I did 2.5 miles today, 6.0 mph, 1.5% incline. Very nice. Now I can die. My legs and glutes are killing me after the lunges yesterday. I think tomorrow is definitely a slow day. I think a 1 mile run + cross training might be good. Higdon says the cross training days are supposed to be lighter. I guess your legs heal while your heart continues training. Although, if your leg muscles need low times to heal, why doesn’t your heart? That doesn’t make sense.

I bought a season parking pass to the MetroParks so I can drive there and run when the weather is nicer or when I need ground to run on.

1 more week until 1/2 marathon training begins.

To be honest I was a little skeptical about the shoes. I was wondering if was an Emporer’s New Clothes thing where if you said there was no difference, then you weren’t meant to be a runner.

After running in them I can honestly say they were alot better than the old shoes. The tops of my feet didn’t hurt and they were so much more comfortable than the others. You don’t realize just how aweful your old shoes are until you put on new ones. These were heaven.

Anyway, I ran 2.0 miles today at 1.5% grade, 6 mph. I felt pretty good too. I cruised past the 1.5 mile mark without realizing it. I pushed the grade up to 2% but dropped it back down after 2 minutes when I decided to go to 2 miles.

There was an article in Men’s Health this month about exercising for the sake of exercise. The guy was basically saying what was the point of doing it if it doesn’t do anything (like running on a treadmill for a hour and never getting anywhere). He came to the conclusion that it was indeed mindlessly stupid, but he was going to continue running and lifting anyway because it made him feel good. Fair enough.

Got my new running shoes today at Running Fit. Brooks Adrenaline GTS 4. Sounds impressive and it should have a damn cool name for $95. Apparently, I have semi-low arches and need a stabilizing shoe. They feel pretty good and the heel is kinda snug. Mr. Shoe Sales Dude said that was good because it meant the shoes were keeping the heel from moving around.

I ran 1.5 miles again today at a steady 6 mph at 1.5% grade (in the old shoes). I felt alot better than the last run. I’m not sure how to proceed tomorrow. I want to bump it up to 2 miles, but maybe I’m pushing the change too much. Maybe the same 1.5 miles and do a walk for 60 seconds in the middle. The beginning runner’s guide had you walking and running to build up endurance while not killing you. Maybe I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.