ready, set, run!

Ahh, a clean room is a beautiful thing. I had enough and finally caved and unpacked suitcases from last month, put away the mounds of clean laundry, sucked up the dust bunnies, and gave my room the long overdue cleaning it needed. In the process, I unearthed the wonderful new pair of running shoes I acquired while visiting cousins Stateside.

During my several day visit, my cousin and his wife extended offers to workout with them. He's in the process of training for Ironman and she competes in marathons so I thought I'd spare myself the lesson in humility and politely decline their invitations. I did, however, take them up on their offer to shop for new sneakers, something I intended to pick up while home anyway. As full time master's program student, part time athletic store employee, and all-the-time fitness guru, my cousin's wife taught me just how high-tec and sophisticated things could be in selecting the right shoe.

At her place of employment, The Athlete's Foot, I got to try their unique, state-of-the-art FitPrint System. By identifying pressure points through different phases of a person's step, not just the athletic activity but the individual's feet are taken into consideration in recommending an ideal shoe. Over the past few years, I've been purchasing the same shoe, just a newer model each time. It was cool to see how well I actually knew my own feet because the kind I usually get was one of the ones recommended, though she also had me try a few others from brands I wouldn't normally consider and to my surprise, I ended up going with a differnt brand. The experience also provided some cool tips on putting on my shoes, a different lacing technique, and even tips for deciding among pairs that all feel right, such as listening to the sound of my steps. I was even allowed to go outside and test each pair on the pavement. I was impressed by the service, knowledge, and overall experience. Though the family tie could be slightly swaying my favorable opinion, I'd still recommend the shop.

So today I decided it was time to stop admiring the lovely pair of shoes and get them dirty. Time to hit the pavement and grass and get back into running. Time to resume the routine I've been shirking off the last month and a half and get back to feeling a bit more like myself again.