Barefoot on holiday

I have just returned from a week family holiday in France with 21 of my family. We were celebrating my parent's 30th wedding anniversary near to where they originally honeymooned in Brittany. For this great occasion my Dad rented a farmhouse for all of us and it worked out really well
(we didn't fight and nobody was injured!)

Of the 21 of us, 7 were children, 3 years of age or younger. It was a great opportunity to see my nieces (no nephews yet) and to spend time with my brother, sisters and their other halves.

What impressed me about this holiday was how much everyone was running. My sister Jules is back training after her second baby and clocked up the miles. My brother Rich was running most days after a hectic work
schedule recently. My brother-in-law (BIL) Si was getting stuck in after some success with treating his back issues. Leading in eagerness was my girlfriend Catherine, my BIL Steve also got roped into it and I even donned my Vibram 5 Fingers for the week! Steve did a 10km with C, J and I, which both Jules and Steve excelled at, all credit to them on those hills.

What got me inspired was my siblings commitment and motivation to get out and run. This was despite the knowledge that the hills were steep and the weather warm (at least for a few days!) Rather than sit back and
eat the pastries and cheese and drink the wine, they got out and
trained. Even if later their reward was a great meal, they'd got their
training in early. This got me out running and after that first trip I
was much keener. The highlight being the 12 miles I ran with Catherine.

I was running barefoot in my Vibram 5 Fingers for the week and the more I wear them the more I want to ditch my trainers. It's true they are not great for everyone, but for me they feel just right. I am light on my
feet, I have a great turnover rate and maintain a natural easy stride.

Certainly the first run was a little stony for my liking, but you
quickly adapt and your awareness increases as you feel more and focus on where you are placing your feet.

The 2nd run was the 10km that I ran with Steve, Jules and Catherine. The hardest part for me was downhill and ensuring I stayed light on my feet without punishing my knees. Certainly I have more to learn!

The final run was 12 miles with Catherine which we ended up completing at an average of 8:35/minute mile pace. I did get a few pains around 7 miles, but once we hit the hills I was thriving and they eased off. Our
penultimate mile (of which half was up hill) took just 8 minutes and 10 seconds; a great pickup at the end of a long run, good job C & T!

The holiday was a great break. We trained, we ate & drank and we laughed. Overall I'd say that was a success! As a bonus Catherine and I talked my BIL Steve into running the Chester marathon with us in October. He's already into training and I've shipped him a bottle of
Cherryactive to sooth his aches as he goes through the mileage.

It's easy to find inspiration all around us from Paralympians to sports stars. But maybe the best motivation we can gain is to see what "ordinary" people are doing and realise that we can all be healthy and active. Have you done your 20 minutes of cardio today?!

T :-)