Aug. 10, 2022
It was a beautiful sunny day today. I had a 5-hour seminar to teach between 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. After that, I hit a nearby park to refresh myself.
There were a number of like-minded athletic people of all ages in the park. Some kids were practicing soccer with their moms sitting in the shade under a tree, watching their boys play while chatting.
Quite a few elderly people, both men and women, enjoyed walking. Some had walking sticks in both of their hands. Others walked at a quite brisk pace for their ages.
I started off at a little slower than 6-min/K pace. I ran a 500-M track twice counterclockwise to run 1 K and timed. Then I ran the same track this time clockwise twice and timed.
I felt fatigued after running 5 K. I thought of calling a day. But I changed my mind in the last minute and carried on. But I slowed down a bit to warm down.
When I ran 5.5 K, I had a choice: Will I stop? Or will I carry on? I carried on for another 500 M because a slow lap allowed me to refuel my legs. But I decided to make it my last lap for the day. This lifted my motivation slightly and allowed me to pick up a pace just a little toward the end.
All in all, it was a pleasantly pain-free barefoot session. I feel increasingly confident that sooner or later I can run a race again in bare feet. But I will take baby steps. I will also keep in mind that resting at my age is as important as pushing myself.
I am still trying to figure out a weekly training regimen that is sustainable. But the process of thinking about what works best for me is so much fun. And that's what keeps me going.
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