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25 March 2013

Running Shoes for the Apocalypse

I made it through another week of training for the Fool's Dual Half Marathon! It snowed again on speedwork day, so I headed to the treadmill for 4x1 mile repeats. That went well. On Thursday I was supposed to do an easy 5 miler, but my ankle was acting lame so I cut that one short and took Friday off. I loved that day off. I felt so gloriously lazy. Saturday was the 5k race debacle, but I've already written about that. Moving on. Yesterday I ran a kick ass 10-miler. It felt comfortable and easy and I ran on the Boston course with a thousand other runners, in packs of at least 5, most of which tried to run me off the sidewalk in Wellesley.

See, this is why I miss Pittsburgh so much. The people here are not nice. They're so fucking entitled and if they aren't being obnoxious or driving badly, they're pretending you don't exist. Adding insult to injury, the Boston accent is ridiculous. If I didn't love my job so much, this is pretty much the last place on earth I'd want to live. People on the internet always talk about how nice the running community is; how accepting and kind they are. Even this does not apply in Boston. Or maybe just not within a 10-mile radius of Wellesley?

It's not me, it's you, Boston. You suck.

Earlier this month, I ordered some new duds from Oiselle. I was super excited to get the new stuff and so far it hasn't let me down. First, the Lux Layer. Everything I read about this top is true. It's cozy and soft - hard to believe it's polyester or whatever. The only problem is it seemed too nice to use for running! For a couple of weeks I just kept looking at it on my shelf, thinking "you're way too nice to sweat in." But as I wasn't wearing it for anything else ("it's for running!"), I eventually tried it out on a short cold run, underneath my Patagonia NanoPuff jacket. It was so cozy. I even raced in it this weekend! Sadly there are no action shots, but here's a picture of Michelle and I after the race. (I'm wearing my new Ibex wool beanie too. Ibex is amazing. Most of my fall and winter clothing is from Ibex.)

Michelle and I after the 5k
I also ordered Oiselle's Lesley Knickers, and they have become my go-to treadmill crops. They are so lightweight and cozy - it feels like I'm not wearing anything at all. Well no, that would feel weird. It's just that they move perfectly with me and are totally comfortable. I definitely recommend these two items from Oiselle. I have yet to try the Game Day Shorts and the Running Pants, thanks to Boston's eternal winter. I'm still running in thermal tights.

Of course, the never-ending shoe saga continues. I bought two new pair recently and although I like both of them, my posterior tibial tendon is not thrilled. It might be that they are too big. I can never figure out how big running shoes are supposed to be; my toes are wierdly long which makes it hard to know. So today I got a pair of Adrenalines, and I'm very excited to see how they work. I think I need a bit more stability for my sad little right leg. Or "big cankly right leg", whatever. They felt amazing on my short sidewalk test drive. I am also going to order some of my old standbys, the Asics GT 2170s. They worked pretty well before, and since they are now discontinued it will be good to have a couple of pairs lying around for emergencies. Some people save money or stockpile food. I stash running shoes for the apocalypse.

3 comments

  1. Ha! I still have 3 pair of Saucony Kinvara 2's stashed in my closet! I'll wear them eventually! Lol. You're not alone.
    Sorry the snooty runners tried to run you off of the road.

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  2. You made me laugh with your Boston comments! I have never been to Boston so it will certainly be an experience when I am there in a few weeks, but it's fun to hear what it is like to actually live there. I don't love where I live either, but it is serving its purpose for now (good job, nice home, great friends). However, I dream of moving some day.

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  3. Kristy! A fellow shoe stasher! Glad to see there are other normal people with this problem. You are normal, right?
    Beth - you'll probably see Boston's best behavior, but if you don't, I'd love to hear about it. It's definitely serving it's purpose for now, but sometimes I just have to complain. I'm kind of a complainer.

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