Saturday morning, Jenny and I joined some good friends at our first mud run, the Jailbreak. As first-timers, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect except mud, obstacles, some running, and more mud. As a non-runner, Jenny was a little apprehensive, but she stepped up and gave it a try.

We met Lacy, my best friend from high school, his wife Amie, and our friends Jon and Amber for the 9:00 wave, first of the day. The location was DFW Adventure Park in Roanoke, which is normally used for outdoor paintball, ATV riding, and other extreme events. Each wave had 300 runners of varying speeds and ages. To fit the jailbreak theme, Jon and Amber dressed up as a ball and chain, with Amber as the ball and a chain tying her to her husband (see pics below!).

Lacy and I ran together, running most of the way and catching up. We rarely see each other anymore, so it was great to hang out for a while. Jon and Amber were slowed a bit by their attachment. Jenny and Amie stuck together by choice rather than chain and actually ran a lot more than Jenny had planned. I don’t think she realized how much her stamina and strength have improved over the months she’s spent in the gym, and I’m proud of how well she did.

The run itself was quite interesting and prettier than I expected, with much of the course going through a quiet forest and a cool, refreshing river that we waded through (my favorite part, right in the middle of the course after we were nice and warm). The obstacles weren’t as difficult as I expected. We kept a comfortable pace rather than blasting through at full speed, which would have been impossible due to the MUD. The shallow, slippery mud simply threw off your footing and made you worry about spraining an ankle. The thick, sticky mud nearly sucked your shoes off and buried them forever. Jenny and I both nearly got stuck in a few places. We both chose not to take home our nasty shoes or socks. You’ll understand once you see the pictures. After the race, a fire hose provided a welcome chance to clean off the mud before we enjoyed a free beer and some tasty barbecue.

Although I still plan to do most of my racing in a mud-free environment, the Jailbreak was a fun change of pace and a chance to hang out with good friends while benefiting a worthy cause. Jenny actually wants to do another mud run next year, so I’ll look into our options. Maybe you can join us!

Here are some pictures:

Jailbreak 2010 Pics

Some friends of ours gave us their old treadmill, which gave me another running option when daylight or weather prevents me from running outside. It also provides another possibility that I’ve been curious about – barefoot running.

There are two main schools of thought among runners regarding footwear:

1. Buy traditional running shoes to cushion your feet and correct any foot problems such as overpronation.
2. Run either barefoot or with very thin shoes to let your feet and legs adapt naturally, just like every other running animal does.

Obviously, option 1 is by far the most common among runners. Whether that’s by necessity or due to expert marketing, I can’t say. But option 2 is rapidly gaining ground, thanks largely to two factors.

One is a bestselling book called Born to Run, which tells the story of a remote Indian tribe in Mexico made of experts in ultra-long distance running (50 miles or more). I haven’t read the book yet, but I do have a birthday coming up. =) It argues, among other things, that while humans aren’t built to be the fastest animals on earth, we are blessed with a remarkable capacity for endurance. Some African tribes catch animals such as antelope by outrunning them – not in a sprint, but by outlasting them after 3-5 hours of running. Some of the best distance runners in international competition come from Africa, where barefoot running is more common.

The other reason is the exploding popularity of yet another weird shoe, the Vibram Five Fingers minimalist running shoe. It’s essentially a glove for your feet, protecting them from rocks and debris while providing the benefits of true barefoot running. A couple of my friends swear by them. Actually, I’m not aware of anyone who bought a pair and regrets it. I am curious, but I’m also mindful that VFFs and barefoot running are the complete opposite approach to my current one (expensive running shoes with even more expensive custom orthotics).

Barefoot running, they say, forces you to use proper form. Why? Because if your form is bad (heavy heel-striking, lots of up-and-down bouncing, lead foot landing too far ahead, etc.), your feet complain very quickly. With cushy shoes like most of us wear, your bad form can hide in all the foam so that you don’t feel the problem or even know you have one.

I gave it a try tonight. My initial plan was a barefoot 5k on the treadmill. Very quickly I realized that my shoe-pampered feet weren’t nearly tough enough for 3.1 miles of landing on a rough surface. I put my shoes back on after one mile. However, except for the foot tenderness, barefoot running actually felt pretty good. It definitely gives you much more feedback on your form, letting you feel which parts of your feet absorb the most impact.

Have any of you tried it, or do you know anyone who has? What are your thoughts?

The first organized race I ever ran was the Cowtown 10k in February 2002. I trained in the awesome park by my new apartment in Euless. My new girlfriend, Jenny, came to cheer me on. I had no idea how much traffic the event would draw, so we got stuck in traffic and arrived late for the race. Then I got confused regarding the starting point and accidentally started on the separate 5k. Eventually I found the 10k course, jogged past all the walkers (since the runners had already turned around for the return leg), foolishly pushed through some nasty knee pain, and reached the finish line to find Jenny waiting for me. I’m pretty sure I covered at least 10k, but I don’t really know how much I actually ran since I didn’t follow a real course.

Eight years later, my running is going well, and I’m excitedly planning my next 10k. It’s a less popular distance, but I managed to find one: the Liberty 5k / 10k / 1 Mile Fun Run in The Colony on July 3. This time I’ll still be with that Jenny girl from the first race, but she’ll be staying home with our children, and I hope to start on the correct course. =)

Since many of you know I have a thing about being dirty, my next scheduled race might surprise you. It’s called The Jailbreak, and it’s 3.8 miles through military-style obstacles, urban wasteland, and lots of MUD. Yep, I’m going to get really, really dirty, and I’m OK with that. It’s a stretch assignment. Therapy, if you will. It will be good for me, and a lot of fun!

Our friends Jon, Amber, Lacy, and Amie plan to brave it with us. Due to the thousands of participants and the many obstacles, the runners go in waves every half hour or so. We’re in the first wave at 9:00am. Our brother-in-law Phillip is putting together another group that will run that afternoon. If you want in, sign up NOW because it’s almost full.

Even better, this race benefits Sower of Seeds, an organization like Water is Basic that drills clean water wells in India. According to the race website, they can drill one well for every 1000 participants.