As I was running over snow packed on top of crunchy ice (at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, no less), I looked at the people in my running group and realized that this must be what it’s like to join a cult. Each task is just slightly crazier than the next. That way you don’t notice the escalation of madness by comparison. First they convince you to jog in sub-freezing temperatures. Then they get you to run on ice that could cause you to slip and break your neck. Eventually they’ll have me wearing black robes, holding a knife in front of an alter made out of shoe boxes, asking, “Don’t you want to kill the mongoose? Only its sacrificial blood can cure your plantar fasciitis.” Exactly what are they putting in that post-workout Gatorade?

Surprisingly, I enjoyed running in the snow and ice. The ice prevented me from running too fast, which helped me get through the 40 minute run this week, the longest I’ve run since September. I probably would have felt differently [...]

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I decided it was time to buy a real pair of running shoes, or actually my sore groin muscle and achy knees decided for me. I don’t usually let my groin make important decisions for me, but my brain agreed that running 12-15 miles a week in cross-trainers was perhaps not a good idea.

I went to a local store called The Running Company because they were fairly close, but mostly because they have a cool website. I am a sucker for cool websites. They even have little videos about running that have purpose and content and aren’t a superfluous excuse to include flashy content. Well played, web designers, well played.

Of course, before I went to the store I had to get over my fear of going to the store. I knew that I would have to get someone to help me select the proper shoe so I didn’t split my shins in half with a sneaker cleaver. But I am getting better about talking to sales staff and acting nice and confident while simultaneously concealing [...]

• Continue reading "If the shoe fits"