solar squirrel

I have hesitated to write this post, but I guess I shouldn’t put it off any longer.  I have day dreamed about this post…the day when I was able to confidently state that I was back to running.  Well - the time is here.  I am still dealing with meniscus pain, but it’s so mild and it doesn’t interfere with any activity so I’ve decided that I should make it official.  I AM BACK!

Today I ran the SARC Buckeye Half Marathon and felt awesome!  Set a new PR for myself for the half marathon - I believe the time was around 1:37.  I’ll post an official report as soon as I know the exact results.

Over a year ago, in July of 2009, I was training to do a fall marathon in 3:30.  During what should have been an easy 6 mile paced run, I had to stop and walk due to pain.  Here’s the post in case you’re interested.  That started an 8 month long journey through the first real injury I’ve ever had.  My recovery officially started in June, after I saw Dr. Keyes - who BY THE WAY IS A MIRACLE WORKER - and he fixed me up!  Since June I’ve been pretty conservative with my running, having done most of my runs around a 9-min or slower pace with the Smiths.  I really think this was key to my recovery going so well.  Running with them forced me to go slower than what felt ‘normal’ to me aerobically.  I think that this was instrumental for me not re-injuring myself.

Here’s my come back song from Scooter to make the event ‘official’.  Please listen to just the first 30 seconds of this song if you’ve never heard it.  Scooter is so freakin’ awesome!!!!!!!

Tribute to our fans - Tour 2006

I’ve slacked so much these past few months on my blog I just decided to make a post that covers the majority of what has been going on lately.  My running has slowly been getting better - not nearly where I was 2 years ago before the IT Band injury - but definitely getting there.  I’ve managed to lose about 10 lbs., too, thanks in part to running again and in part to my 2 days a week with Larry my personal torturer.  I haven’t been this small for a while and it’s GREAT!  My clothes are all loose and I’m feeling awesome during my training.  I just hope I can keep it up once winter comes.  (I think I will).

Quick break to just say that Dr. TIM KEYES IS THE BEST!!!  If it weren’t for going to him and getting ART (Active Release Technique) on my IT band who knows the shape I would be in right now.  Probably the fattest I’ve ever been and incredibly out of shape.  If you are having issues with your IT Band and you haven’t tried ART I highly recommend that you do!  I took 8 months off of running and thanks to Tim I am confident in saying that I am BACK!

Racing these past few months hasn’t been very consistent.  I ended up doing the Pirate Tri (sprint) at Lake Metroparks.  I realized that I just don’t want to spend the ridiculous amts. of $$ triathlons typically cost.  I may do Portage Lakes, but unless a triathlon is less than $50 chances are I probably won’t be doing it.  This past Thursday I did the Twilight Trail 8k sans my original ‘Two Trail Freaks’ team mate, Elizabeth.  Instead I ran on a team with Bridget and we decided to call ourselves ‘2 Slow 4 Elizabeth’ since - in reality I really am too slow to be on a team with her!!  Plus, that name is just hilarious.  I was less than 2 minutes slower than the last time I did the race.  I had a time of 38:42 this year.  In 2008 I had a 37:01.  I guess that’s not all that bad considering I took so long off of running and I felt pretty good during the race and had enough energy at the end to pass the two girls who were in front of me.  I really can’t wait to be back into better shape and be faster and have endurance.  It’s just going to take time, though…I’m just SO THANKFUL that I’m able to run again!!!

Today I ran the longest I’ve done in well over a year:  18 miles.  And it was HOTTTTTTT!!!  I ran with Bridget and Addy (Addy for the first 6 - she was in the Bob stroller while we pushed).  Let me just state for the record that I was a sweaty disgusting MESS!  I CANNOT believe how much sweat poured off of me today!  We are talking dripping off and drenched clothes.  I brought my insulated container filled with a gallon of ice water plus a water bottle filled with gatorade AND I DRANK ALL OF IT!!!  Yes - the entire gallon container and my water bottle!  And I was STILL thirsty afterwords!  Bridget and me ran together for almost the entire time and then when we got to 14 I just decided I wanted to be done so I picked it up a little.  I think my last 2 miles were the fastest of the entire 18, mainly due to the sheer fact that I just wanted to be done running and get out of my soaked, nasty clothes!  I’m definitely excited to have completed 18, though.  Because running is so mental this is a nice next step for me after so long without running.  I’m confident now that I am a runner again!

We are building a deck in the backyard.  It is coming along nicely and I can’t wait to have it completed and ready for lounging!  We’re planning on also getting a hot tub which I’ve pretty much wanted my whole life.  I am so excited for this winter to come now!  Running in the winter is just SOOOOO cold, and now after I’m done running I can look forward to sitting in a luxurious spa!  I think it will really help me stick with my running over the winter.  Oh, and PS:  If you run with me over the winter you are also more than welcome to come back to my place afterwords and go in with me!

Photo from Will and Kate’s wedding.  Brian had two dates because Sharon didn’t have a date and Todd was in Poland for work.  Lucky guy!!!

Me, Brian, and Sharon at Will and Kate's Wedding

Some progress shots of the deck.  Here is one of the earliest before we excavated half of the yard and drilled all of the post holes.  BTW, if you have rocks in your yard good luck using a power auger.  Doesn’t work very well and you have to do it the old fashioned way with a manual post hole digger.

2-person auger for drilling post holes

It was pretty neat when they delivered the stuff for the deck.  This guy brought a lift to haul the stuff down the driveway!  Awesome!

Getting materials delivered

It’s crazy how much we had to dig out!  Todd took the sledgehammer to two of the concrete stairs leading off the back porch.

Progress shot of holes and excavation

Holes dug and posts in place with concrete drying

Posts in, working on the beams then the joists!

Shot showing joists nailed together

Nailing the joists together with those stupid plates was terrible!  If we knew then what we know now we would have ordered different types of materials.  It takes forever to nail all the nails into those plates and it’s so annoying!  Me and Todd both got blisters from hammering so many freakin nails!

You’ll have to stay tuned for pictures of the finished deck…

Just a quick post to recap my week of trying to get back to being fit and a quick side note:

Has anyone else noticed a strange increase in the number of people holding cardboard signs standing on the side of the road (typically at an intersection where there is a stop light) begging for money / assistance?  Well, in Akron, where I live, I can tell you there has been an EXPONENTIAL INCREASE in people who are begging on the side of the road.  I’m not sure I believe most of them, though.  The one day I was driving in Cuyahoga Falls and I saw a younger girl and then about 1/2 mile later on the same road a younger guy.  Seriously?  They were probably around 19 - 22 at the oldest.  Dude!!!  You are young and strong!!!  Go get a job as a server or landscaper!  The money is great and it’s fun work!!  Then there are the more pathetic-looking one’s who stand down by where we live in the valley.  There are 2 or 3 different people who stand in the same place at the intersection where Merriman crosses with Portage Path.  The one guy does look pretty pathetic - but he looks strong - like he could definitely do some type of manual labor job if he was REALLY desperate.  The thing is - I don’t think these people actually WANT a job.  I think that they are just happy standing on the side of the road with their crumply cardboard sign and waiting for someone to give them money.  Argh…I don’t like to give them money, though, even though I feel bad for them.  I want to help them find a job or give them food or talk to them or listen, but I don’t know if it makes sense to give them money. 

Here’s something else:  have you noticed that they are only there in the spring / summer?  I have.  I don’t ever remember seeing them in the winter - or on any crappy-weather day for that matter.  I don’t know…I just thought I would put the statement out there and see if this was happening anywhere else other than by me.

Here’s a recap of the week’s training:

Monday: Bike 1 hour
Tuesday: Rest (gonna get to the track not this Tue but next!!!)
Wednesday: Bike 1 hour
Thursday: Run ~7 miles on trails 9:30 pace
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 1 hour workout w/ Larry the torturer
Sunday: 10 mile easy run w/ Bridget, Addy, and Steve

Going to hit the pool this week!!!!!!!

I’ve been trying to post on Sundays since it seems like the day that I have time and don’t mind sitting down in front of the computer.  I just realized that I don’t have anything really exciting to write about - but here’s a recap of the high’s (and low’s) of the week:

• Thursday:  Went to see Dr. Keyes and he told me that my knee was feeling really good and that I should go ahead and start increasing my running / training.  This was news that was skeptically received by me since I’m going on a full year of being injured, but it was exciting nonetheless! 
• Friday:  Went out with Brittany for dinner and drinks sort of as a ‘last single girls night out’ since she’s getting married in 2 weeks.  Had a great time - went to Lola’s for the first time (for dinner - I”ve been there for drinks before) and had an AWESOME meal.  We finished the evening at this Chocolate Bar where we both ordered ice cream concoctions larger than our heads, justifying it by stating that we would just burn it off during our personal training session the next day.
• Saturday:  At 9 am I had my weekly hour-long personal training session with Larry - a.k.a. my personal torturer.  He decided to have us do a pyramid of sprints with arm exercises in between. (Among some other fun torture exercises).  I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest and Brittany sort of turned white and almost barfed.  We were both DRENCHED with sweat when we were done, but of course that didn’t stop us from going to get breakfast!  The rest of the day Saturday I hung out with my mom and sisters and we made dinner and watched The Brave Little Toaster and sung along with the songs and argued about which appliance was who.  It was fun.  For the record I am not the freakin’ vacuum cleaner!  And Gretchen is DEFINITELY the blankey.
• Sunday:  Today Todd and I met Steve and Bridget at Boston Store for an easy 9 mile run.  They brought Addy in the Bob stroller and we took turns pushing her while we ran.  I found that for some strange reason my IT band didn’t act up as much while I was pushing the stroller and the only thing I can think is that it has to do with me not flailing my arm as much.  (Since I was holding onto the stroller it kept that side of my body more stable).  So - open invitation for anyone who has a running stroller:  I’ll run with you and push!  (Disclaimer:  must be flat terrain).  It was a good time and we managed to maintain a pace a lot faster than 10-min miles, which was the goal (I think we were at 9:40??)When Todd and I got home we were welcomed with a super nice surprise! (Not!!!)  Our 110 Gallon Reef Tank had decided to start leaking again (Todd sealed the leak when we first got the tank…) and Todd ended up spending about 6 hours (he’s still working right now) removing ALL of the fragile corals, live rock, snails, invertabrates, and fish to other temporary storage locations as well as draining the tank.  It is seriously my worst nightmare.  At least it was a slow leak and it happened on a Sunday when we were both home and had the time to figure out several temporary storage spots and get everyone moved safely.  I would say we had about 45-50 different animals total in that tank, possibly more.  Worth several thousands of dollars, by the way.  (No, that is NOT an exaggeration.)  Not a great end to a weekend, but it could have been so much worse.  I just feel terrible - it is going to be SO MUCH work to get things back to where they were with the tank.  I am pretty sure we will sell the leaky one, which we bought for $800.  (Obviously, we will sell it to someone who doesn’t want to use it for water).  If you know anyone who wants a really pretty tank and stand for super cheap let me know! 

Here’s a quick recap of the workouts this week:

Monday - Bike 20 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Bike 1 hour (Lifetime Spin Class)
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Run 4 miles (7:49 pace)
Saturday - 1 hour personal training
Sunday - 9 miles easy run (9:40 pace I think)

I’m planning on swimming tomorrow pm.  BRIAN IF YOU ARE READING THIS LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING!!  WE’RE GONNA DO A MARATHON LADDER IF SO!

So it’s almost June and my fitness goals for 2010 haven’t really materialized.  It’s been a slow start to getting back into running and getting over my almost year-long IT band injury.  About a month and a half ago I finally decided to try ART (Active Release Technique) w/ Dr. Tim who has performed near miracles on several of my running friends.  I figured that I had nothing to lose and made an apt.  He told me that after only a few sessions with him I should be nearly pain-free.  This didn’t sound possible - but amazingly after only 3 sessions with him I am back to running nearly pain-free.  Unfortunately last week I decided to try some speed / tempo work and the pain came back after my first 2 miles.  I must have been pushing it too hard and honestly the towpath isn’t really the best place to do speed work since there are a lot of uneven spots and it’s hard to navigate through them.  I did 1/2 mile as a warmup and then was going to do 3 ‘tempo’ miles of around 7-min pace. (With rest in between of course).  I guess this was way too aggressive of a goal because I almost died the first mile (6:50 pace) and then only a little bit into the 2nd mile I started to feel pain.  ARGH! I ended up with a 7:10 pace for my 2nd mile and then decided to just run a comfortable (8:35 pace) back home.  What this taught me:

1.  I need to be ULTRA CONSERVATIVE with any attempts at ’speed’ training

2.  I need to get back to see Tim so that I can work out whatever kinks I’ve still got

3.  I need to realize that it’s been almost a year of being injured and I’m not going to just spring back to where I was…This is probably the most difficult thing to deal with…knowing that I’m MONTHS out from being in the shape that I used to be in and not being able to visualize the end result of the slow road to fitness recovery.

In addition to trying to get back into running I’ve also been working out with a personal trainer every Saturday for an hour.  I do ‘buddy’ sessions w/ Brittany and our trainer, Larry - a.k.a. my personal torturer.  I don’t know where he comes up with the torturous things he has us do…but they are INSANE.  With the exception of last week EVERY session leaves me 100% exhausted and feeling like I was just taking part in a Fight Club scene.  He’ll show us what we’re going to do and we just look at each other like ‘are you kidding me??!!  We have to do 20 of those???!!!!!  I can’t even imagine doing 1 or 2!!!’  It’s good, though, and I can tell that it is definitely complementary to my running and biking (and swimming when I make it - I KNOW BRIAN I NEED TO GET TO THE POOL!!!)

Lucky for me I have several running pals who are willing to run with me (shout out to Martini Mike) and are helping me get back.  Running alone is not for me and I am someone who really needs a companion - which is what has made getting back into running shape so difficult for me.  (Most of my SERC friends are just way too fast).  Plus I have a fear of going out for a run and then having knee pain and having to walk back…which I wouldn’t want to make someone put up with.

So that’s where I am.  I’ve been trying to get to the gym during lunch but that hasn’t happened for several months now due to insane work loads and the inability to even take a lunch.  I have seen that this has started to take a toll on me mentally and I am going to make an effort to start hitting the gym again and take a lunch break.  Fitness is a huge part of being healthy and without your health you DON’T HAVE ANYTHING.  I refuse to go down the same path that happened when I was working at Aclara - which I believe ultimately is what caused my IT band injury.

Last week was the official end to my MBA experience at Case.  The diploma ceremony was very nice and the weather was gorgeous.  I’m glad that I went.  Afterwords we had a nice dinner at home with my family and Todd re-enacted giving me my diploma so that my grandma could see it (she couldn’t make it to the diploma ceremony).  Todd put on his old cap and gown and hood to present mine to me - it was hilarious!!!  (Sorry - I’m not posting the pictures!!)

The weather today is awesome and Todd and I just got back from a bike ride to Peninsula and back.  (Of course this wasn’t enough exercise for Todd and he had to go back out for a run…such a show-off!!)  I am too sore to run after yesterdays personal training/torture session so I didn’t go with him.

I need to get better at tracking my workouts so here is this week’s recap:

Mon- Spin Class @ LT - 1 hour
Tue - speed/tempo (ran 3.5 miles - had ITB pain )
Wed - rest (badmitton playing in the back yard w/ Todd)
Thurs - rest
Fri - 6.5 mile run ~8:35 pace
Sat - 1 hour personal training session
Sun - bike ~20 miles

This week I’m probably going to hit the pool at least once because I really need to work on my swimming - plus it’s just a great recovery activity.  I’m looking forward to doing some  outdoor swimming this summer at LT also.  Brian - if you are reading this let me know if you are going to hit the Highland Heights pool because I’ll plan on meeting you there a few times too!!

I AM planning on doing the Twinsburg duathlon on 6/6 which should be an easy entry into this year’s race season.  Let’s hope my IT band holds up!

Last week (Sunday) I ran the Youngstown Half Marathon.  Good news:  my IT Band held up (I used my compression strap)  This is really great because this is a pretty hilly course and the best test for the IT band is to run down hills.  Bad news:  My time was basically horrible.  The past two years I’ve had a little over an 8-min pace:  2008 2009.  This year I was over a 9-min pace (1:58:49).  Considering this is the farthest distance I’ve ran since July I guess I should be happy I was even able to finish!  It’s just frustrating to have to start over again.  But running is something you typically have to work at in order to do well.  I gained weight, too, so it’s not just being out of shape, but also being heavier and having less muscle mass.

I’m working on getting rid of the flab though, and I’ve already seen a difference in the way my clothes are fitting.  (For a while there I couldn’t wear some of my dress pants for fear the seams would rip apart when I sat down - I am not exaggerating - I had visions of meeting with a client and having my fat explode out of my pants!!!!!)  In addition to running I’ve been getting to the gym more regularly during lunch hours and recently joined Lifetime Fitness.  Janet was raving about it and it’s literally right down the street from my office so I checked it out a few weeks ago during my lunch break.  I was so impressed I decided to sign up right then and there!  The place is HUGE and they have classes during lunch - including a really sweet cycling studio.  I also plan on using the outdoor pool in the summer to swim laps during lunch.  I CAN’T WAIT!  It’s great to look forward to going to the gym.  For a while I didn’t go to the gym (Bally’s) because it was just too dirty and disgusting - and forget about using the pool unless you want to get chlorine burns.  Sick.  I could only go during lunch because I knew it would be tolerable and less crowded.  Bye-bye Bally.

So for the past two weeks I’ve been doing pretty well with my workouts.  The IT band started to act up when I did my tempo run, but after a few min of slowing down it went away.  I think it’s just going to be something I have to deal with for a while.

Work is going great and life in general is pretty good.  Sometimes I don’t want to think about how great everything is going because I’m scared it’s going to go away…but it’s all in how you perceive things I guess.  I could dwell on the negatives or look for the bad in things, but life is so much more enjoyable when I focus on what is going well.  So for now I’m going to keep thinking that everything is awesome, try not to judge others, and live life to it’s fullest!

At seven miles, today was the highest mileage I’ve completed in a while.  Todd was going x-country skiing so I figured I might as well get my lazy butt out and try a run.  Sand Run metropark is our backyard, so I decided that was my best bet since the towpath is too snowy and I hate running on the road.  I cut over to the Sand Run multi-purpose trail via the road so that the terrain would be easier than if I took the buckeye trail.

The multi-purpose trail was still covered in snow, which made it pretty slippery to run on - but it was fairly even snow cover and I was able to run comfortably.  I wore my miracle compression strap on my IT Band.  I love it.  It allows me to train while still recovering.  I really think the reason it has taken me so long to recover is because for the longest time I refused to run or do any physical activity with my legs at all.  This was a bad move.  What I should have done was continue to cross train and include very short, slow runs to keep the blood flow and muscles active.

My pace was super slow - around 9:15 - but I felt comfortable and I figured part of the reason I was going so slow was due to the slippery factor of the snow.  My last half mile was on the road and that was closer to 8:20 pace but was at the same effort.  During my run someone said ‘Hi Amie’ to me but I was zoned out concentrating on my running gait and didn’t recognize who it was.  That’s the thing:  I think I have retrained myself on how to run since the IT band injury.  I take much quicker, shorter steps now as well as focus on keeping my legs from bowing in.  I imagine this controlled form will slowly deteriorate if I run to the point of exhaustion which is why I’m trying to keep my running slower until I can build up a better base.  I need to get ready for track workouts again!  I can’t wait!

The seven miles were pretty much pain-free.  Maybe had a few seconds of 1 on a scale from 1-10, but still felt good.

Yesterday am I got up early (5:30 am!!) to volunteer for the towpath marathon.  I figured the least I could do was go out and cheer on some peeps who were doing it since I couldn’t run it.

We had a BLAST!  Our aid station was about 1.5 miles from Boston store so we all met in the parking lot and walked on the towpath to get to our spot.  There were tables, water, heed, and pretty much nothing else.  It was hillarious because we were contemplating how to mix the heed - which seriously was NOT going well.  The guys decided to pour it back and forth into the buckets and then Frank went looking for a stick in the woods to use (we didn’t use it - Janet did a sprint back to Boston store on a bike to get items we needed).

The real fun started when the runners started coming through.  Frank was CRACKING ME UP!!!  He kept telling the runners these detailed descriptions of heed: ‘this is Heed, it’s a sports drink, but it’s not gatorade…’ and going on and on about it.  Like they care!!  I told him to just tell them it was gatorade!!!  hahahaaa.  OMG and Athena was telling people they were tigers, grrrr!  Then I had an idea to tell people they were hot and to some of the (hotter) guys I would say ‘let’s go hott stuff!!’  ahahahaaa.  Just the silly banter back and forth was way entertaining.  It made up for the fact that we were seriously in the middle of nowhere on the towpath and we were freezing to death!

Now the breakthrough.  I ran 4 miles last week, so I figured I would try 6 yesterday.  I would run whatever pace was comfortable - this is typically around 8:30 lately.  Last week I got pain at 2.9 miles, but I’ve been working on my stride and form.  I notice that if I shorten and quicken my stride it seems to help, so that’s what I did.

8:29 - no pain
8:29 - no pain
8:09 - no pain
8:04 - still no pain!
8:03 - no pain still!!!
8:19 - got nervous - but there wasn’t ANY pain at all!!!!!!!!

I am SO excited about this.  Part of this was mental, too, since I knew I was getting a massage afterwords so I didn’t care if I did experience pain - since it would get massaged and loosened up.  (I have a new hookup for massages - since Maryellen is in massage school!!!)

I’m not sure what to do for Columbus.  I’m thinking walk / run?  I don’t want to run the whole thing for fear that I will overdo it.  At the same time I want it to be a good day of training - so maybe run the first 8 and then speed walk the last 5?  Advice from my professional running friends?

This past weekend was the Akron Marathon.  For the past few years I’ve been on a team of 5, and the past couple have been all women teams.  This year Daisy coordinated an awesome team and still included me even though I am a broken out of shape joke of a runner.  (Ok, that was a bit rough)  Luckily for me this year they changed the distances a bit and the shortest leg was now 2.8 miles - a waste for any of my other team mates - but PERFECT for me, since my ITB issues have caused my fitness level to decline dramatically and my longest run this past month has been a little over 3 miles.

AkronRelay2009

I had the 4th leg which was conveniently located walking distance from Todd’s house on Sand Run Parkway.  I got to sleep in and walk to my relay point!  Our goal was to try to come in top 3 as we’ve done every year before (Kent State always beats us!!), but worst case was just have fun.  (Can I just repeat the fact that I am so happy to have such easy-going fun running friends?  No way would some of the people I know allow for an INJURED SLOW team mate to compete with them).  I figured my slowness would only cost us a few min. since my leg was so short.  I got to the start around 2:50 pace and got to see all the fast runners.  I saw Frank and he looked awesome.  I saw a few relay teams, but it seemed as if we were going to be in the top 3 spot.  I was a few seconds late seeing Christina because they announced the number as 296 and I was anticipating them saying the entire number.  Luckily I was watching for her so I knew it was her without hearing her number.  We had a bit of a clumsy handoff of the 80’s snap bracelette and I was off!  I felt awesome the first mile - catching the female relay runner ahead of me.  She was tall and thin and like a gazelle and I felt like a stomping elephant running next to her.  We had a pretty good pace ~6:35 for the first mile and then the hills started coming and the fact that I’m out of shape caught up with me.  I was so happy that I only had to run 2.8 miles!  The AMAZING thing is that my knee didn’t hurt AT ALL!!!!!  I slowed down and she had about 20 sec. on me when I finished.  I was excited to see Jen and I handed off to her and told her to catch the girl in front of me.  Garmin said I had a 7:34 pace which I’ll take given the circumstances.  I took the bus back to the stadium to watch the finish and had an awesome time hanging out with my running friends.  (And yes - we got 3RD PLACE!!!) How I YEARN to be back into running shape!!!  This was just the thing to keep me motivated.

The relay was Sat.; Sunday I ran my weekly Sunday run w/ Katy and my knee hurt, but not too bad.  (This was the first time I’ve done 2 days in a row).  Monday I swam and yesterday I biked.  I feel like I’m seriously on the road to recovery now.  I just need to stay focused and humble and not try to do too much too soon.  I want 2010 to be my best fitness year EVER.

It has officially been 1 week without running.  Today I am going to run 3 easy miles on the flat towpath with the new pair of running shoes that I bought yesterday.  After Bridget and Steve’s suggestion - I went to Fleet Feet and got fitted.  I was VERY impressed with their service and may start going there regularly.  The young guy who helped us was awesome!  He asked me about my training, if I had any pain, what my planned weekly mileage was, and where I ran (i.e. road or trail).  Then he measured my feet (ULTRA bonus points for not falling over laughing at my insanely WIDE duck feet) and wrote some stuff on a piece of paper, put a dot on the tops of each of my feet, and had me walk and run while he watched.  He had me do it a few times so he got it right.  I was fairly certain that I don’t under or over pronate - since the wear pattern on the bottom of my shoes is even.  He agreed and picked out some neutral shoes for me to try on.

I ended up with some Mizuno Wave Creation 10’s.  They feel AWESOME.  I can’t wait to see how they feel when I run.  They were a bit (ok - for me A LOT) pricey.  But - if they’re going to help prevent injury then they are totally worth it.

Yesterday was my sister’s Birthday so I took her shopping (and to dinner on Friday night).  I had a blast - haven’t gone shopping since before I was laid off from Philips (October).  Bought a bunch of stuff (all on sale, but still).  I can’t believe clothing sizes anymore.  I swear they’ve changed to accomodate our growing bodies.  So the number stayed the same, but the clothing got much larger.  So it gives us this false sense that we’re not getting fat.  Most of my friends are smaller, so I forget that the general population is enormous - until you go somewhere like the mall - and see kids that are pushing 300 lbs and probably have health problems that used to be reserved for 70 year olds.  I guess it’s that ‘everyone gets a trophy’ mentality that is to blame.  We’re forgetting to take responsibility for our own actions - it’s someone else’s fault - someone else’s responsibility to make me eat right, exercise, go to school, get a job, follow the law.  Someone else will take care of it for me, and if they don’t - it’s not me who is to blame - it’s someone else.  Because in today’s world, everyone wins; it’s all happy ever after; rainbows, puppy-dogs, and sunshine.