Shoe Love!

OK. So, have I told you that I am training for a half marathon?  I did? Oh, well then, let's get started.  Yesterday, I set out on my second training run. I am following a beginner training schedule that I found on Jeff Galloway's website.  My goal is to finish the half-marathon.  I won't be making any speed records by any means.  Back on topic: Yesterday, I put on my gear, and set out for my training run (30 minutes) as soon as I dropped the boys at school.  I put on my tights, pants, compression shirt, dri-fit tshirt, hoodie, Wrightsocks (thanks mom!), and my New Balance running shoes.  It was 27 degrees when I got to the training location of the day.  I like winter and all, but 27 degrees makes this Georgia girl want to move back to Apollo Beach. I get out of the van and shiver.  I wonder if the half-marathon is worth it.  Of course, I've already called myself out on facebook and this blog, so I have to do it.  I put my ear-muffs on and use a headband to cover my mouth.  Breathing the cold air during a run just kills my throat.  I start with a slow walk to warm up the muscles.  Immediately, the left hip feels strange. I chalk it up to the temp.  After a five minute warm up, I loosen up a bit and start on my SLOW pace.  The left hip begins to ache.  I keep on trucking.  Soon the left knee begins to ache as well.  The strangest part about all this is that it is the right hip/knee that usually ache if something is going to ache during a run.  Hmmmm! What to do that to do!  I'm having trouble getting into the zone. You know the one where you forget a bit about running, and think about other things that make time pass more quickly.  I never reached that place yesterday.  All I can think about is pain.  It wasn't a sharp pain that made me want to stop.  Just a dull, annoying pain.  The kind I imagine that I was to my big sister growing up.  Sometimes easy to ignore, but mostly there under the skin annoying the crap out of an otherwise sane person.  Melissa: here is my official apology for the annoying things I did when we were growing up.  Still I keep trucking, but my mind is trying to recall if I have a bottle of motrin in the van with my water bottle.  Finally, I look at my watch/hrm and I am 5 minutes over the necessary 30 minutes of running on the calendar for the day.  I practically leaped for joy, and it really made the left hip and knee hurt when I landed.  I slowed down for 10 minutes to bring my HR back to normal. I talked to some people. I did my stretches.  Left hip continues to gnaw at my cheerful disposition.

As I set off for home ( a hot shower and motrin), the hip is really starting to tick me off.  I am thinking of colorful language to describe how I felt about the hip at that time, but it isn't appropriate for this blog.  However, the pain subsides before I get home and the motrin is unnecessary.  The shower was necessary.  Even at 27 degrees, I'm still sweating when I run.  as I go to put my New Balance shoes in the box, I see that I still have the receipt from the purchase.  I bought them almost 3 years ago.  Hmmmm. Maybe that explains a lot.  The shoes still look ok, but I have no idea on the mileage of the shoes.  I try to recall the running moments of the last 3 years.  All those times I said I was going to run a race, then starting a training schedule only to discontinue it.  I know the bulk of the miles on the shoes really came between August 2010 and present day, but I have never kept a training log (until now), so total miles on the shoes are a mystery.  Maybe the new pain might be breakdown of the shoes.  Of course it is, because it couldn't possibly be me!  I have a few errands to run and things to prepare, but I want to get a new pair of shoes.  Doesn't every girl want a new pair of shoes?

I finish the errands much earlier than anticipated. WooHoo! I have time for shoes! I think about the running store near the Avenues on Hwy 141. I like to go there because they carry shirts from my favorite running shirt retailer (http://onemoremile.net/). The store on 141 is where I purchased my "Running is cheaper than therapy" shirt that I love so much.  However, I remember that there is a running store near Jeremy's office.  I'll check it out and report to him because he could go on his lunch one day to get new running shoes.  So, off to Windward Pkwy I go to find Big Peach Running Company (http://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/).  They were fabulous!  I now have a favorite running store called Big Peach Running Company.  The fit process is very thorough and I don't remember all this "stuff" the last time I bought running shoes (three years ago).  The sales associate was  nice and knowledgeable and asked questions to find out about the hows and whys of my running.  Then she brought out the shoes.  I was getting a little light-headed from being so excited.  I tried on four different running shoes.  All were ok and I would have liked any of them for running.  However, when I tried on one pair, I swear I heard a multitude of heavenly hosts singing.  This was the shoe for me!  It was the second one I tried, so I still put the others on to be sure the singing one was the one for me.  After trying on all the shoes and running through the store with each pair, I again tried the singing shoes.  Sure enough, I heard a choir of angels again! I know some of you are thinking that I probably need professional medical attention if I hear angels singing about running shoes.  Please know that I am seeking medical attention very soon. In the meantime, I am going to run in these heavenly shoes.  OK you have been in suspense long enough. The heavenly shoes are the Asics GT-2160 (http://www.asicsamerica.com/products/product.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=240014594&TITLE_CATEGORY_ID=250001549&PARENT_CATEGORY_ID=250001547).  It is amazing! When I arrive home, I decide to look at the Runner's World website to see if they have a review of this singing shoe.  Here is a video about the shoe. http://www.runnersworld.com/video/0,8052,s6-4-0-4,00.html They reviewed the shoe and it won the Editor's Choice Award for December 2010.  They think the shoe is as wonderful as I do!

Now, the Asics GT-2160 can only do so much. After all, I am the one who is wearing it to run.  I'm going to work at being a faster, better runner.  I can't let down these glorious new shoes.  I love them too much for that!

That is all for now.  Happy running!  After all, it is a journey that begins with tying your shoes and putting one foot in front of the other over and over and over again.