Barefoot Running - Silence Is Golden

I took the last five days off from running because I was feeling under the weather. Feeling much better after a full day's rest from the lame party, I was looking forward to my lunchtime run.

It felt great. I headed out for a four-mile trek to and from Mission Park. According to the National Weather Service the wind chill was bringing the 25 degree temp down to 18 and I felt it during the first two miles going into the wind. There was just a powder of last night's snow left in spots on the Centennial Trail. After turning around there seemed to be less of a wind so I did what any other sound-in-mind-and-body, sober runner would do. I took my shoes off.

I ran for a mile with a light snow coming down, sucking in an odd flake now and then. One errant flake caught me in the eye. Did you ever notice that the world seems quieter during a snow fall? Maybe it was all in my head but that seems true even in a sparsely falling snow. I suppose I could attribute the silence to my bare feet lightly touching down on each step, but running as quiet as the breeze along the trail was absolutely the most enjoyable part of the run.

I would've loved to continue without shoes all the way back but the reality of the weather reminded me not to do anything stupid. Although three of my toes were complaining of the cold, the soles of my feet felt fine. So I put my shoes and socks back on and thap-thap-thapped the last mile back to the office.