Hill Run and New Shoes

Today was my first hill workout, and it wasn't that bad!

I warmed up for a mile, jogged over to the 100m hill, and ran up and down it 10 times. It really wasn't that bad. I even sprinted for a bit! The app didn't tell me to cool down afterwards, which I thought was ridiculous, so I just ran another mile-ish to cool down. I felt myself wanting to run more, but I kindly reminded myself of the fact that I had to run 14 miles this Saturday, and I found the motivation to stop. Hah!

Onto shoes! I bought new running shoes on Tuesday! OHMIGODSHOES.

My trusty Nike Air Pegasus 29's have officially clocked in 342.29 miles, and I decided it was time for me to buy some new ones. I bought them on April 8th and spent $108 on them at Luke's Locker, a chain in Texas.

The Graveyard: Nike Air Pegasus 29, Nike Air Max Moto 8, Nike Air Max Run Lite +2

Let's reminisce, shall we?

Half Marathon 2011 - wearing Nike Air Max Run Lite +2, size 8

Half Marathon 2012 - Nike Air Max Moto 8, size 8.5

I'm a little upset because I realize I never ran an actual race in my Air Pegasus 29s. My Moto 8s are actually my most seasoned running shoe: Turkey Trot 2012, Half Marathon 2012, Hot Chocolate 5K 2013, and Color Run 5K 2013.

The other day, I went to Road Runner Sports to look at running apparell. They don't have a location in Texas, so it was my first time visiting. As I was browsing, I saw that they had something called Shoe Dog. I didn't have enough time during my first visit, but after becoming a VIP member and really liking their choices, and reading Skinny Runner's post on her experience, I decided to experience it for myself.

Shoe Dog: Road Runner Sports

Shoe Dog is Road Runner Sports' unique way of making sure you get the perfect running shoe based on your specific feet, stride, arch, etc. I've never had something done that was so personalized to me, and I must say I really enjoyed it!

My findings:

YOUR PERFECT SHOE CATEGORY: Neutral Plus
YOUR PERFECT SIZE: 9 WIDTH: B

I had been running in 8s and 8.5s before! No wonder my toenail fell off over the summer. The lady fit me for a pair of insoles, molded perfectly to my feet, and had me try on a few pairs of Neutral running shoes. I tried the ASICS Cumulus 15, Nike Zoom Vomero +8, Mizuno Wave Rider 16, and the Adidas Energy Boost. It's strange - I got fitted for Neutral Plus, but almost all the shoes I tried on (except the Nikes) were only in the Neutral category. Ah, well.

Ultimately, I decided on the Mizunos! They were the most fairly priced, had the cutest color (pink!!), and I had heard great reviews for them. Plus, the lady told me they last a really long time, meaning I wouldn't have to get new shoes for a while. I'm a little surprised at how quickly I wore out my Nike Pegasus', and I don't want to repeat this 4 months later. She told me they last for over 500 miles!

So cute!

I'm just now realizing they'll clash terribly with my PRO Compression socks, so I'll probably end up getting another color. That's okay, because there's always a sale going on!

I haven't run in them yet - I'm saving them for Friday!

I've decided I love Road Runner Sports. From this trip, I bought the Mizuno shoes, 3 pairs of socks, a bottle of Nuun, and the shoe inserts. I was looking at my receipt earlier today and noticed they charged me the full amount on the socks, not the discount price they had told me they were on sale for. All I had to do was call up there - I didn't even have to drive! - and they fixed it over the phone for me. That's awesome customer service.

Ever been to Road Runner Sports?