Not only has the wedding planning and new house improvements distracted me from blogging, but it also caused me to forget (until very recently that is) that my second half-marathon for the year is next weekend! On June 27th I’ll be running the Stratton Faxon Fairfield Half-Marathon for the second time (ran it last year as the first half-marathon of my life) and am hoping that I’ll be able to beat my time from the Providence Half-Marathon (around 1:52), but we’ll see. The course has a bit more hills, but it is on the water for most parts, which should keep it cool enough. In case you were interested, I’ll be running in my Vibram Five Finger Sprints again.

Earlier this week though I was looking for some new running spots at the new house and headed north into Rhode Island to the Arcadia Management Area. I brought the dog, so I knew he’d only be able to handle three miles or so, since he gets exhausted pretty quickly in the heat these days! That was fine with me though, as it was after work and I didn’t want to get too far into the woods without knowing exactly how to get back to the car (other than turning around and coming back the same way.) I found a map of the place, but since I couldn’t even find the “you are here” mark, it was pretty useless! I’ve since done some research and should have a better idea of where to go next time though.

Anyways, here are some links for your enjoyment…

• Barefoot Ted likes running naked from the ankle down [Seattle PI] – A great interview with Barefoot Ted (of Born to Run fame) about, what else, barefoot running! In the interview he discusses some of the fundamentals of running barefoot, along with tips for beginners and more.
• The Barefoot Running Book review [Barefoot Josh] – Josh gives a quick review of Jason’s (of Barefoot Chronicles) barefoot running book. If you want to buy yourself a copy, feel free to head to my Recommendations page (hit next at the bottom) and check it out!
• The Steve Magness Interview [Tips 4 Running] – Just felt like sharing this interview, which had an interesting quote, “The key is running form. Certain shoes simply impede the process of running right. It doesn’t matter if you wear the most minimal shoe or even no shoes if you still run wrong…You can absolutely run correctly without having to go barefoot. You can run correctly in the heaviest of trainers. It will be much harder to do because you are not getting the conscious or subconscious feedback that occurs barefoot or in a minimalist shoe, but it can be done…The bottom line is that barefoot running should be a tool to improve running form. “.

Last but not least, here’s a video of Miss Canada World 2010, Denise Garrido, who makes Vibram Five Fingers look good!