Running with the Pack 66: Barefoot Running, Running the Race Before the Race, and Top-10 Marathon Tips

Summary: This week, we talk about Stevie’s trip to see Chris McDougal speak about the book Born to Run and barefoot running, my trip to Austin, running the race before the race (and why not to do it), and my top-10 tips for your first marathon. After doing this podcast, Stevie and I went to a local retail store and bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (which are like gloves for your feet) and went to a track to give them a try. I lasted about a mile before my calves started to cramp up. Stevie made it to around the 3 mile mark. My calves are pretty sore today, but I’d like to keep using them to build them up. I thought I had started to run on my forefoot before, but with the Vibrams, I ran COMPLETELY differently than normal. Now I understand the sound that Brandon (brandonsmarathon.com) talks about when he says that he can identify a forefoot runner by the sound their footfalls make.