day after race

Well I did it; I completed my first half marathon before I turned 55! And I did it under 2 hours. And I never saw another barefoot runner but there must have been at least one out of 3500 people!
I am very sore today and am walking around like an old cowboy so I'm thinking about what I can do differently next time. The biggest thing is to keep doing walk/run intervals. Yesterday I was feeling so good and passing people and pounding along on the pavement happily and I didn't do walk intervals. Not until the last 3 km when I felt like my body was going to completely seize up. My muscles must have been full of lactic acid! I have never been stiff after my training runs but then I always do walk/run intervals. So what I learned is that I should keep the walk/run intervals and plan a strategy for time goals that includes walking times. I also want to train at a faster pace or do more speed play so my muscles are accustomed to faster movement.
I have 9 weeks to my next half marathon so there is time to change my training and to work on being more specific with my time goals!
But for now I'm going to enjoy long walks and slow feldenkrais lessons; on my way to regain easy flowing movement!

I am back from my trip to Calgary where I picked up my new Vibram five finger Bekilas. They are Vibram five-finger's newest model of shoe made specifically for runners. They are great. There is more padding on the bottom, specifically where the bones in the foot press into the ground. The result is that I didn't feel every pebble on the road and was able to relax more. I love these shoes and love running in them!!
My only concern is that these will not be warm enough in -20C weather or colder! I am looking for an alternative so I can run outside all winter.

I am just back from a 15k run with RunClub. We ran the trails on the range outside kamloops; lots of hills, fields, and some forests. It was a beautiful day and I felt strong in my Vibram sprints. The only downside was that a short part of the run was on a gravel road and my feet were very sensitive. I'm looking forward to getting the Bekilas because the base is a little thicker and will hopefully be better on gravel, not that I run much on rock but I do fall behind the group when we hit rock or shale!
And as always I am so thankful that I have a Feldenkrais background; my running is effortless and painless while most people appear to be so uncomfortable and working so hard to just run a slow pace!
If you have ever wondered what Feldenkrais is about check out this short youtube video that highlights some of the important points of a Feldenkrais class (called Awareness Through Movement or ATM); imagine applying this to running and how effortless and easy running really can be!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ko7U1pLlg

wow, 6 months, and I haven't posted but I've been barefoot running all winter. In the cold months I ran barefoot (with my Vibram Five fingers) in doors and used runners for my outdoor runs. But now that spring is here I am only running in my Vibrams and today went for a 1.5 hour hike in the hills in my Vibrams - sooo great. My feet feel like they are working, the bones all moving, and my legs and body feel so connected to the earth.
I am now up to one hour runs but will start to gain time and distance with a half marathon in view this fall! I joined Run Club and am the only barefoot runner; people are aware of it but nobody has seen it yet. YET. It will be big because it is so great.