Crushed it

I had a great day today that ended with a kick ass run; doesn't get much better than that!  I got to sleep in a little bit today since we did most of the back-to-school shopping yesterday (the original plan was to get up early this morning and beat the crowds) and then I ran some errands with my Mom and the boys.

One of our errands was stopping by a local running store to get some new running shoes for yours truly and I'm happy to say that I'm the proud owner of a new pair of shoes. I brought in my tried and true pair of Asics so that they could take a look at my wear pattern and see what shoe might be good for me next.  It came as no surprise to me that my dear shoes were long overdue for retirement.  I tried on the next generation of Asics and while they were pretty solid shoes, I didn't care for the color scheme.  I realize that pretty colors aren't anywhere near as important as a good shoe that is going to support my feet the way they need to be supported, but a girl has to like they way her shoes look at least a little bit.  I tried on a pair of Saucony Omni 12's and a pair of Brooks (can't remember the model) and they all seemed to fit my feet pretty well.  So at that point, I made the decision to go with the Saucony's because I loved the feel on my feet (it really felt like I wasn't wearing any shoes at all), I loved the way they looked and I've heard a lot of great things lately about the brand.  (Note: I was not asked by Saucony to review the shoes, nor were they provided to me.  I purchased the shoes and am sharing my opinion of my own volition.) 

My lovely new Saucony Omni 12's. L.O.V.E.

I was reminded today at my shoe fitting that I have a problem with overpronation when I walk/run (my ankles and feet roll in and they shouldn't roll in as much as they do. Some pronation is normal, but too much is not so good), so my previous pair of Asics and the new Saucony's have extra arch support to help remind my feet to pronate properly.

I was so excited to try my new shoes out tonight on my run!  Matt knew I was trying to tackle 1.4 miles and he kindly suggested that I wear my old shoes on my run tonight and give my Saucony's a test walk tomorrow, but I already had the new shoes on and laced, and let's be honest, I'm a little rebellious, so I went on my run with the new shoes.

I freaking crushed my goal of running 1.4 miles!  This girl ran 1.6 miles and could have kept going!  I really thought about trying to make it to 2 miles, but I decided to not be over-zealous.  I was nervous going into tonight's run because it was crazy humid and my 1.3 mile run on Thursday was tricky, but I also didn't bring water with me that night and I was incredibly thirsty, which probably did not do me any favors.  I clearly didn't need to be nervous, because I got this.  I know I'm going to have bad training days and obstacles to overcome the next few months, but tonight, more than ever, I realized, I can do this 10K in October and I can do the 1/2 marathon in April!  I think this will be my mantra over the course of my training (and I'm already thinking of a t-shirt to plaster this on):  I got this!

I don't know if my awesome run tonight was due to:

1. My amazing new shoes
2. The podcast I was listening to tonight was fantastic; it was all about creative running costumes for themed races and my mind was filled with ideas for my Halloween 10K, thus making the time go by blissfully fast
3. The fact that I brought a 16.9 oz. bottle of water with me and drank it all on my run
4. The fact that I put a grape flavored Nuun tablet in the above mentioned water bottle and got some much need electrolytes (I've been wanting to try Nuun for awhile; again, I've heard great things, and they had sample tablets for sale at the running store, so I grabbed a few.  It was a little strange at first and I think it's an acquired taste.  It definitely grew on me towards the end of my run, though. It was a little fizzy at first, not exactly carbonated, just fizzy, but it was a nice change from plain old water. I have a sample of Tri-Berry to try next, so I'll keep you updated on the Nuun progress) 
5. I finally found my self-confidence and quieted all of the negative thoughts in my head about how I can't do this and how my body isn't built for this
6. All of the above

Quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me whether any of the above had an impact on my run, because it was a great run and I know I can do this.  I know I can push myself farther than I ever thought possible and I can reach my goals and that feels pretty damn sweet. 

"What's Beautiful: getting to the place just beyond where you think you can go."