Julie Rants

I now have Injini socks! Beverly gifted me TWO pairs! Woot! Thanks, Beave! So far I haven't had a recurrence of a blister. There is a discussion thread on Runner's World Barefoot Running Forum that suggests that particular seam (in the instep) in VFF KSOs is problematic for many. I've read accounts ranging from those who only wear VFFs with Injinji socks to those who never wear them, opting instead to allow their foot to condition itself or who use measures like Band-Aids or duct tape. Some people complain that the socks cause the shoes to be too tight. I don't have this problem, but then again, I do have very skinny toes. My only complaint is that when I'm done running my feet are hot. Not a biggie. Nothing that can't be solved by taking them off -- er, the socks, I mean, not my feet. I'm sure I'll welcome the extra heat this winter, and I'm happy to accept a little extra warmth over lost skin.

I just finished reading 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! by Dean Karnazes. Yes, the book was nearly as annoying as the subtitle. Seriously, I would have been fine with "Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days" without any other part of the title. Or, "Dude, I Ran 50 Marathons in 50 Days: I'm So Much Better Than You!" because, hey, it's honest. To be fair, I only read this book because I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall yet (currently #15 on the New York Times NonFiction Bestseller List). This book was meant to tide me over until then. And by "tide me over" I mean "inspire me to run." First, let me state I'm impressed by the guy. He ran 50 marathons in 50 days with an average time of 3:53. Then, he decided to run home... to San Francisco... from New York, averaging "about forty-five or fifty" miles each day. Granted, he stopped somewhere in Missouri, but still. The book starts with a preface that first recounts the highest praise he has received, such as "fittest man on the planet," "no mere mortal," "the perfect human," then ends with this "Just remember, as extreme as some of my accomplishments have been, you are reading about an average guy. An extremely average guy." Let me clue you in buddy, my favorite writing rule: "Never tell a thing if you can show it instead." You know what he showed me? On pages 277 to 279, Dr. Bergman presents the findings from the blood draws and urinalysis conducted during this extravaganza. Surprise, surprise, Dean Karnazes is no mere mortal. This "extremely average guy" totally blew away the scientists' expectations of the effects of this marathon-marathon on his body. Dr. Bergman said that Karnazes "sailed through the Endurance 50, with none of the common ailments that plague the more typical athlete during one marathon, much less fifty." Dean, you aren't average, and I'm offended that you pretend to be. See, if you admit you are above-average, I can appreciate your accomplishments without having to compare myself to you, but when you insist you're average, I expect you to recount your experiences from the vantage point of an average person. I think you're slapping that "average" in my face so I'll be forced to compare myself to you. Do you really need that much validation? I think you're missing something in your life... like a fifth of whiskey. Oooouuu. I'll let karma bite me back on that one. Don't even get me started on the product pushing. I get that this was a sponsored event, but I paid cough-cough-checked-out-from-the-library to read about your experience, not to read the name of your sponsor and their oh-so-perfect shoes every other sentence. Oh, yeah, and this guy claims he was the idea behind Nike Frees. Maybe -- probably -- maybe-- he was... but go buy the shoes his sponsor makes! Even though he believes "humans are really designed to run barefoot." I agree, Dean. Go run barefoot. Then in Chapter 28, marathon #43, the Marine Corps Marathon, he says a marathoner is a warrior and likened running a marathon to war. When a runner collapsed in front of him, he says "a brother had fallen short of his destiny; a soldier had lost the war.... The scene that had just unfolded before me left me feeling grief-stricken and empty. So close to the finish line, I thought. So close. What a tragedy." Try putting forth that much effort while being shot at. Try feeling all "heroic" when your participation isn't voluntary, and you're not totally sure whether you're the good guy or the bad guy. Truth be told, I feel like he didn't get what he wanted out of this adventure. It turned into a publicity spectacle. Also, the book had a co-writer, so who knows how much of the book was his own voice. He's probably a likable, humble guy who just got caught up in a money-making scheme. No wonder after running 1310 miles in 50 days, he then went out on his own and ran roughly the same distance in 40 days without the hoopla. So was I inspired? No. But he did give me the idea to try running to an audio book. More on that later.

Enough of that rant. You think my feet are ugly? Check this out: Crazy Toes from the Runner's World Barefoot Forum. The chick with the pigtails makes me want to cry.