Last time I ran in Oleta was for a 10k trail run race over a year ago. I mentioned it in my post about "Running in Vibrams", which I'm still doing. Oleta State Park is on the eastern edge of North MIami Beach, and is on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway. I don't visit it as often as I should mainly due to being about 25 miles away from me. However, it has some of the longest and most challenging single track trails in all of South Florida, which you can also run on, plus SUP, kayaks & canoe riding too. All of which you can easily rent from their Blue Moon Rental center. Oleta is notorious for having jutting rocks & roots, but even so, it still makes for an awesome time by giving you one of the nicest scenes of any S. Fl trail.
A map of the park, including the mountain bike trails. North is to the left of the page.
I was quickly reminded as I pulled in just what a great place this is to get your fitness on and get that run I've jonesing. I bought another pair of Vibrams, Bikilas, which has less tread and lining than the Spyridons, making for a more "naked" feel; closer to truly barefoot. At this point, I'm very comfortable running upto 7 miles on the road, but prefer running on off-road/dirt trails because of the softer natural feel, compared to roads. These trails really cater to this running style and in no time, you build some great momentum flying up & down the hills and through the trees. All of course, until you step squarely on a stone, or root, right on the ball of your foot ...Ouch!
One thing I've learned running with "barefeet" is that your feet, and legs & body, can react quicker than you can ever imagine. Slipping on loose rocks, your foot, balance & weight adjust in a milli-second to accomodate before your other foot even hits the ground. It's actually pretty amazing to observe and makes my running way more enjoyable. This also forces you to run very lightly, on the front half of your feet, and take quicker steps. It feels more like you're gliding through the trail, instead of the heavy-hammer-heel step most runners pound themselves into submission with. With traditional running shoes, I feel you don't get a quicker response because of the lag time all that extra material adds on.
*For the record, it's been over 2 years since my last hamstring pull, which was the main reason for switching my whole running style, casuals shoes and all. I still get my legs sore and tight, but not in that ever-threatening way that feels like "The Pull" can happen on your next step. It sucks to run with that physio-mental crap going on in the background.
However, given a long enough trail run, you're bound to catch something that will hurt your foot. I did around the 3-4 mile mark of this 5 mile run and it really slowed me down having to switch between walking(over the rocky areas) & running. As usual after a long "rocking" run, my feet were pretty sore, but mostly recovered overnight. I've considered buying a pair of Zero Drop shoes for longer runs and to prevent these types of mid-run injuries, but I'm so hesistant because I really enjoy running in Vibrams. I have, however, looked into some Altras and am considering them for 1/2 Marathons and longer. Technically speaking, foot soreness is the only thing preventing me from going much longer and I'd hate to miss out because of shear hard-headedness of staying true to the "naked foot" game.
Hope you you make some time to get outside and do something. If you're in South Florida and you haven't ..shame on you! Remember, we all get a set amount of days on this Earth and living in a place with such beautiful weather, especially between Nov-May, and not enjoying it is wasting what may be one of your biggest advantages of all. Go out and Recreate! before it's too late!
