The band was a rockin' and we were sitting at the first table next to the stage so it was loud, but not too loud. A tall guy, maybe 6' 4" and appearing sober walks right in front of me and asked,"Did I just hear you say you caught a big bass?" Uh,hmm. No. "I said he had a big ass!" Weird. No I didn't say that or anything like it but the big stranger did ask that question. And the guy interrupted one of the most heartfelt renditions of Amazing Grace, I think I have ever heard. I'm Googling this bass phrase to see if it's a secret code for something like, "If you and your friends don't vacate that prime table, me and my boys are going to kick your bass!" See how it could be misinterpreted? It was extremely hot outside (102 degrees) so it may have just been a case of a lack of fluids making it's way to his brain.
The Gourds concert, labeled the Summer Sunday Social at the Nutty Brown Cafe, was the piece de resistance to a wonderful Father's Day. I started the day with a plate full of delectable migas, washed down with a full glass of Bloody Mary, made with Tito's vodka. My daughter surprised me with a pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSO to continue my adventure with barefoot running. This just happened to coincide with my reading of chapter 25 of Born to Run which ripped the shoe industry. In all fairness though, if you happen to stumble upon (<-- running joke) chapter 25, take it with a grain of salt as neither side is 100 percent correct. The body, by nature is imbalanced and somewhat asymmetrical. Feet are not identical size or strength and the same goes with the rest of the parts of the legs, especially after age 40. There are times when orthotics are needed in maybe one shoe, contrary to what the book may say. A lot more massage is needed. More rest is needed. It's also true what surface material we choose to run on influences greatly whether we get hurt or not.
Popular Mechanics, The Running Shoe Debate: How Barefoot Runners are Shaping the Shoe Industry
The problem modern-day runners face, according to Hugh Herr, Popular Mechanics 2005 Breakthrough Award winner and head of the biomechatronic group at MIT, isn't presented by our bodies but by the evolution of running surfaces. Humans that ran to scavenge or hunt for their food weren't pounding concrete. ... "Bare feet just aren't meant to support running on modern day hard-top surfaces, Herr says."
From what I know now, I would've have come off the couch differently many years ago. I would have cycled, swam and aqua jogged until I reduced my weight sufficiently, relieving my knees from bearing too great a load, while also strengthening sedentary muscles and tendons. I would have run on grass and worked on drills to drive home to the muscle memory what proper running form felt like (off the heels and landing mid-sole). I would have engaged in more yoga, stretching and massage. Once the legs had sufficient strength I'd test them to find imbalances and then correct those imbalances with weight training.
How does the saying go? A bad day fishing (for bass I suppose) is better than the best day at the office or in my case, the worst day running is still better than the best day in the office.
I'm still learning.
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