Retirement

I'm having to put a pair of shoes out to pasture: the Asics Gel-Neo33 I scored from my old running store back in December, 2011. I just ran the numbers on the last seven months of running, and I saw I'd racked up 416 miles on these dudes:

The 'after' picture, after 4 1/2 years and 416 miles. Note the
worn treads on the heel & forefoot-- signs that it's time. The gum
didn't come with the shoes.

My belief is that these weren't meant to be 500-mile shoes since there's a little less cushion here, and I feel like it's starting to cost me a little in terms of shock absorption since I'm noticing a little bit of right foot pain on my first metatarsal. This is a new pain to me, and I hope that taking them out of rotation will help.

I also have a plantar wart near the ball of my right foot that I hope is more related to the source of the pain. These warts don't sit above the skin, but they're digging into my foot since they've got to go somewhere. The hope is that by treating the wart will reduce the pain and solve the problem. A stress fracture is another possible source of the pain, so I hope my plan A is successful and saves me from writing a string of depressing blog posts about swimming and weights. A runner's worst punishment is 'not' running.

I don't recall ever racing or doing speedwork in these shoes, but they were good foot soldiers. They always came up recently when I wanted to go longer, like a 7 or an 8.

Shifting gears a little, my string of 20-mile weeks ended at eight last week. Instead I spent the time driving around the mid-Atlantic seeing the sights and family I hadn't seen in a long time. Last week's total was eight miles, but it included a run across the Potomac River (on Key Bridge) and onto Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Gorgeous scenery and a beautiful campus.

I remembered shoes and socks and even my Garmin, but for the first time I forgot shorts and tech shirts. So I ran in soccer shorts and a cotton t-shirt. Definitely a 'mission fail.' I've never forgotten those things. But I also forgot to bring dress shoes, so at least I tried to balance it out a little.