Longest run so far in my VFFs - 10km

Since I left UBS 8 months ago, some of my colleagues who never ran before took up running.  I had already decided when I woke up today that I would take my running kit to work with me and do a lunchtime run.  Then as I was heading to the changing rooms I bumped into one of my colleagues and he told me they were about to go running, so I thought I would join them.  We were the four musketeers.

I was planning on a short run as I decided to run in my VFFs, and 5km is the furthest I have run in them before.  My colleagues were planning on running 11km however, so I told them I would run with them part of the way then turn round and head back to the office on my own.  The route we took was the path next to the Glatt river and it is a mix of gravel and asphalt, although most of it is gravel.  Gravel is an interesting surface to run on in the VFFs, as you get a lot of the sensations you would if you were barefoot but without the pain.  I still had to keep an eye on where I was running though, as some stones can hurt if you tread on them.

The pace was pretty much 10km/h most of the way, but after I left my colleagues and headed back to work I slowed down initially so that I could do a nice fast ending.  As I neared the end my pace was 3:37 per km.  The turnover rate of my legs was very high, as when you are running in VFFs you naturally tend to take lots of little steps instead of bounding like you would in well cushioned shoes.  It really felt great zipping along the river with the feeling of the ground beneath my feet.

I haven't noticed any difference in my body after the run, other than my calf muscles are a little tighter than normal.  I certainly don't want to push my limits too much and get injured, but 10km in my VFFs seems just fine.

The only downside of today's run was that there is a lot of rape growing next to the river, and that stuff smells horrible when it is in flower.  It is really pungent and smells partly like bog water but worse, and partly like someone who has not washed for days and days.  Personally I think it should be banned, or grown in areas well away from the general public.  The only thing that smells more pungent than rape that I can think of offhand is marijuana, but I kind of like that sickly, sweet smell.  Next time I run the same route we did today perhaps I should run with a clothes peg on my nose.