8 Miles? Easy!

And now for some happy news: I have fabulous new running shoes! Many thanks to Teece & Tag for the early Christmas present.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to go to a professional running store (Teece & I went to Run With Us in Pasadena) if you're buying shoes for something like a marathon. Since I'd been fit for my shoes at the beginning of this process, I took them in for comparison; I figured I'd just be able to get another pair of the same shoe and be on my way. The salesman looked them over for about ten seconds before:

He: You're having more problems with your left foot than your right, aren't you?
Me: Yeah, actually.
He: Your left knee is bothering you though, isn't it? It's weaker than your right?
Me: Yes, it has been since I hurt it when I was 14.
He: How's your left hip?
Me: Not good.
He: Yeah, we can fix that. You pronate severly when you run. These shoes you've been running in are for moderate pronation, but you need more support - you need a shoe with motion control. Do you like these, other than the blister they're probably giving you on the inside of your left arch?
Me: Yes, I *thought* they were comfortable...

So he brought out another pair of Asics in the same series as my old shoes, just with more motion control and a wider toe box. He also taught me a fancy way to lace my shoes that would provide more support through the heel without bruising the front of my ankle (as tightly laced shoes are prone to do after 10 miles or so).

Who knew running could be so comfortable?

We did 8 miles this morning and I didn't feel any of the pains that usually set in after the first five miles or so. I didn't even get a blister on my big toe! Yes, my feet were sore form the novelty of being properly aligned, and my knees and hips were still tender, but it wasn't the pain that I'd been running through before.

I might be able to walk after this marathon after all!

Comments

[Teece]

Hoooooooooooray!