s&m

Today's topics: Sneakers and Mountains

Sneakers

I purchased a new pair! I was due for a some new kicks, and decided to have myself actually fitted for a pair, instead of just picking blindly. It was pretty painless and I'm glad I did it! Now that I know I need a "stability" shoe, I can actually get into the Runner's World shoe guides...exhilarating, I know! Anyway, I didn't really think ahead before heading out on today's run (weather/course wise), so when I got home, my shoes looked a bit like those "Spot the Difference" picture games in the magazines...everything is the same from one (shoe) to the next, except a few small changes.

(I would've written this part upside down if I could: 1. Big spot of dirt)

Mountains

When I was little, the thought of the slow and deliberate climb to the top of a roller coaster made me want to hurl. That slow, steady clicking of the car inching its way up...ugh. At Dorney Park, I remember watching the cars become tiny dots (okay, maybe not tiny dots...) as we climbed higher and higher. The anticipation, the sloooowww moving of it all..it killed me.

And that's exactly what running such (or any, really) inclines are like for me. I let the anticipation get to me and it makes me crazy. I ran on some new roads last week and didn't realize how many bumps in the road there'd be. Not knowing, I was unable to dread them for the minutes leading up to them. Nevertheless, once I saw it up ahead, I'd start to panic. There was one that I almost had to laugh to when I got to it though. It was nothing. Even though it had looked like the car on the street were driving up a 90 degree angle, it appeared as though the sidewalk was doing its own thing. All that worry for nothing! I realized I need to stop psyching myself out and stop panicking about it beforehand. Most of the time, I blow it up so big in my head that the mountain in my mind is not even a close relative of the minor hill that lays before me. ESPECIALLY in anticipation for Hope Express EXTREME team (all will be revealed: next post!), I've decided to (slowly) start embracing these challenges, and have stopped completely rerouting runs when they fall before me. It's good. This is good.

Ahhhhhh!