It was great having a short run planned with a friend this morning. I still can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve run outside, so a little accountability & motivation to get me going was much needed. It was 37 degrees when I got in my car and I wasn’t sure what to do with that. Granted, I spent much of January to April 2012 sick, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t this cold. Ever. I really wanted to stay in bed, blah, blah, blah. This was me this morning. Totally appropriate, no?
I don’t think it was actually record breaking cold, but anything below 50 is no bueno to me. Year of no excuses, though, right? I met my friend and her friend (hi, Terri!) at the park and we did a run/walk. I wasn’t sure if the cool air would bother me, but my consistency with my inhalers must be helping. It was an easy 3-4 miles, then we hit up a local coffee shop. Love me some local brew.
It’s such a rarity to have a Saturday morning free, so this was a great treat with good company. I got home and started to go through my checklist for the day, then realized I probably need a bib if I plan to make that whole Resolution Run happen. I grabbed my gift card that I had stored safely so I wouldn’t lose it but I stored it so well I couldn’t find it and hoped it wouldn’t be a zoo for race pickup.
It wasn’t. No big expo, no big crowds, easy in and out.
I haven’t been able to figure out what mood swing my feet have been having with shoes and thus, my brand loyalties have been all over the map.
It hasn’t been a big deal since my runs haven’t been in the double digits, but that’s not gonna fly. I picked up a pair last week that I thought would be good, but after a mile, not so much. I am a total fan of Road Runner Sports not only for their selection, but their VIP program is the bomb. dot. com. You can wear a pair of kicks for 90 days and still exchange them if they aren’t a perfect match. Good thing because this was my third try at finding a good pair of long run shoes. It wasn’t too busy, so I decided it might be a good idea to have a run analysis done once again. You spend a couple of minutes barefoot on the treadmill while you are videotaped, then your gait is reviewed and a shoe recommendation is made. I did this when I first started running in 2011, and have been in the same model of shoe since then.
Excuse the iPhone picture with the reflection in the background, but road runner dude had a job to do, not wait for me to snap a better angled photo. OH. MY. HECK. I was way excited to see this:
The last time I did this, the video was pretty sad to say the least. Both feet were so pronated I half expected my ankles to buckle in and collapse in the two minutes running barefoot. Today’s little video, however, showed two feet that run as they should in a neutral position. I wasn’t busting down on my heels, and did I mention my ankles were actually vertical? I’ve been running in my Mizuno’s, but felt like I was setting myself for another injury by skipping my usual firm, very supportive shoe. Not so, people! Funny how you know you’ve made progress but it’s always a shocker when you see actual proof of it. 
How sweet is that?
I know my form still needs work, especially when I get sloppy over the longer runs, so I tried on a number of shoes hoping that one would fit and actually feel good. I’m not a huge fan of “breaking in” a new pair of shoes. I believe shoes should fit well and while they may need a few short runs for your feet to adjust, you shouldn’t have to wait to see if they are the right fit. Say hello to my new friend. We’re dating, but I think this might be a keeper.
The second I put them on, they felt right for my feet. Kinda like when you know you’ve found the dress, yeah that good. I’m really hoping these make my feet happy again because we have a lot of training to do for all the races I have lined up this year.
A super Saturday altogether. Run, coffee, shoes, Starbucks, and now the sun is out. Don’t hate, but it’s ok if you’re a little jealous.
Now I’m off to think of how to fit my resolution into my bib. Since I save my race bibs, I’d like to come up with something smart to fill in the blank and not just smartass. There’s just not enough room for that for when I look back on this year.
How was your Saturday? Do you run in different brands of shoes?
melissyk
Latest posts by melissyk (see all)
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Ambassador for Fitfluential, Fit Approach (Sweat Pink), and Girls Gone Sporty, this {almost 40} mother runner is running it... 
New shoes are the best! Sounds like you had a great day!
That’s so awesome about your feet! Did you do something specific to improve it, or did you naturally get stronger? Makes me curious if I can do it too.
Good luck with the new shoes!
That’s a great question! When I had my foot issues last year, my doc recommended custom orthos, which of course are not covered by my insurance. I had an awesome consult, however, with the pedorthics guy and he recommended chatting with a friend of his who happens to be a foot guru guy at Road Runner. He told me orthotics would solve about 10% of my issues, but it was basically my form that sucked <– His words. Awesome, right?
He gave me some exercises to strengthen my hips, told me to focus on picking up my lazy feet, and overall had me paying attention more to my form.
I’ve run in my Mizuno’s and Brooks Pure Cadence on and off, and know that I have to be more mindful of my form when I run or I’ll end up with another calf strain,
I can honestly say I didn’t put 100% effort into following the exercises, but have paid more attention to my form, and apparently it’s paying off!!!
I ran last years marathon in Mizunos…not my favorite. But now I’m running in Saucony’s and I really like them!
I ran my marathon in my Adrenaline’s, but I guess this explains why they aren’t working so well for me now. I didn’t want to take the Saucony’s out for the Resolution Run as my first run in them, but we’ve got a date to run Saturday morning!