These Days with my Dog - Hercules

Smiling Hercules


True Friend

Running Relaxing

Good Buddy

Our Wheels

Home Turf

Rock n' Roll

Easy Street

I un-retired Hercules. We have been doing trail work at the entrance to Hansen Dam East. For us, trail work mostly means picking up any and all trash we might find on our strolls.

Today we collected more boulders for our garden. The VW bumper works great as a boulder collector. We've got a lot of beautiful river rocks around here. My aunt Maylee would love them. She used to paint faces on boulders. I would love to see those again.

Lesson: Keep your trails clean. Walk your dog. Take a picture.

BFT

PS. Hercules has been with my family for 8 years now. We got him for Ona's 4th birthday. He spent his first two years on a ranch in Oregon. He is a Lab/Newfoundland mix and is already beyond his prime. I retired him a couple years back because he is so unfriendly to other dogs, especially off-leash dogs. He would attack'em when they'd run up to him. Problem. So, now that he has lost a little more steam, I am taking him out again, and it is already improving his overall health.

Lesson: Keep moving.

Hansen Dam Barefoot Training ala Methode Naturelle

Note: I am an extreme and total novice when it comes to MN. Please read the comments to this blog for emails exchanged between me and Erwan Le Corre about MN.

Please visit Erwan's website at methode-naturelle.com

Decided to take my video camera along for my Saturday afternoon run.

In this short video you will see a me running on all kinds of different terrain. I think that it is good to mix it up. Hansen Dam is the perfect training playground to develop your body and mind.

This video shows the beginnings of my interpretation and application of Georges Hebert's Methode Naturelle.

I hope to become a instructor/promoter of his ideas.

BFT

PS. Music comes from album PHARAOH OVERLORD The Battle Of The Axehammer (Live) I found at www.aquariusrecords.org

Can your running shoes do this? Part 2

Can your running shoes do this? Mine can!


Having fun learning how to balance. Taking full advantage of my environment. The horse trail rails are perfect for balancing. The FiveFingers help me feel a little better about falling off into rocks and cactus.

BFT

FiveFingers Log Board Workout - video

I use the environs of Hansen Dam and the Verdugo Mountains (both are one mile away from my front door, one North the other South) as my testing grounds. I have learned to run barefoot on all the surfaces that nature provides in this area, and that ends up being a lot of different surfaces.

The log board workout is one of my favorites. It can be done barefoot, but it is not nearly as much fun when you have to worry about splinters. With my FiveFingers on, I can surf the logs, i.e., log-boarding!

Enjoy.

BFT

PS. I hope to soon get some video footage of another throwback to early skateboarding. Remember skateboarding in washes? Stay tuned.

FiveFingers Do Rocks and Horse Trail Videos

A couple more mini-videos of me running in the FiveFingers Sprints yesterday at Hansen Dam. I really like the new Sprints. The ability to micro-adjust them helps a lot in making the shoe fit snug, but not tight. Perfect for balance sports and for helping you FEEL the trail, but not FEEL the pokes.

BFT



FiveFingers Do Rocks




Vibram FiveFingers Horse Trail Trotting

FiveFingers Tight-Rope

You ask, "what can I do in those FiveFingers that I can't do in my regular running shoes?"

My answer: "This!"

The FiveFingers let your feet do what feet do, i.e., really flex, really feel, and still get the bonus of a little protection which goes a long way in some environments...like jumping down onto rocks, or if you go the wrong way, onto yucca and cactus!

BFT

Barefoot Rocks

Just wanted to make it perfectly clear that even though I am wearing Tarahumara huarache sandals these days, I am still able to barefoot in extreme situations. It is all about being light on your feet and focused.

As a matter of fact, until you are able to barefoot on hardcore trails, you will not have mastered the technique required to run in low profile, minimal shoes or sandals off-road, in my humble opinion.

BFT

PS. There is some sound at the very end of the video...for effect.

Tarahumara Huarache Sandal Sandy Riverbed & Broken Boulder Running Tests

Again today I took my huaraches out to Hansen Dam and put them through some more testing. I ran several miles through a sand filled, dried-out riverbed. My 5mm thick, four ounce Vibram-rubber soled sandals handled the situation flawlessly. The sand does not stay trapped under the sandal.

For the second part of my test, I headed to the dam structure. The backside of Hansen Dam is a giant broken granite boulder field. It is a great place to build strength and balance while running. I tested the Tarahumara huarache sandals on this terrain and they passed. No room for mistakes here. No forgiveness. But, great for learning how to stay focused and balanced.


Music: Rage Against the Machine

Tarahumara Huarache Sandal Rocky Trail Running Test

I took my huaraches out to Hansen Dam in Los Angeles and put them through some thorough testing today. I ran about 10 miles on some of the rockiest trails I could find. My 5mm thick, four ounce Vibram-rubber soled sandals worked perfectly.

You can usually trust indigenous design when it comes to active footwear. These sandals and others similar have been around for 1000s of years, and I know why. They have no frills, just exactly what you need and not a bit more. Elegant design.

What I am also finding is that nothing gets trapped under the foot. The strapping system is the very minimum, and with no straps and other excess, the stones, sand, etc., don' t stay in.

I will be wearing these sandals in the upcoming Copper Canyon Ultramarathon on March 4th in Mexico.

BFT

PS. By the way, I am able to run barefoot in all places you see me running in the video. It is just a lot easier to do with the huaraches. The point is that wearing huaraches does not mean you can plod your way down rocky hills safely. The real trick is learning how to be LIGHT on your feet.

Hansen Dam a Barefooter's Paradise

Hansen Dam a Barefooter's Paradise


I sure hope to see some of you barefooters come out to my area for a visit. I have some really fantastic trails and areas near my house, especially when you consider I live 15 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles!

To see more photos of "my" Hansen Dam, click here.

BFT

PS. New video of the drive from my house to Hansen Dam via Stonehurst Ave. driving the my trusty 1966 VW Beetle. Nothing special.

Hansen Dam Cross Country 10 Miler

click to enlarge

Beautiful day for a run. The course we ran today included crossing a dry river and running in very rocky, sandy terrain. The entire run was off-road.

Best, Barefoot Ted

Hansen Dam 10 Miler Race

Me and my medal!



Hansen Dam 10 Miler Race Group Photo



Hansen Dam 10 Miler Start


Hansen Dam 10 Miler Start

--Barefoot Ted

Hansen Dam Challenge

Antonio at the finish






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A bunch of Gatos from San Fernando and Hansen Dam got together today for an inpromtu 9 mile race. SF Gato Antonio beat'em all. All had a good time before it got too hot.

--Barefoot Ted