My inspiration!

Well, I did it. I signed up for the Seattle Rock n Roll half marathon! I am excited. It is my first race in more than two years. I definitely have the itch again (and I am not talking about athletes foot!).
However, it was a big concession for me in not signing up for the full marathon. In choosing the half, I recognized the limitations on both my time and ability to train in the next few months. I am usually not good at practicing "not running faster than I have strength" (in fact, my family would submit that I actually only have one speed, and run neither faster or slower...ever!) Someday I will do full marathons again, but until then, I will focus on these babies as my inspiration.

I am an Aasics girl. They have never given me blisters in 5 marathons. My goal is to turn my new pair of shoes in all their squeaky clean, impeccably white, untested glory...
...into a pair of shoes more closely resembling this proud specimen from my last marathon.
I am amazed at how attached I have become to my shoes. I have such a hard time throwing them away, even when they no longer have any shock absorbency and they become and indeterminate color of muddy grey. I look at them and I think about the literally hundreds of miles that I have run in them and how well they took care of me from the start of the race to the finish. Worn out shoes, to me, are the reward from a race well run-- better than any token medal.

The sad part is that I have been wearing my old racing shoes, which once crossed the finish line of the St. George marathon in dignity, to places like the grocery store and the library. They have definitely been put out to pasture! Time for a new pair of shoes to take its place!