New Sneakers - New Balance 769

As with most runners, I dread having to get a new pair of running sneakers. I have a very hard time finding a pair that fits me correctly, and then when I finally find one, New Balance usually comes out with a new model very quickly and then the whole process starts all over again. Last year, I bought three pairs of the New Balance 767s so I wouldn't have to worry about searching for sneakers during my marathon training. My third pair of 767s has finally reached the end of its line. So much time has passed since I bought my last pair of sneakers that I skipped over the 768 model entirely, and now the 769s are available. I was getting nervous since I heard from several of the stores that this model was narrower than in the past. Since Urban Athletics was having a sale last week, I ordered a pair of the 769s in my size, without the luxury of trying them on since they didn't have them in the store. They just came today (they hand delivered them to my apartment) and luckily they fit pretty well. I went for a 5 mile run in them today and felt good. Now I will just wait until they go down in price, and buy several pairs of them on the internet.

After talking with the Laminator, I decided to sign up tomorrow for the Long Branch Half Marathon on May 3rd. I wanted to put a half marathon on the calendar to get me focused a bit. It fits my criteria of a local race that is outside of Central Park, and relatively easy to get to. My running has been going well so far during the first quarter of the year, and I felt I was ready to gear up for a half marathon.

The weather was great on Friday and Saturday and I took full advantage of it. Yesterday was in the mid 50s and sunny, so I decided to do my usual 10 mile on the Westside Highway and back. I felt in a good groove and was able to do the run in about 1hr 25min, which averages out to about 8:30 per mile. Today, instead of a 6 mile run, I cut it down to 5. I had my new shoes on and they felt lighter than my last pair and more cushioned (that could just be because my last pair was worn down pretty extensively). I felt good right from the start and keep up a steady pace throughout. I thought my pace felt a bit on the quicker side and saw afterwards that I was going at an 8:00 pace. I didn't feel strained or tired, so this turned out to be a very good run for me.

Looking back on the first quarter of the year, I started out rather sluggish and then picked things up considerably during the last month and a half. I was still in recovery mode during January and the first part of February, and wasn't too concerned with my running. I felt lethargic and somewhat uninterested, and kept up my running purely as maintenance. Once I signed up for and ran the Cherry Tree 10 miler, I started to get more focused on my running and began to enjoy it again. My race times definitely reflected this, as evidenced by my PRs in the 10 miler and 15K last weekend. This is the second year in a row that I have done my "build up" (3 days per week running, and one day per week of spinning and strength) during the winter months and it seems to be working very well for me. This regimen allows my body and mind to stay fresh and strong during the beginning part of the year and lessens the time I need to get back into form.