I was going to blog exclusively about how Joanie Garmin yet again could not locate the satellites until we were halfway down Irving Park today. Or how it was nasty humid again at 5 AM. Or how I didn't get enough sleep due to having nightmares about an 11 miler in 92 degrees on Saturday. Or how this was one of those runs were I was literally willing myself to make it to the next water fountain.
But no.
Let's talk about the dude I saw at Belmont running barefoot. With his shoes on his hands!!!
Only in Chicago kids, only in Chicago. This dude didn't look crazy at all either. He was dressed appropriately in running clothes. He wasn't singing to himself or shitting himself. But, he was barefoot. No socks, no shoes. He was, however, wearing a hat, because you can't forget your hat. Shoes, on the other hand, don't seem to be a required clothing item when running in the city. Does he think he's Abebe Bikila? He certainly wasn't running that fast anyway.
But...he had his shoes on his hands. I spent the rest of my run wondering why his shoes were on his hands, rather than his feet. Was he trying to dry them out? Understandable, given the saturation level of the air. Still, I think he'd have an easier time stuffing some paper in them. Maybe he was trying to see how far he could run barefoot, and was afraid that he'd go too far and then have to walk home barefoot. This would be a walk of shame, of course. So if his shoes were with him, then he could just put them on and walk home. If that's the case, why not put them in one of those light-weight drawstring bags? It is awfully hot out, but I think the discomfort of running barefoot on a paved path would outweigh that of being really, really hot.
Or maybe he was just planning on doing a hand-stand at some point and has very delicate hands. Maybe he doesn't have hands at all...and he was just wearing the shoes on his stumps because he's insecure due to his lack of hands.
I don't know. And maybe, I never will. Suffice it to say, Shoeless Joe helped me make it through my run today. For that, I salute you, Shoeless Joe of Belmont and Lakeshore. Real Men of Genius right here.
3 comments:
Barefoot running is becoming quite a big deal. I've done some research on it and it supposed to significantly decrease running injuries due to your foot strike. I used to run warm ups and cool downs barefoot years ago, and I'm considering doing it again. I won't go extreme and run races barefoot, though! I saw people running the Boston Marathon barefoot! Ouch.
That's bizarre. I'd go with the handstand theory. Or maybe he was trying out barefoot running, but wanted to carry his shoes with him, in case it didn't work??? We can keep guessing!
Funny! I did an 80 relay race once with an awesome group of girls! One of them had severe blisters -- so she took off her shoes and ran the last three miles of her leg with her shoes in her hands! I even have pictures! Such a trooper! We ended up placing first for the women. If you want to read more... http://marathon26.blogspot.com/2007/05/past-race-report-iii_25.html
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