of the journey!

Not a great finishing time (1:57.46.2), but not a bad one either. I went out too quickly at the start (when will I learn?), and pushed the hill at the 10K mark a little too hard. Not surprisingly, I paid for both of those mistakes later, with my pace dropping significantly post-18K. Still, it was a good race and I was reasonably happy with my finish.

A big highlight was a dailymile meetup before the start. I chatted with another good friend while waiting in the start line, ran with another for a short distance in the first few kilometers, and chatted with two more at the finish. That made the race much more of a social event than my races usually are. For an Aspie like me, this sort of stuff is a big deal.

And the weather was pretty much race-perfect: 10C at race start and 19C at the finish, sunny, with a 10 km/h wind, and 42% humidity.

The Meetup

The dailymile crew

Dailymile meetups are fun. Interesting, too, as they involve re-connecting with folks I already know, meeting face-to-face with people I’d only connected with online, and meeting new friends. This one was a large group, involving runners who were doing the half and full marathon distances.

The Numbers

My official stats for the half were as follows:

Chip time: 1:57.46.2
Average pace: 5:30
Overall placing: 816/2363
Category placing (male 60-69): 14/48
Gender placing: 525/1058

Interestingly, those numbers suggest that I may finally have broken out of my “mid-pack runner status” in terms of overall and category placing (though not in gender placing). That makes me feel much better about my slow finishing time.

Some Analysis

More numbers. The following kilometer-by-kilometer breakdown, generated by my Garmin Forerunner 210 and filtered through the SportTracks application, tell the story far better than any photo could. Look down the list, and then read on while I unpack the numbers a bit.

Kilometer 1: 5:24 min/km
Kilometer 2: 5:16 min/km
Kilometer 3: 5:18 min/km
Kilometer 4: 5:15 min/km
Kilometer 5: 5:19 min/km
Kilometer 6: 5:26 min/km
Kilometer 7: 5:26 min/km
Kilometer 8: 5:16 min/km
Kilometer 9: 5:18 min/km
Kilometer 10: 5:21 min/km
Kilometer 11: 5:46 min/km
Kilometer 12: 5:33 min/km
Kilometer 13: 5:35 min/km
Kilometer 14: 5:30 min/km
Kilometer 15: 5:35 min/km
Kilometer 16: 5:28 min/km
Kilometer 17: 5:29 min/km
Kilometer 18: 5:34 min/km
Kilometer 19: 5:36 min/km
Kilometer 20: 5:43 min/km
Kilometer 21: 5:31 min/km

My target finish time for this half was 1:53. I’d planned carefully for that. In theory, it was all very simple. I could pull off that finishing time (and therefore a new PB) if I kept an average pace of 5:21 min/km. Simple, right?

Concept was good, execution was rubbish.

Studies of runners at half and full marathon distances suggest that a pace only 2 seconds quicker than the runner’s targeted training pace means diminished performance later in the race. As you can see from the above numbers, I blew things completely. For kilometers 2 through 5, I was doing as much as 6 seconds faster than my target pace. And I did it again for kilometers 8 and 9. In fact, the only kilometer for which I held my target pace was kilometer 10. I slowed down a lot going up the hill at kilometer 11, and then dragged myself along for the second half of the race distance.

That was just lame. There’s no other word for it.

The Finish

Strong old animal

Nevertheless, I wasn’t too shabby at the finish. Held my own, and acquitted myself with honour. Just wish I could look a little happier as I get close to the line. I try, heaven knows, but all that comes is that zombie focus thing.

Reflections and Learnings

Racing is always about learning. So, on reflection, what’s to learn from this race?

First, carb-loading, while it works for me for marathons, doesn’t work for the half (at least, it didn’t for this one). I’d read one study which suggested that, for many runners, carb-loading for 2 days prior to a half resulted in enhanced performance. So I loaded. And went into this race 5 lbs. over my target weight for this time of the year. It didn’t help, and may have hindered.

Second, pace. I’ve told that story just above, and won’t dwell on it, except to say that a good part of my training this summer will be about holding to a pace. ‘Nuff said.

Third, heart, or desire, or drive. I have it in spades in training, particularly in pushing myself to go long distances. But, in races, well, not so much. Robert Pirsig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, calls what I don’t have “gumption.” He defines gumption as “a combination of commonsense, shrewdness, and a sense of initiative.” In this race, I fell short in all three departments. Pirsig also talks in ZMM about “gumption traps.” The “trap” portion of the term refers to the negative feedback loop that an event or mindset creates. I fell into a gumption trap when I realized that I’d gone out too fast, and couldn’t claw myself back. Once again, more training is needed.

What’s Next?

The above isn’t meant to be negative. Very much the opposite, in fact. I had a good race, my finishing time was acceptable, and I had fun. Can’t ask for more than that. And I’ve learned.

Immediately after the race, I went back to my usual high protein, high fat, low carb diet, and, three days later, have dropped 6 lbs. After the half, I took a day off, then got back to running. Since then, I’ve done an 11K run and a 20K run, at easy paces, with no hurts, and feeling strong.

For a little while, I’m going to do some fun running. No goals, just running, on the roads, on the trails, and on the track. Plus some swimming.

On July 1, I’ll start a training program to prepare for my next sequence of races: the Iroquioa Trail Test 18K on August 17; the Milton Half Marathon on September 15; and the Vulture Bait 50K Trail Ultra on October 19.

And I’m going to learn to run at my target pace. Really, I am.

My Soft Star Original RunAmocs arrived in yesterday’s mail. I’ve been looking forward to this!

I ordered them because I was really impressed with my Soft Star Moc3s, and wanted something similar to wear as an everyday shoe. (In some situations, the cheap flip-flops I usually wear just don’t cut it.) The Original RunAmocs, though they were developed and designed as running gear, look very much like “regular” shoes, but adhere to the same design philosophy and quality as the Moc3s.

Specifically, the RunAmocs offer zero drop (a no-brainer, and an absolute for anything I wear on my feet), a 2mm Vibram sole, a solid (i.e., non-perforated) leather upper, and a nice wide toe box. Unlike the Moc3s, which fit like elasticized-sized slippers, the Original RunAmocs feature an integrated lace/elastic ankle closure. The leather uppers are formaldehyde-free, which fits into Soft Star’s overall ethos of using natural, harm-free products.

I be stylin’!

I really like the way these shoes look. More importantly, I like the way they feel. They’re not quite the “ghost shoe” that the Moc3s are (read my review of the Moc3s to see what I mean), but they’re pretty darn good. I’ve already worn them around the house, to do some yard work, and to walk the dogs. Of course, I’m going to try them out on a couple of runs, too. Another win from Soft Star!

Chip time: 1:57.46.2
Average pace: 5:30
Overall placing: 816/2363
Category placing (male 60-69): 14/48
Gender placing: 525/1058

Interestingly, I broke out of my “mid-pack runner status” with this one in terms of overall and category placing (though not in gender placing). That makes me feel better about my slow finishing time.

The other good news is that I’ll turn 65 next month. That means that, in many races (but not this one), I’ll move to another age category (65 to 69). I’ll be at the younger edge of that one. Woo hoo!

Full race report to follow soon.

I’ve never run on a track before, and I’m surprised that I like it as much as I do. Maybe I shouldn’t be too surprised, though. After all, I’m one of the rare runners who likes running on a treadmill. The track is just a different kind of focus, that’s all. Round and round on a short course (the track is only 200 meters in length) isn’t as bad as you might think. I can get to, and hold, a very decent pace, and can “zone in” to a nice focus as well. With such a short track length, though, getting the distances I want requires quite a few laps. And that means I’ve got to count.

So far, I’ve gotten by using fingers and knuckles to count the laps. But I want to do longer distances, and I know that’s not going to work for long. So… solution #2.

The Sportcount Lap Counter is a nifty little device that one wears like a ring, and that offers a simple, one-button use to keep count. A bonus is that it’s waterproof, which means I can use it in the pool as well. That’s a good thing, as my training for the Vulture Bait 50K Trail Ultra, which begins on July 1, involves twice-weekly swim sessions.

The wee beastie tracks up to 9,999, so I think it’ll keep me in laps for a while.

The Mississauga Half Marathon is only 11 days away. That means it’s time to put down in writing what I’ve thinking about for weeks – how to run the race.

If possible, I’d like to better my current PB for the half which is 1:54:58 (set at the Sarasota Half in mid-March). If I were to aim at a finishing time of 1:53, that would mean an average pace of 5:21 min/km. My pace at Sarasota was 5:27, which means upping the pace for Mississauga considerably. Training’s gone well, though, the Mississauga course is a (slight) net downhill and, more importantly, doesn’t have the nasty stretch of rough asphalt that Sarasota did. So far, so good. I’ll put 1:53 down as a Target.

Next comes a Desirable. That would mean a finishing time of 1:54, which would still give me a PB, just not by as respectable a margin. A 1:54 finish would require an average pace of 5:24, which, given my training, is doable. I’d be quite happy with that.

Any runner worthy of the name knows, though, that races always bring surprises. Given that, I’ll put in an Acceptable here, which would would be anything under a 2:00 hour finish. To pull that off, I’d simply need to run at a 5:41 pace. These days, that’s pretty much cruising speed for me, even over a couple of hours.

So I’ve got all these positives: my home course, net downhill, good training, and a promising weather forecast (low of 10C, high of 17C, and a 40% chance of light showers). As if that weren’t enough, I’m going to a meetup just prior to the race start with some of my dailymile buddies. And I’m going to be barefoot, kilted, and wearing blue and yellow for Boston.

All those ducks, all in a row. Let’s hope it goes as planned.

I’ve had my Moc3s for a couple of weeks now, and have used them for everything from everyday wear to road and trail runs. I’ve even tried them with socks, an unusual piece of kit for me. They’ve performed well, felt good, and held up well. I must say that I’m impressed.

The idea behind this review, as I said in my previous teaser post, is to look at the fit, comfort, and feel of the Moc3s, and assess them accordingly.

The Shoe

Moc3, top and bottom

The Moc3s are exceptionally flexible, and offer remarkable groundfeel. Neither my VFF KSOs nor my Xero Shoes huaraches come even remotely close. To find out exactly why, well, I ran on as many surfaces as I could find, and paid a lot of attention (even more than usual) to my form, my posture, and how close the ground actually felt. The results were literally amazing. Not quite barefoot, to be sure, but very, very close.

To find out why, I asked the folks at Soft Star to tell me more about the composition of the Moc3 sole.

Turns out that sole is really a composite. There’s the 2mm thick Vibram rubber, of course. Behind that, though, is a 0.7mm thick layer of abrasive-resistant and scuff-proof Toughtek, to which the Vibram sole is glued. The side of the material facing the outside of the shoe is coated in a very thin textured specialized neoprene rubber. The other side is a100% polyester stretchable knit fabric. Next is a 1mm thick natural suede innersole. Total thickness of the three-layered footbed is ~3.7mm.

Now comes the real magic!

The cutout shape of the 2mm Vibram sole is sorta kinda like the imprint the sole of your wet foot would leave. It’s designed to give the foot as much natural movement as possible. The specific cuts and openings in the sole are in places that would allow the feet and toes to bend the most, so that the foot can roll naturally through landing and liftoff. As Mike Friton, the Moc3s designer, has said, “Your foot doesn’t mold to the shoe, the shoe molds to your foot.” That makes me a very happy runner. The reason I run barefoot is that I want to feel the ground. The Moc3 offers almost the same feeling.

The Moc3 uppers consists of a layer Soft Star’s LITE perforated leather, for protection and breathability. My Moc3s are black, as you can see in the photos, but they’re also available in blue, red, white, brown, and fuschia. Black and blue are stock colours. The latter four colours are custom, and come at a slightly higher cost. Behind the leather is a Breathe-O-Prene liner, which provides a moisture-wicking and odor-resistant interior.

Redefining minimalist – and minimal

Wiping the Moc3s with a wet cloth got them mostly clean, even after a couple of muddy trail runs. I wouldn’t put them in a washing machine, but you could probably hand-wash them and let them air dry.

I’ve worn mine every day for the past two weeks, and – quite remarkably – they still smell like new leather. I know that’s because of the tanned, perforated leather and the Breathe-O-Prene stuff, but it still seems like magic.

Anyway, I’m happy to live with the result.

Testing

Everyday Wear

Moc3 stylin’

That means almost all the time, all day long. I’ve worn them at work, and I’ve worn them when I’ve done errands. I’ve worn them inside the house, and I’ve worn them outdoors. I’m almost always barefoot at home, but I’ve found myself forgetting to take them off once I got home from the office, from grocery shopping, from a visit to the local Y. That’s how comfortable they are.

And they still smell new.

Road and Track Running

Running is what I wanted these shoes for, and running is what they’re designed to do. To make a long story short, the Moc3s did the job, and they did it brilliantly. I took them out on a number of my usual routes, which means suburban streets and sidewalks. Some of those surfaces are older than others, so my routes give me a lot of surface variety – fairly new (and smooth) asphalt, some chipseal, some old, gnarly sidewalks, some sidewalks with twigs, small stones, and even a little rock salt left over from the winter.

How did that go?

Extremely well, thanks! Lots and lots of groundfeel, all the natural foot movement I could want, and just a little bit of protection. 2mm of Vibram sole isn’t much, so I still found myself picking through the debris when I had to – but that’s partly just barefoot habit. (As I found out when got to the trails, I needn’t have worried.)

I also took the Moc3s to the indoor track at my local Y. That was a real treat. I’ve wanted to get on this track for a while. It’s short (200m), and it’s painted concrete rather than Tartan, but it’s a nice track, with cool little banks on the turns, and nice views of the outdoors at each corner. But the folks at the Y, in all their dubious wisdom, won’t let me run barefoot on it. “Hygiene concerns,” they say. “Safety concerns,” they say. So it didn’t take me long after getting my Moc3s to spend a couple of mornings doing track time. And it worked brilliantly. As I’d found before with my huaraches, I got some real footslap sounds with the Moc3s when my form was off. But that’s a good thing, because it means I could use sound to modify and improve my form. Having done that, I found I was moving very nicely around the small loop. In fact, on one of my Moc3 track runs, I found myself doing a tempo pace that was unusually quick. Checked the lap count, checked the watch, calculated again, and decided that I’d run more quickly and smoothly than I normally do. Check another one up to the Moc3s!

Trail Running

After my first trail run

I got wet and muddy, the Moc3s got wet and muddy, and I finally got a glimpse of what my trail-running buddies having been raving about for years. Once home, I wiped the Moc3s off with a damp cloth and set them out to air dry. A couple of hours later, they were completely dry. Not only that, they held their shape. And they still didn’t smell!

In these past two weeks, I’ve kept up my barefoot runs as well as testing the Moc3s. That’s partly because my feet need to feel the ground, and partly because I’m training for a half marathon that I’m going to run barefoot on May 5. But I’m keen to get back to the trails. So keen, in fact, that I’ve registered for my first trail ultra, the Vulture Bait 50K, which takes place on October 19. I’ve also scouted out some longer and more challenging trails I want to get to, and which I’ll try as the summer progresses. I wouldn’t have done any of that were it not for the Moc3s. That’s a big move forward in my journey as a runner.

What Next?

What does the future hold for me and my Moc3s? As indicated above, more roads, more trails, and my very first trail ultra. (For everyday wear, I’ve just ordered a pair of Soft Star Original RunAmocs for that.) I can’t think of any better ways of saying “I like the Soft Star Moc3s. I like them a lot!”

The Moc3s cost US$94.00, with optional colours, as I mentioned, coming at a slight premium. That’s good value, in my opinion. I’ve got a pair of beautifully designed, hand-made running shoes that work on the roads and the trails, and that also double as excellent every day footwear. Doesn’t get any better than that.

I’ll follow up with another review of the Moc3s, which will look at how they’ve done in the long run. (Yes, I know. The pun was intentional.) Stay tuned!

This morning, I registered for the Vulture Bait 50K Trail Race, which will take place on October 19, 2013, in London, Ontario. It’ll be my third 50K ultra, but my first one on trails. I’m very much looking forward to it.

I had every intention of doing the Toronto Scotiabank Marathon (which takes place on October 20) again, until about a week ago. But testing the Soft Star Moc3s made me realize I could go further afield, and I’ve long been intrigued by trail ultras. All of which got me thinking that the time might be now.

To give you an example of what I’ve been discovering recently, here’s what I encountered on today’s 11.76K trail run, which I did in a park near my home in southern Ontario…

The trail beside the river (which was in full spring flood) was blocked twice by washouts and once by a large fallen tree. That resulted in some creative route changes, which included a couple of gnarly short technical bits. At the top end end of the route, I couldn’t go where I’d intended, so instead veered off to run along a wide gravel path next to a hydro right of way. Lots of big puddles, lots of rough gravel, lots and lots of mud, what felt like a bjillion climbs and descents, some running in dense woods, and some running under a wide-open sky. I’m still very new to this trail stuff and realize how much I have to learn.

My “official” training for the Vulture Bait will start on July 1. That gives me lots of time to ease into trail running, explore some new trails, and continue to enjoy the opportunities provided by the Moc3s. (By the way, stay tuned for a comprehensive review of these magic “ghost shoes.” They’re pretty amazing!)

Leading the pack

Second, it was a chance to pay back. Late in 2005, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Since then, I’ve had very good care from the good folks at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital. For this year’s Spring Run Off, I raised just over C$1,500 to support PMH’s research and treatment programs. It’s only a drop in the bucket, given the prevalence of prostate cancer these days, but it’s something.

As if that weren’t enough, I managed to set a new personal best time for the 8K. My chip time was 44:12.8. That’s a 6 minute improvement over my finishing time in 2008. I placed 6/21 in my age category, 649/1173 in my gender group, and 917/2244 overall. It’s a good result, and one I’m very pleased with.

Just before the race start, I had the pleasure of meeting with some fellow dailymilers. It was a very pleasant way to start race day. The weather was good, though a touch on the cold side to start: 2C, sunny, 11 km/h wind, and 55% humidity.

The Spring Run Off course is interesting, and a tough one if you’re trying to do it quickly. As you can see from the map below, it’s a double loop, with a smaller one within the larger. The roadways are narrow, which can make mid-pack running somewhat crowded, especially as many runners optimistically start well ahead of where they should. The route includes two rather steep descents and two comparable climbs. The second climb, a short but brutal 400m, occurs just before the finish line. This is where elite runners make their final strong kick – for the rest of us, it’s a bit of a slog. In either case, it’s a great location for spectators, and makes for a very exciting finish line atmosphere.

The man’s alright!

A confident finish, for all the toughness of that last climb, and all that was left was to bask in some spring sunshine.

A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who supported me to raise funds for this event. That’s the real cause for the great feelings and the celebration!