St. Francis Trail

I have known about this trail for years and never seemed to be able to make  the time to check it out.  St. Francis was a booming town at the turn of the 20th Century serving steam boat traffic on the St. Johns River.  When the railroads civilized Florida the town vanished along with the riverboats.  That's right!  I'm talking about a honest to goodness Ghost Town!

This seven mile loop trail just west of Deland leads to the remains of the town.  I’ve read that there are no structures remaining, but some of the foundations are still visible.

I drive past this trail every time I make that “over the river and through the woods” trek to grandmother’s house.  Today I decided to stop off and check it out on my way home after Thanksgiving.  It would also give me a chance to try out the 4mm Invisible Shoes Connect soles that I got a deal on last week.

The trail run went something like this – ouch . . . . dammit . . . .ooomph . . . . crap . . . . cough thgthhttgggg (spits out spider web) . . . . ouch . . . . You get the idea.

This was a challenging trail to run.  It was a little overgrown and had some deadfall obstacles.  It doesn’t look like it has had much traffic lately – at least not by anyone tall enough to clear the spider webs at the height of my face.  The ground was a tangle of tree roots and cypress knees that would test the limits of any shoe, and the mere 4mm of rubber I had laced to the soles of my feet didn’t offer much protection.  When I landed wrong on a cypress knee I definitely felt it.   Fortunately there were some stretches of boardwalk to provide relief.

It required diligent attention to the ground ahead of me while I was running so keeping a lookout for trail blazes wasn’t easy and it was hard to enjoy the surroundings while I was so focused on the ground.  It was also late in the day so the setting sun would occasionally blind me when it shone through the canopy.  I did manage to spot some wild turkeys just off the trail.

And the mosquitos!  It’s almost December!  We’re not supposed to be having a mosquito problem this time of year.  I would get swarmed every time I stopped moving.

This seems like a lot of bitching which isn’t fair because I still managed to have a lot of fun on the run.  I even took time to shoot some video of me running in the Invisible Shoes.

Enjoy.

A mere two miles from the trailhead the light was already starting to dim and I knew I wouldn’t have time to make it the entire 7 miles around the loop.  The exact same time I that I came to that realization, the ecosystem changed in the blink of an eye to a dryer pine forest, so I decided to press on just a little bit further.  I’m glad I did because I came across this foot bridge:

I shot a few videos crossing the bridge and I think they capture one of the advantages of running in these sandals – check out how my foot is able to grip the logs.

Even with bruising the soles of my feet and the involuntary blood donations to the mosquitoes, I had a ton of fun and I didn’t even make it to the St. Francis site.  The shoes performed well, but weren’t up to the task of saving my feet from the obstacles on this particular trail so I can’t wait to try them out under better conditions.

I will have to reprise this run very soon.

Shh! What's that sound?

Miles of wilderness all to myself.

The wind.  

Animals scurrying through the brush.  

The call of a bird overhead.  

The gurgling of water from a nearby creek.

My footsteps.

My breathing.  

My heartbeat.  

Nothing else.  

It’s a beautiful sound.  

It’s musical.

I never understood why people put plugs in their ears when they run.

I miss the sun.

I took a 3 mile run tonight in my Invisible Shoes. At least I feel confident enough in them now that I can wear them in the dark.

48 hours seems to be sufficient recovery time between runs.  My calves aren’t sore at all after this run.  I tried running on consecutive days over the weekend and that proved to be bit too much too soon.

I started experimenting with these with the intention of using them for trail running, but since the Marine Corps Marathon I have only run in regular shoes twice.  Every other run has been in either these or my home made “Jesus sandals.”  They really are working out well on hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete I will just have to take my time increasing mileage.

They’ve also added a new dimension to my running – fun.

I think I might go for 5 miles this weekend.

Invisible Shoes

Invisible Shoes - 6mm Contact

I have been toying with the idea of making huarache running sandals for the past few weeks (That's not quite true, I have really been thinking about them since I read Born to Run two years ago).  After spending some time trying to make a pair completely from scratch, I determined that I would quickly spend more on gas trying to track down materials than the cost of a complete do-it-yourself kit.  I asked myself why should I try to re-invent the wheel (or in this case a millennia old sandal) so I broke down and ordered the 6mm Contact from Invisible Shoes.  I placed the order Thursday night and I received it by priority mail on Monday.  I love it when an on-line retailer is so diligent about order fulfillment.

They offer two sole thicknesses, the 4mm Connect and the 6mm Contact.  I opted for the thicker Contact because I thought it would offer a little more protection for a running sandal novice.

My first impression after opening the priority mail envelope was how dense the soles are.  They have a substantial feel in the hand and seem very durable while still being completely flexible.  They seemed so tough that I questioned my reservations about ordering the 4mm version of the sole instead.  Not to worry, if I decide I want the thinner soles with an even better ground feel, at this price I could easily afford to order a second pair.

Fit before trimming

The package comes with two soles with holes pre-punched at the ankles, two 6 foot laces, a bobby pin (thoughtfully included to help thread the laces through the soles) and a simple instruction sheet.  You are required to punch the toe hole yourself for a perfect fit.  There are more detailed instructions including several videos on the Invisible Shoes web site.

The soles are precut and the size 10.5 was a pretty good fit for me already but I decided to do a little trimming for a custom fit.  The process was easy, just trace your foot, smooth the lines a bit, and then carefully cut with a pair of heavy duty scissors.

Fit after trimming

Whoops. I accidentally laced the left sandal backwards.

I have been experimenting with lacing options with my Walmart flip flop huaraches over the past few days and settled on a slip on method instead of the more traditional toga style that wraps around your ankle.  Again, there are several videos on their website demonstrating various lacing methods.   I had the sandals trimmed, laced and ready for running in about half an hour and it only took that long because I was taking pictures.

Walmart Flip Flop Huaraches

I took them for a very short run up and down my street about quarter mile using the traditional lacing method and then again with the slip on lacing.  It confirmed that I like the slip on method much better.  This method doubles the strap around your heel which I found more comfortable, not to mention that once tied it only takes a few seconds to put them on.

I plan to use these for trail running, but even running on pavement I was surprised at how good they felt.  The feel of the sole under my foot is not dissimilar to my Merrell Trail Gloves and I loved having my feet completely exposed to the air.

My one reservation is the knot in the lace under my toes.  It was noticeable but not uncomfortable when I walked and ran on a hard surface.  I could barely feel it walking on carpet or on my lawn.  After tying the knot I squeezed it with pliers and melted it a bit with a flame but it was still noticeable.  It did flatten out some and improve after just that little bit of running and walking around the house so I think it will improve as I continue to wear them.

I thought it would be a few days before I got to really test these out, but a fluke break in the weather presented me with an opportunity to get in a quick trail run after work.  I ran a hilly 2 mile loop in the LyoniaPreserve.  The surface is mostly sandy, some very loose and some well packed, mixed in with some harder packed earth and plenty of roots to trip you up.  The shoes performed very well, similar to my Trail Gloves but with an even better ground feel.  You definitely feel it when you land on something hard, like a root or rock, but it was not painful and I could sometimes feel my foot able to conform to the shape of the irregular surface. One disadvantage I have noticed in my Trail Gloves is the amount of sand and debris that collects in the shoe.  When I ran my 50k earlier this year I had to stop several times to shake them out.  That will certainly not be a problem with these sandals.

The lacing worked extremely well and the sole did not shift at all while I was running, even on steep inclines.  I need to tweak them just a little bit because the fit was too snug around my second toe.   Some slack in the toe strap will allow me to pull the lace towards my big toe.  I also had no trouble with the knot under my toes.  I didn’t notice it at all while I was running.  The entire setup was very comfortable.  After running the two miles I haven’t noticed any unusual aches or pains – no blisters or chafing from the laces, no heel or arch pain, shins, calves, knees, hips – all fine.

It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go for another run in them.  Although I confess I did change out of them when I stopped at the grocery store on the way home.  Comfortable as they are, I am still a bit embarrassed to be seen wearing them in public. ;-)

After 2 miles on the trail.