New Shoes!

By Slick

A couple of weeks ago I realized that it’s only 5 weeks until my half marathon.  For those of you just joining us…my husband and I are running the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in March. This will be my first half marathon and I have been training hard.  Anyway…all my research says that I should buy shoes at least one month before the big run. 

Remembering Tillie's post about shoes, my husband and I decided to go to a store that specializes in running as opposed to a big box store, we went to Feet First in Columbia. 

After years of (probably) buying the wrong tennis shoe, I explained to the gentleman (I have a bad memory for names) who helped me all of my medical conditions.  I started with my history of planters’ fasciitis, my pigeon toed-ness, that my feet bear a striking resemblance to Fred Flintstone’s, etc…  He brought out three shoes for me to test.  None of which were pink ;-(.  The nice thing about this store is that it has a treadmill inside.  I tried on the first pair of shoes and ran for a bit on the treadmill.  They felt pretty good.  The next pair was a bit tight and the third pair fit pretty well but the heel was a bit loose.  The helpful salesman said that my heels are narrow and my instep is high which makes my foot a difficult fit.  

Finally after all these years I had an explanation for why I hate shoe shopping.  My feet are just not made for those cute Manolo Blahnicks and Jimmy Choos.  I think I am destined to wear Dansko’s for the rest of my life.  At least I know and can now save myself the misery of trying on shoes that will never work…but I digress from my new shoes. 

Because the heel was loose the kindly gentleman showed me a way to tie the shoes to tighten the heel area.  Since I don’t have a video camera, I will try to explain using words and pics. 

First, before looping the lace across to the final hole, lace it through the final hole on the same side.  Do the same thing on the other side. 

Second, pull the shoe string through the loop you created when you completed the first step.  Pull the other shoe string through the other side.  

Finally put the shoe on and work the strings back and forth until you get it to the desired tightness.  Yes, this works!

This was two weeks ago and even after today’s 10 miles (yes I ran 10 miles today!) no pain! 

Here are my pretty new shoes.

Outside!

I finally made it outside for a few runs, and my track worries (shin splints, plantar fasciitis, asthma) were all unfounded. Baltimore area weather has been nice, and I managed to get out to the track twice this long weekend. It was wonderful ... lots of sunshine, and cool enough that I didn't sweat at all. I stretched a lot and warmed up thoroughly, so no shin splints or PF. And I used my inhaler well before I got there, so no cold-weather-asthma attack. It was in the 40s both days. And lots of lovely sunshine, and a cold breeze ... but just for half the track. The other half had a nice tailwind.

The only downside was the goose poo on the track. Well ... that, and using a porta-potty that leaned back just enough to make me fear it would topple over. Today I discovered I could use the bathroom at the nearby gym ... duh. Anyway, this whole week is supposed to be nice, so I will be out there a couple more times, I hope. It is so much nicer out in the fresh air! On weekdays, though, I have to share the track with a lot of other people.

And one other thing made my workout fun. I finally lost enough weight to buy 'cute' workout clothes, instead of just big t-shirts and black yoga pants. So I was all layered up in sherbet-y colors, lemon and mango, for my run today. For some reason, that made it so much more fun!

There were a couple of young women out trying to run today ... but I think their hangovers were getting the better of them ;-). Ahhhh I remember those days. 

Then I had a nice lunch at La Madeleine's ... and I think next time, I'll just get the regular-size latte.

No, I didn't drink all that. It was monstrous.

Tillie or Slick will be posting soon ... So Stay Tuned! Slick's half-marathon is very near. My next event is a 5k during Armed Forces Week, which isn't till May. I'm working up to it slowly!

27 Pounds Later ...

That's me, back in September 2010, in Bath, at the Jane Austen House. No specific reason for the picture, I just wanted to share it!

I read in a running magazine that if you do something for six months, it becomes a routine, like brushing your teeth or remembering to floss.  I started jogging at the end of August last year. Not quite six months, but close. And I am still jogging, that almost-six months later. I've lost 27 pounds, gone down two sizes, and I still can't run 2 miles without stopping to walk some of it ... but I keep working towards it! By May, I hope to be there. I'm learning a lot about fitness and nutrition on the way. By August of this year, I hope to have settled at a new, healthy weight to go with my new, healthy cholesterol levels!

I mentioned a few posts ago about a fitness challenge at my workplace. It's in week three now, and my team was 26th out of 92 the first week, and 22nd out of 92 the next week. Stay tuned to see how we do!