Barefoot Hollywood

I am sorry for those of you who are not interested in barefoot running.  I include these posts because I figure someone somewhere might need the same encouragement that I did when I first "discovered" barefoot running.

Humphrystown to Hollywood via Tulfarris, courtesy Google Earth

I set out intending to repeat yesterday's 5 mile lake-shore run but at the entrance to Tulfarris was turned back because they are felling trees further along that road. This sort of forced my hand to go further. Tackling cold, muddy forest tracks is harder to countenance earlier in a run* so I followed the road to Hollywood and then returned via the forest. It is amazing what difference 5 degC makes. Muddy patches where I sank to my ankles were still cold, but not bitterly so as yesterday morning. Horses have been using these tracks - they churn up the paths and the end result is not at all kind to barefoot runners. This may be because horses wear shoes.

The total distance was 9.1 miles, according to Google Earth on which I traced the route you see in my picture. Rather hard on the feet.

NOTE * I have some principles on which I operate. They are purely personal: I have no wish to inflict them on anyone else. The one to which I refer here is to force a later decision by burning bridges, like running along a road to Hollywood from where the shortest distance back home is via a muddy and wet forest track. This principle is useful to get oneself to the dentist or to do any other distasteful task. It depends on a second principle namely to minimise expenditure, thus having started to drive to Naas it would violate the second principle to turn back without getting to the dentist. You already know my principle of outings (this includes cycling, running, or a car journey) in which one should try not to retrace one's path. Just to clear up any misunderstanding, the first principle I mentioned would seem to violate that of deferred gratification. I am not at all sure about that middle class axiom of deferred gratification. Having been brought up what I would label "lower middle class" I used to always leave the things I liked best on my plate till last. The problem with this principle is that you might not have room after force-feeding oneself piles of beetroot, curly kale, broad beans and such like, and as a result defeat the very purpose. So sometimes it might be better (like a child) to eat the things you really enjoy first. This should not be confused with another principle in which, when I am planning and executing a project, I generally tackle the most difficult part first. Having succeeded, it is, of course, all down hill from there.