Vetoing Cancer, One Shoe At A Time

Hooooooold!

T-Day #6 arrived a little too early for a Saturday.

My internal clock decided it'd be a great idea to wake up at 6 in the morning, just because. I must say, my bed was just divine when I woke up and it made it really difficult for me to even roll over and check the time. I honestly think bedding companies have a secret partnership with pharmaceuticals that produce sleeping aid products, because it's just SO darn hard to get out of bed!

 What's worse is trying to take a morning shower when the bed is so warm and cozy. It feels like going for a swim in the Arctic.

After some struggling, I was able to do some errands before my S-Day big event. I was going to meet my friend Karla (Marathon goddess 1) at a specialized running shop nearby, to get my feet analyzed in order to find the perfect running shoes for me. 

I showed up all excited, and the store lady was very nice- she must have noticed right away how lost I was. After showing me to an area at the store, she opened up a treadmill, then set up a video cam on a tripod behind it, and asked me to hop on barefoot. Once the treadmill started moving, and I kept moving like a hamster in a wheel, the picture of my heels popped up on the screen in front of me. (Have I ever mentioned how weird it is to see yourself on TV? It's not the first time it happens, and yet, it is just uncanny) Thankfully, this time it was only my feet that looked 10 pounds heavier, nothing more.

After she was done recording me, she replayed the video to analyze how I step. Now, being a football fan (WHODAT!), I am familiar with repetitive replays during a game, so this felt pretty natural to me. She said I have a neutral step, and that when I run I use more the ball of my feet. (Is this good or bad?) She brought about 8 pairs of running shoes that were best for my feet. 

Trying on pair after pair made me glad I'm not a professional athlete choosing the footwear that could help me score a couple million bucks. I also had no clue of what to do once I had them on, and naturally I started pointing my toes, and doing jumps. As it turns out, all I really had to do was walk around, it is not like pointe shoes. Either way, the finalists were selected, and I did a last round of fittings to really compare which one I liked best. 

And the winner is... [drum roll]

Mizuno's Wave Precicion 13!  

I felt very happy with my selection, and when the store attendant pointed out that it matched the Team In Training colors, I was gushing like a teeny-bopper. After the store, Karla gave me some general pointers about training, nutrition, and clothing. Cotton athletic wear is now officially designated for Yoga. Also, I will be joining her running team next Saturday at 6AM (eek!) to meet her coach, her running Krewe, and to attempt to keep up with them.

As for me, the rest of that day had some important tasks to tackle: Breaking in my new shoes, and surviving a trip to Walmart. The reward for both: Hanging out with my friends. (Love the perks!)

I made the rookie mistake of going for a quick run a short time after lunch with the sun shining brightly, so I was only able to finish a whopping 1.54 mile run at an incredibly slow pace. (Serves me right for eating that fajita!) However, the shoes, and my knee, felt great! This really pumped me up, even though I was too busy managing my nausea and stomach pain. One learns through mistakes, right? ...right?!

Anyway, the run was great, and [evidently] I survived Walmart.
Sunday is another Rest Day, and from the looks of it I won't be filibustering anything today.

¡Adiós, Amigos!
B