And the Winning Shoe Is...

Workout: 3 miles, 11:30 average, Connects

New segment on JJ-o: I include my shoe of choice in my workout summary! So very interesting. It's more for me than for you, but maybe you'll get some enjoyment out of it (you won't).

One shoe that won't be listed in the workout summary? The (allegedly) pink ones I bought a few days ago (I still don't see the pink; am I crazy?).

I am only slightly embarrassed to admit it took me twenty minutes to figure out how to draw on a picture.

I swear it's not because they may be pink (or is it?). It's because I had a chance to run in them and the inside of the shoe was just too restrictive. Even a few minutes in them left my pinky toes giving me dirty looks. I haven't had issues with blisters or general foot discomfort in years, and I'm not ready to start now.

It's unfortunate, really, because like I said in my previous post, I actually preferred these shoes when I first put them on. The base of the shoe is pretty "neutral" (ie. flat, without a pronounced arch; at least, that's my definition of neutral), and it seemed light for all the cushioning it's got. Almost as soon as I started going downhill, though, I could feel blisters forming on my toes. Uh oh. It is very possible this feeling would have gone away after a few runs, but compared to the Connects, the inside felt kind of like a cheese grater (dramatic, much?). I don't think it was a sizing issue because there was plenty of room at the front of the shoe.

I'm sad I returned these shoes because I think they're better-looking than the others (pink and all), but it was actually a good thing because I really was going to keep both pairs (despite promises to the contrary). At least this way I can tell myself I don't have them because they're uncomfortable and not because I can't afford it.

So yeah, surprisingly enough the Connects won out.

This took me only five minutes. Photo-editing skills available for hire.

I wore these both yesterday and today and was very pleased with them. You really can't feel the annoying arch very much once you start running, and they seem to have pretty decent traction. I actually ran without Yaktrax and didn't feel at all unsafe. Good thing, because they're too big for my li'l Trax. I'm looking forward to putting in some quality mileage in these babies.

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So the Iditarod banquet was kind of a blast. It really, REALLY was NOT a formal affair. Think sweatshirts, potato sacks, and rattails. Rattails everywhere. I saw one musher wearing a button-up shirt and every time I saw him I thought, "Wow, he looks so put together." Because everyone else looked like shit. Badass, hardcore, mountain (wo)man-y shit. It definitely started dragging after a while, though. Two hours after we arrived (late), I assumed things were winding down. And then the mushers started drawing their starting numbers (which, obviously, determines start order). And giving extremely wordy thank you speeches. Unlike the Academy Awards, there was no way to get them to stop talking, so they talked and talked and talked and talked. When it seemed like they had nothing left to talk about, they talked some more. That was when I decided I needed a beer.

Tomorrow's the ceremonial start in Anchorage. The route actually follows the trail I run on all the time, so I know a lot of (hopefully) less-known access points to watch from. I think it'll be fun! I'm hoping to get my run in on the trail once they're done.

Happy Friday!