I’m Cheating. It’s not me. It’s You.     No comments yet

I’m very nervous about this weekend.  I’m cheating for the first time … on my shoes.

As I stare at my beat up Asics, I remember all the good times.  We’ve run through a marathon, another Peachtree, all those rainy/snowy/sunny days.  I look into that gray soul.  I’m sorry.  It’s not you, it’s me.

OK, that’s a lie.  It’s you.  You’re old.  You’re dirty.  You’re just not the same shoe.  So, I’m upgrading.

After a short afternoon run, I headed to The Big Peach Running Company to search for my new soul mate.  (Just to be clear- I love our local running stores, but in the past, I’ve bought running gear from every place from Phidippides to Dick’s to Target—and once, a garage sale.)

 When you buy running shoes from a running store, it’s a bit like a visit to your doctor’s office.  First, an exam, and then a diagnosis.  It can be a little embarrassing if you’re as self-conscious about your run as I am.

First, you take off your shoes.  (OK, maybe I should have done this BEFORE my afternoon run.)  You stand on a foot digital analysis machine.  It measures different pressure points that show up on a big screen in a rainbow of red, orange, and blue.  The very helpful employee used one of those screen pens that sportscasters use to draw lines on the TV.  I felt like my feet were on ESPN.

Then, you lace on a pair of shoes and run on a treadmill.  A camera tapes your run so you can figure out what shoes are best for your gait.  This is where it got a little weird.

See, I don’t do treadmills.  I think in a past life, I must have died in a terrible, painful treadmill accident.  It’s the only way to explain why I hate them so much.  It’s probably been eight years since I stepped on one.  So, my treadmill run is awkward and uncomfortable.  When my taped run was clearly inconsistent (over pronating…no, wait… neutral… no wait…hmmmm), I fessed up: I can’t run on a treadmill.  So, we went outside.

I ran back and forth in front of the store. Through seven pairs of shoes.  The woman working the counter at the Dry Cleaners next door waved at me once.  Each time, the helpful employee was closely watching my run, making assessments, asking questions.  The Exam was complete. Now the surprise diagnosis.

The shoe brand I’ve been wearing since my first marathon was not the shoe that felt best.  It’s a weird attachment perhaps only a runner can understand. But leaving behind my brand makes me very nervous.  If it’s not broke, why fix it; right?  Except it’s not that simple.  Shoe companies constantly change their styles.  They are called upgrades.  Some runners would disagree.

So here I am with my shiny new shoes.  I find them very attractive, but we don’t know each other very well.  I’m having real trust issues.  Our first date is tonight.  No candlelit dinners, just a three mile run.  I’m jumping right in.  They always say:  you can’t get over the old one until you fall in love with the new one, right?

Paint Me Purple: I’m In     No comments yet

As I was signing on the line, I thought:  there’s no going back now.

Then they gave me these things that are like purple leg warmers except for your arms.  When someone gives you sleeves, there’s REALLY no going back.  Yes, I am wearing them right now while I’m writing this blog.  I need to keep my muscles warm so I don’t pull something lifting this stack of paperwork. 

I am now a member of Team in Training (I’ll pause here so you can add a “woo-hoo!”).

My first run-in with Team in Training was a purple blur.  I was running my very first marathon when a pack of violet-clad runners passed me.  It seemed like a hodge-podge group of people… strange they were all dressed alike.  And I kept seeing them: the silver-haired couple jogging with a smile (who smiles in a marathon?!), pony-tailed girls in purple shorts, a woman with a shaved head.  That’s when I realized they were more than a running group.

Team in Training raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2008, more than 40,000 participants raised $85 Million.  If imitation is the best form of flattery, TNT should be blushing.  Since 1988, other non-profits have copied their successful model.  Each participant is required to raise a specific amount of money (for the ING, it’s $1800).  The group trains together in the months leading up to the run.  TNT provides coaches, direction, and fundraising help. 

As a runner, you just can’t ignore TNT: they’re everywhere.  I finally jumped on the wagon this week for a simple reason: they asked.

A Team in Training staff member read my blog on the Zooma Run, and asked me to sign on with them for the ING Georgia Marathon.  I ran it past my producers and… voila! Here we are.  Me and my purple sleeves.

In the next four months I know I’ll meet amazing people, log hundreds of miles, and probably suffer a few blisters.  But marathons always bring the unexpected.  I hope you’ll join me for the ride.  I’ll be posting frequent updates here on 11aliveblogs.com.  You can also follow me on Twitter: @JulieWolfe.