This was another great local race to put on the list. The start and end of the race was on a farm with open fields and just a beautiful atmosphere to start and finish a race. I finished with a time of 1:47:33, lots of rolling hills and some gravel roads/trails which was not expected. The start of the race was on a gravel trail which was about a 1/4 mile that looped around a cow field, wasn’t bad it was good wake up call for the feet, I took advantage of the grass areas when things opened up a bit, then it was on to the streets. It was a beautiful morning, 45 degrees and sunny at race time, could have been a bit warmer for my liking but perfect running weather.
The course took you through the back roads of Redding, county atmosphere, lots of trees and nature, and hardly any traffic. Around the 7 mile mark the course turned into a gravel road. To me this seemed like a road that was dug up for paving on a later date, definitely not barefoot friendly. It wasn’t a compact trail of rocks (which is better to run on barefoot) but instead scattered rocks, gravel, and dirt. Thankfully it wasn’t too long but it definitely slowed me down.
After the race my feet felt great, even the next day, it’s amazing how resilient the feet can be. I go into races running barefoot without knowing what the course is like, which always puts some mystery and concern in me, especially if it’s a marathon, but it presents a fun challenge. Running barefoot you need to expect the unexpected with a new course. Next up the Fairfield, CT Half in June.
