Happy New Year!

Some people party on New Year's, but we go for runs in the rain.

Thanks to my new running hat, it was actually quite refreshing.  It's amazing what a little hat can do!  Plus, I had to break in these new shoes.

Brooks Launch 3's

I went to Point2 running store and had my feet assessed by a "professional".  I was impressed by their technology and how they could asses my feet and gait, but I was not so impressed by the professional when it came time to pick a shoe.  After the assessment, I was told that I have such high arches that the middle of my foot doesn't touch the ground at all, which sounds like it would be a problem, but he said it only means I don't need a shoe with a certain arch support.  He also said that I don't over pronate, which is a common source of shin splints, and my current pain is simply due to the poor support in the shoes I was wearing.  Finally, he said that my feet actually have not grown/flattened, but in reality, I have a size 6.5 foot and a size 7 foot.  Weird.  So basically it comes down to this; my feet are normal and I run normal so I can buy any shoe I want.  Not what I was hoping to hear.  I was hoping this gentleman would turn into a magical running fairy and show me the perfect shoe for my feet.  It was actually my own husband who saved the day and picked out the winners that I ended up purchasing.  

The bad news is, after the first run, I came home in tears because my shins/feet were in so much pain.  However, the professional confirmed I have shin splints and that's not something a new shoe can cure overnight.  I have confidence these are good shoes and I just need to give my body a chance to heal and adjust to actually having support.

I took 3 days off of running and did some cross training instead.  I waited until there was absolutely no pain when I touched my shin and went out for a slow run yesterday.  I purposely ran very slow and promised myself I would walk at the first sign of pain.  I made it almost 4 miles and only the little pinky toe on one foot went numb, which I count as huge progress...plus, I didn't cry.

I came home to fancy cheese and crackers and homemade zuppa tuscana.  I'm spoiled y'all.

It finally cooled off here a little and the soup was exactly what I needed after a wet run.

After dinner, we partied with these three and had a roaring game of dominoes.