New Duds!

Life has been pretty quiet around here, and we all know my knitting had been neglected for quite some time, so I haven't had much material for new posts. A couple of mildly interesting things have happened in the past few weeks, though, so I thought I should drop in for a quick update.

On the heels of gaining Emily's commitment to co-run the 26.2 with Donna half-marathon in February, I finally made the decision to invest in some new running shoes. I had asked for new shoes for my birthday, and had gathered enough cash to be able to visit a proper running store and buy whatever footwear they prescribed without worrying about the price. On Thursday, I headed to 1st Place Sports at Jacksonville Beach with my old Nikes in hand, ready for a change. I was greeted by the very friendly Charlie, who looked at my old shoes and then asked me to walk around the store with no shoes on. He measured my foot and determined that I have a very high arch and looked at the places where my old shoes were worn down. Resisting the urge for him to search the stockroom for something green and black, I waited for Charlie to return. He came back with several shoes which I got to try on and then run on the treadmill to see what fit best. Charlie explained that feet swell when we run, so I needed a (gulp) size bigger in a running shoe than my normal size 10. He also told me I was tying my shoes too tight, resulting in blisters. I settled into a lovely pair of Sauconys, which felt one million times lighter than my old shoes.

Now, let me tell you, nothing motivates me more for a run than new gear. I have dropped many a dollar on Under Armor tees, new Nike Tempo shorts, or even new socks just to get me revved up for that day's workout. Thursday Hal only had me scheduled for 45 minutes of cross training, but I was feeling good and really excited about trying out my new footwear. I hit the treadmill and was ecstatic to bust out 2 easy miles in under 20 minutes. Saturday's "long" run of 5 miles proved just as easy, requiring only one 2-minutes walk break, and an overall finish time around 51 minutes (I do realize I am hopelessly slow). It may have been all in my head, but I am 100% obsessed with my new Sauconys, and am clearly convinced that they have unlocked the key to my running success.



As I look to train for 13.1 miles in February, I know I have to sign up for a few road races along the way to (pardon the pun) get my feet wet before the big day. I am looking at running the Turtle Trot 10K on Labor Day weekend. It will be nice to start with a race here instead of having to drive 40+ minutes into Jacksonville. Plus, my future mother-in-law is planning a bridal shower (eep!) for that weekend, so I will be able to indulge in all of the fabulous goodies without feeling guilty.


Speaking of wedding stuff, I also made a big checkmark last week and got my co-MOH dresses! I had almost thrown in the towel and hit up Old Navy for tanks and JoAnn's for green fabric, determined to go to a seamstress and demand the simple tank dress that I wanted, when a miraculous dress came into my store and answered my prayers. Black, green, casual but gorgeous, and oh-so-affordable with a generous employee discount... enter the Jacqueline dress!

Natch, we are losing that icky green ribbon belt and adding a wide black (sure to be stretchy, my fave belt feature) belt instead, but overall the dress is perfect, and there are 2 snuggled safely in the back of my closet next to my wedding dress for the big day (there's also a 3rd in my closet, sure to make its debut this week, as I could not pass up the opportunity to also purchase this little lover for myself). Em and Linds immediately went to work researching shoe options, so I'm sure a decision will be made shortly on those, as well.

I'm nearing the 90 day countdown to my wedding, and we still haven't finalized a venue, but at least some of the details are getting worked out. I'm sure insanity will ensue, but right now I'm happy to have 3 dresses and still holding on to my groom-to-be :)

On a conversational note, my ipod shuffle is really getting stale. My only recent additions have been Jordin Sparks' "Battlefield" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". Anyone have any suggestions for must-have running songs?