Roadblocks

Today:  no run. 

After this week, when my running has been sporadic at best, I can't say I really needed Friday off.  Still, I wanted to get back on track with my training and rededicate myself to this whole marathon gig.  Between my Arabic final and allergies acting up, this week has thrown several roadblocks into my training.  Not to be cliched, but this is a marathon not a race!

I'm not particularly worried about skimping on the running this week.  As long as I conquer the long runs this weekend and run every day next week, I will be fine.  As with anything, training for a marathon takes a lot of dedication and time, and there are bound to be weeks that running just isn't my first priority.

Yesterday, I wrote a long post about diet/nutrition for runners, so I promise I won't bore you like that again, But today, I was thinking about running shoes. 

I remember when I first started playing sports as a kid, and the best part of a new season was picking out new tennis shoes and/or cleats.  There was nothing like buying new shoes and wearing them right out of the store.  I just couldn't help myself.  Now, I've never been very good at tying my shoes - I'll confess (sometimes, my fine motor skills are just a little lacking), but I loved the way the laces felt in my hand, the smell of new leather and the squeak of the sneakers on the floor.

To this day, I still feel the same way.  When it's time to get new shoes, I can barely focus on anything else.  I spend all my spare time researching new fads in running shoes, reviews in Runner's World and other fitness magazines and browsing my favorite running specialty stores in Northern Virginia and D.C..  What do I want?  What do I need?  What shoe is best for under-pronators?  There are a million questions to ask.

When I ran the Baltimore Marathon and Frederick Half-Marathon about two years ago, I ran in Nikes.  A lot of people hate on Nikes as running shoes, but I finished, the shoes held up, I didn't lose any toenails and my feet were in overall good condition after the races.  So, I've run in Nikes ever since.  The big question I'm asking now, is whether I want to run in Nikes again for this race or give another brand a shot.  On one hand, I don't want to mess with a good thing, but on the other, I'm ready for a change - new shoes are always an adventure.

Well, I'll be buying the new shoes this weekend, so I'll let you know what I end up purchasing.  I am a creature of habit, but any wagers on whether I'll be pounding the pavement in Nikes or another brand?

Happy running!