The first part of this could also be titled "Asics gets too much of my money". Or, it could be titled "Why the heck is Bill spending so much time typing about his stupid shoes, and who cares?" The second part after all the shoe stuff is just whatever it is... a low point in my week... a bit of regret... a "wish I had a do-over" moment...

Anyway, on to the first part. I bought some new shoes today. That itself is not out of the ordinary (in fact it is WAY too common). But I am taking a gamble, and trying something (very slightly) different this time around. I have been buying pretty much the same shoe over and over for the last 4.5 years. Back then, it was an Asics GT2100. They fit, they were comfortable, and they didn't give me any issues. But running shoe companies seem to want to mess with things every year. On this particular model, Asics ups the number by 10 each year.

The 2110's were ok, but they pushed on the back of my ankles in a weird way. I was wearing them when I started training for my first marathon, and as the mileage increased, so did the discomfort. When it was time for new shoes, I had decided that I would try a few other brands and models. After trying on nearly everything else in the store of the same basic style, I tried the 2120's (which were the new model that year), and the ankle issue was gone! Once again, I had shoes that fit, were comfortable, and didn't give me any issues. I thought the issue with the other pair must have been a manufacturing fluke.

The next year the 2130's came along, this time in the midst of training. The sales person said they hadn't changed much except for the color. I bought them without really thinking about it. The ankle thing was back. That time around I ended up buying some inserts that made the shoes feel better and was ok for a while. I managed to find a pair of the 2120's on clearance somewhere, and switched back by the time the race came around. But I needed new shoes again soon after that for the next race, and the 2120's were scarce. My next couple pairs were 2130's with the inserts, but all in all they really weren't that comfortable. I decided once again that I would shop around and see if there was something else I could wear. Half an hour and several disappointments later I walked out of the store with some 2140's, happy as a clam. That was about a year ago, and I've since gone through several pairs of that same shoe. You can see where this is going...

As of today, I can say that the 2150's are true to the pattern. Not only is the ankle issue back, but it happens to be pressing right on an area of my foot I am currently having some trouble with. Coincidence? Probably.. but right now, I think it would turn out to be unbearable to run in those shoes for any length of time. I could probably buy the inserts to go with them, but I don't really want to.

I asked, and they happened to have one pair of 2140's in my size left. I was very close to buying them when I decided since I was already there, I would just try on some other stuff for the heck of it, and (drum roll) I ended up with a different shoe (still Asics though) - the DS Trainer. I think the DS stands for "Different Shoes". The heel is lower and softer or something, and they feel a little lighter. I think it was the right decision, but I reserve the right to go crying out to the internet in a few weeks to find a pair of bargain-basement 2140's and rescue them.

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Related to the shoe thing by coincidence, but completely different topic, and unrelated to running in the least : On my way to get shoes today...

As I was driving up to the store, I saw a man by the side of the road acting strange. He kept bending over, standing up, taking a few steps, bending over again and so on. It wasn't until I was driving past him that I saw the cane on the ground.

There was no traffic, so I stopped in the middle of the road and got out of my car. I walked around, picked up the cane, and handed it to the man. Looking at his eyes, it was clear that he had a serious vision impairment. He thanked me, and as I started walking back around to get in my car he began talking to me, telling me he needed to go "that way", and asking if I could drive him to Lamar. I'm not in the habit of giving rides to strangers, so I told him that I wasn't headed to Lamar right at that instant. Before I could really say much else, he got agitated and started swinging his cane around, yelling "This is frustrating! You won't help me.. nobody will help me!" Then he turned his attention to someone else walking down the street and started yelling at them. I was frightened - I thought he was going to hit me (accidentally or not) with the cane, so I fled the scene and went into the store.

I felt like an ass. The guy obviously needed more help than I provided, but I let that bit of fear get the best of me. I ran away and went to buy shoes instead. I looked for him when I was coming back out of the store but he was gone. I don't know if he was able to get a ride or what. In retrospect, if I had been thinking straight I would have tried to calm him down and offered to call him a cab. But I was scared, and I wasn't thinking straight. That doesn't really matter, I still feel like an ass.

The Prize : A while ago, one of the coaches (who goes by Geezer) posted on the message boards with a contest - whoever could post the best story about how he got his nickname would win him for a long run - to get water, carry gels, whatever. On a whim I posted an outlandish story involving members of Black Sabbath and old junior high math teachers. He decided it was worth a run which we ended up doing yesterday - a 20 miler on the first part of the course. I didn't make him carry my gels or get my water (though he did insist on the first cup), but we talked a lot, and I certainly appreciated the company. I like to meet new people and hear their stories. Bruce was also in our small pack of runners - it was good to see and chat with him again. The run just sort of flew by and we were finishing up before I knew it.

Intermission : After the run there were people handing out caffeinated water outside the store. What? Again? I remember in college for about a year there were three or four companies all trying to sell caffeinated water, and then they all seemed to disappear. I think that my roommate was their biggest customer at the time. He would buy the stuff and make espresso with it. When one of the guys handing out the bottles offered one to me, I jokingly asked him whether they had any that was a bit darker, warmer, and from Guatemala. He gave me an odd look and said "Noooo....." all trailed-out like that, and kind of with a rise at the end. I thanked him, declined the water and moved on.

The Surprise : I arrived at home, said hi to the family and proceeded directly to the much-needed shower. Towards the end of my shower I heard some rustling in the bathroom. I assumed that it was just a stray child since they often show up in our bathroom when the shower is in use to pound on the shower door and shout random things. There was no pounding or shouting though. When I got out, I was delighted to find a fresh cup of Guatemalan right there on the counter, and instead of cream.. eggnog. It is like she was reading my mind. I got Ben to join me in a short chant of "Mommy Rocks" a few minutes later.

I know I have said it before, but I will say it again.. I love Marshes. It is one of my favorite workouts. I had been looking forward to tonight all week, just because I knew that is what we were doing. If I ever happen to meet Mr. Marsh in person, the first thing I am going to do after the introductions are over is thank him and gush all over the place. And then I will turn around and flee in embarrassment.

**I have to step aside here and briefly explain, to avoid the question later - Marshes is a hill workout. Ok.. that's enough explanation.**

Back on track.. Why do I love Marshes so much? Let me count the ways:

1) Its much like other quality workouts - when I am done, I feel like I've accomplished something. I feel stronger physically and mentally. It is not an easy workout. When done right, the last 1/2 Marsh will feel like an eternity; when done wrong, everything but the first few streets will feel that way. While tonight's went perfectly, it has kicked my butt a few times as well.

2) Its hillS.. plural. It is not one hill over and over again - it is many, and they all are a little bit different from one another. Ok.. technically they are all different roads on the same hill, but whatever.

3) You run up the hills AND down the hills. Unlike the typical "run up the hill, recover back down" hill repeats, on the effort part of this workout, you might be going just up, just down, up and then down... and to varying degrees each time. Some of the recovery is uphill.. some if it is down..but the main point here is that you get to practice both.

4) This is a stupid one, and it only happens at night, but I like the way the lights of the houses on the other side of the hills bounce into view. It is just cool. It is a special treat to do Marshes during the holidays. Yes, I am easily amused.

Hmmm... I guess there's just four ways. That's enough though. Good workout.

... and certainly not for a 20 mile run in the early morning hours.   Quite honestly, I don't have a clue where I am going. Even if I have a map in my hands and a list of turn-by-turn directions with landmarks, chances are high that I will either miss a turn, take a right when it should have been a left, or even turn down the wrong road.  Saturday's run featured two of the three.  They were both corrected quickly, so the run didn't end up *too* much longer than was intended (about 1/2 mile is all).  Hopefully I can pay more attention next week.  It was an adventure, at least.

Tonight's workout felt fantastic.  It was a 6-mile "steady state" run with a couple 2-mile bookends.  I haven't gone to my watch to look at the splits in detail, but the few times I did glance down during the run I was actually at a pace that was about right for my goals!  That has been almost unheard of on these weekly quality workouts so far.  I'll know all the gory details when I download my info on Sunday, but I feel like this could be the beginning of a new trend.

I exchanged some electronic money for an electronic mail that says I am registered to run (in person) on February 14th.  There was also the promise of some additional items, such as a number to pin on my shirt and all the water I care to drink.

The past week (including last week's long run), I have had plenty of company, and have been enjoying it.  Not that I don't also enjoy running by myself - I do.  But it is sometimes nice to have someone else out there, especially on the longer runs. 

Listing the cast of characters...  Paul and I have teamed up for a few of the long runs lately, including the last two weeks.  Bruce joined us last weekend for the first part of the run, in preparation for New York today, where he blew away the goal he had set for himself - at least the one he mentioned to us. 
On Monday, Mandy joined me for the first part of my run, or perhaps I hijacked her run.. I am not sure which way it went, but we ran together in any case. 
Tuesday evening the planets aligned, and Mike and I finally managed to go for a run together.  I think we started planning that one in July or August.  In any case, Mike also ran New York today, and got a giant PR. 
On Wednesdays I always have company, in the form of Alex, Dan, and sometimes several other people in the training group, depending on the workout. 
And then yesterday it was Paul, myself and Dan for the full run, with cameo appearances from both Claire and Mark, neither of whom I have had a chance to talk to in a long while.  All in all, it was a great week, and I really enjoyed the company.
Last Sunday, Thursday, and today, I did a lot of talking to myself.

One other order of business to take care of here - I set a precedent at the end of September by posting some stats for the month.  Since October just ended, here they are:

October: 221 miles over 26 days - total time : 30 hr 12 min 3 sec.

That's a lot more running than I did last month.  While I am at it, that's a lot more running than I think I have ever done in a month, even during previous trainings.  The scary? exciting? part is that we're just getting to the peak next week.
 

Sometimes, I have trouble accepting very simple concepts.  Usually when this happens, that concept is also completely trivial, and most people I share my thoughts with on the subject think "Why do you even care?" while nodding politely and smiling agreeably.

I've been struggling with one of those concepts for the past seven weeks, which is exactly what this is about.  More specifically, where the line is drawn between them.  Weeks, that is.   Here's an example: The work week begins on Monday.  It ends on Friday. I go to work Monday through Friday, and then on Saturday and Sunday, I don't.  I accept that. 

My training schedule has the week beginning on Monday, and ending on Sunday.  When they talk about increasing mileage on a weekly basis, they are counting the miles between Monday and Sunday.. and then they start over.  That's all fine and good, but the problem I have here is that Friday is the day off.  I start running on Saturday, and continue to run each day through Thursday.  Then on Friday... I don't.   This causes me an embarrassing amount of grief.  I thought I would get over it after a few weeks, but I haven't.  It is possible that this will be the end of me.

I thought it was a fluke on Friday.  We went for a hike at McKinney Roughs and in the middle of the hike we stopped at the top of an overlook, where of course, we looked over.    It did not take long to notice all the butterflies gathered on the trees up there.  I am not really sure what kind they were.. maybe queen or soldier butterflies - brown with white spots on the tips of the wings - like monarchs, but  with brown instead of orange.  The more we looked at the trees, the more of them we saw.  I found myself wishing I had brought a camera.

Then yesterday I went out for my long run in the afternoon (back here in Austin).  I had a lot of company - more of these same butterflies, but this time they were just everywhere in the air.  Sometimes they'd be crossing my path and sometimes if the wind was right, they'd flutter along beside me for a little while before going their own way.  And today's run was the same - more butterflies everywhere during the entire run.

It really kind of boggles my mind that there can be that many of these little creatures flying around all of a sudden.  If it were anything other than butterflies (frogs, for example) I'd think something of Biblical proportions was about to occur.  There must be several thousand of them descending on this little part of the world right now.  The only other explanation is that perhaps there are really only about 30 of them, and they decided to follow me around indefinitely because I smell good.  I think we can rule that theory out.

This was a week of extremes.

Wednesday : Worst Cool Down Run Ever.  Ok, so that statement itself is a bit extreme, and I know I have had many, many runs worse than this.  But it was at least the worst run in recent history, and while it was happening, it *felt* like the worst run ever.  I over-did it a little during the 3-miles of tempo that we had scheduled that evening, and the run back to Rogue after the effort part of the workout was really more a chore than the effort itself.  I think a good portion of it was mental anguish rather than physical.  Yes, I was tired from the workout, but the route back was this switchback 4.5 mile thing instead of the ~1 mile direct path.  And looking at it now, we even ended up missing a turn and accidentally shortening that by about .8 miles.   But all of that was forgotten by the time I got to...

Saturday : Most Awesomest Run Ever.  Again, I am going overboard here, but I had a really excellent long run.  It was the opposite of Wednesday's experience - pretty much the best run in recent memory.  I would attribute most of it to the crisp, cool weather that morning.  It was cold enough that I considered long sleeves, but I decided against that, and glad I did.  It turned out to be perfect weather for running.  It was a 16-miler, which is (not exaggerating) the longest run that I've done since.. January?  Probably.  Definitely since January or February.   When it was finished, I was disappointed that it was ending.  I really did not want to stop.. so much that after I grabbed some water and my keys, I ran to my car, about 1/10th of a mile away to get my recovery drink, then ran back to do my stretching.  And THEN.. I bought a new pair of running shoes.  That is always a nice feeling.  But I haven't tried them out yet because of...

This Morning : Wetter Than Wet.  Yes.. that's not even possible, but I needed the symmetry.  In any case, when I set out for the run today it was pouring down a cold, cold rain.  I did opt for the long sleeves today, as well as a hat.  Starting out into that when I'm all warm and dry is the hardest part.  Once I am out there long enough that I'm not getting any wetter (today 5 seconds), and my body temp is keeping me warm (5 minutes), I really enjoy running in the rain.  I kept my mind occupied for those first few minutes of relative discomfort by watching the sheets of water pour off the brim of my hat and imagining how I might install a miniature rain gutter there.  I started wondering whether it would be better to go to Home Depot or Michael's for the appropriate supplies.  But then I realized it would end up all clogged with leaves and junk and I'd have to climb up there and clean it out to keep my forehead from rotting.  It would be more trouble than it is worth.  And once all that silliness was done, I just ran and enjoyed the storm.