New shoes from a new store!

I did it - I broke down and got some new shoes today. Even with switching out my insoles, I was still having a lot of foot pain. Better, but still there. And last week that back twinge started coming back. So I just couldn't wait anymore. We have a new running store on El Cajon Blvd! http://www.milestonerunning.com/ So I went to check them out. Turns out they have a 30 day "wear em/love em" guarantee. Which is so great. I'm always wary about buying shoes away from RoadRunner because, in the past, I've been burned when the shoe didn't work out. So I got my first ever pair of Brooks. They are called PureCodence. No clue what that means! I'm going to try them without orthotics first. They are light, very squishy, and have a darn decent arch. I ran at the gym today because it was so hot by the time I was ready to go. Did a 5k on the treadmill, 5% incline/6.0 pace. I'm really anxious to see how my feet feel tomorrow! I've been listening to another really good book (The Golden Compass). Made the 3 miles go quickly!

Prepare for excessive jealousy!

I have new shoes! And they are freaking awesome!

Cute, huh? So, here is the un-jealous part. which I've already told you. I think I'm going to lose at least one toenail. Well, it's loose. But it's not black. So the internets are telling me that it may stay attached to the nail bed. Black is the kiss of death. When I got those insoles I told my helper that my shoes felt smaller. And he....well, he wasn't too invested in helping much. I really should have gotten new shoes that day but I figured if I mentioned they felt smaller and he didn't seem too worried then I was OK. But, yes, I'm responsible for myself! My fault. I'm mostly just sharing my reasoning. Anyway, clearly they were too small. And, this morning, I did not run. I walked again. But I knew that I would not be able to run in my shoes (the Mizunos I ran the marathon in, or my Nike Frees). It just hurt too much. So I went over to Road Runner today and ended up with 3 really awesome helpers. Guy one was with Shoe Dog and I talked to him first. I explained my situation and he said, "You're absolutely right. You need bigger shoes. Let me get you to Antonio. He can help you with the shoes. But I want you to see me before you leave. Because I'm concerned that your current insoles will be too short for a bigger shoe. I want to check because I'll just make you a new pair if that turns out to be the case." Then Antonio helped me with my shoes. Note: 2 pm is the time to go! I tried on 4 different pairs and ended up getting the same Mizuno shoes as I've had the last two times - just a half size bigger and a WAY more awesome color! I told Antonio that I thought my insoles seemed to fit fine and he put his hand in my shoe and said, "No. They don't." My initial Shoe Dog guy was gone but the guy that helped me with the new insoles is the guy that Antonio said travels the country teaching everyone how to make them. And he agreed with Antonio that I needed new ones for my new shoes. So he made them and just switched them out for the other ones I had made just a few short weeks ago. So. Lots of drama we have with running, huh? Like sands through the hour glass! I'm going to try and run a couple of miles tomorrow.