September

[Sweder]

Another five miler, a barefoot effort brought on by 'events'.

Mrs S remarked, with an air of disdain, on how my collection of trail shoes was giving off a rather noxious whiff. Insulted, all the more so as she was absolutely right, I hurled all three pairs into our Hotpoint WT761, hit a number between 3 and 7 and huffed off to work. Some hours later I returned to find a brackish pool spreading from beneath a conspicuously silent machine. Yes, dear reader, I trashed the washing machine. Despite my best efforts late into the night, including frantic online research, the door remains resolutely locked. I can see my runners, piled up in a puddle of filthy suds, a colourful running shoe car crash. An engineer is winging his weary way towards Swederville as we speak. As time and tide, especially a muddy one spreading inexorably across the Utility Room floor, wait for no man, I took off in the Vibrams.

Every cloud, and all that. I'd yet to test my latest Barefoot garments in wet conditions. Peering into the slanting rain I relished the chance. In short, they did OK, managing mud slides and wet grass with aplomb, but were no match for the shiny flint path that my Mizunos gobble up so easily. Seven out of ten, then, my first 'slick' pair being a three, middle hybrids (barely worn, in truth) around a five.

Five soggy miles banked at a reasonable clip. Whilst I'm still unconcerned with pace I must say that a relaxed easy Barefoot run is notably quicker than the same run in trail shoes. A least, my 'resting' pace (when not climbing hills or negotiating slippery slaloms) is around 20 seconds a mile 'less slow'.

Another one planned for tomorrow, then a series of road runs as I'm exiled in Birmingham for the week. After thirty years plus in the trade show business I'm handling my first ever event - Solar Power UK - at the National Exhibition Centre. Strike up the band.

Track du jour: Mr Joe Walsh, Rocky Mountain Way.