POOR DECISION MAKING SKILLS

I took my first short run on my new shoes, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. The original pair, which were black, were sent back because they were too small and I didn't want to wait until March 15 to get a new pair so I went with the shitty white version. It's a little known fact that black shoes make you run faster, can fight off wild animals, and attract a better class of women than white shoes. Fucked again, right from the start. What I liked about the shoes in the shop and on my short test spin were that they hugged my arch/heel very well and that they were a bit stiffer so that my ankle didn't roll inside them. I've been running pain free for the last 2 weeks; no pain in the area of my stress fracture, minimal achilles discomfort, and no knee pain whatsoever. After a long warm up and a quarter mile at my normal pace I started to feel some discomfort in my ankles and heel and I had the sensation that I was striking with my heel far more than I had in my Saucony's. I also noticed that the toe box seemed a little bit too roomy and felt my forefoot sliding around a bit. I tried tightening down the laces and this only put lace pressure on the top of my foot. FUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!

I guess I'll go back to the drawing board and try another pair of shoes. I can always go back to the Saucony's, maybe trying a different model that has a little bit less cushion/motion control. I should really just fuck it and buy trail shoes. My desire to run on the road grows less and less every day. When I'm out I don't want to see or hear anyone. No people, no cars, no fucking horses. I'm finally learning the difference between living a solitary versus a life of isolation. Solitude is a necessity for me to keep myself balanced and sane, isolated is what I am when the wolves come calling. Pretty fucking retarded for a guy that hasn't run more than a 1/2 mile on a trail since he was 15. I'll learn.

Speaking of running trails...I'm thinking of entering The North Face Challenge in Bear Mountain, New York. I'd originally considered running the 5 or 10k but I think I'll have enough time to prepare for the Half. Two things will fuck up that plan; the short training period and the pretty technical terrain. Apparently Bear Mountain is pretty rocky/crusty and I've read that many of the hills are straight climbs rather than switchbacks. I'll see how I feel by the end of the week and then decide. It would be pretty cool to run Bear Mountain because it's the place I learned to ski when I was 3 or 4 years old. Again coming full circle, whether it's Philadelphia or Bear Mountain. Maybe there are no coincidences.

It's 6:00 Tuesday and I just got up. There's a coating of snow on the ground that's covering the mud and dirty ice of the last week or so. So how do my feet/legs feel after yesterdays new shoe adventure? Not so good. I feel like a I spent yesterday long jumping onto my heels on concrete. I guess I have no idea how to pick a fucking shoe. It should be fairly simple.