Brooks

            So first off, I’m sorry it’s been a while since I posted.  When I’m not running, my motivation to type words that have to do with running is unfortunately a lot lower than it should be.  Also, I’ve just been busy with school, spring break (I went to Arizona with the parents.  It was awesome and completely and utterly warm out, just what I needed), friends, life, ROTC, etcetera.  And here I claim to eat, breath and sleep running!  (Lies.  Haha). 

But, also my work out life has been at a lower point in the last month or so than it’s been in a long time.  A lot of swimming combined with the occasional crunch, sit up and flutter kick leads to lacking leg muscles and a retreating cardiovascular system.  But, the good news is that I made the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon!!!  And later on, as we come closer to the race, we’ll get into the specifics of why everybody on this earth, runner or not, really needs to register for MCM and run MCM and why MCM is the most amazing thing on this earth.  Why MCM made me a marathoner and an all around better person (OK, I don’t know if I’d go that far), but you get the point…

But, for now, the goal is to make it to the start line.  And if something goes terribly or even slightly wrong over the next several months, and I make the decision under my doctors’ advice not to run in October, then so be it.  The primary goal right now is to make the finish line at Boston 2015, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.  Because Boston is- well, it’s THE Boston Marathon.  The awesomeness I was trying to portray with that statement is inherent in the title itself.  So that comes first (secondary primarily to my health of course, because I am a runner and a cyclist and an ROTC midshipman, and being on my two feet without crutches, a wheelchair or a walking boot or whatever the doctor orders is a priority).  And furthermore, it was insane and completely amazing to become a Boston qualifier on the first try, but I’m definitely not trying to be a has-been at 19.  So, to recap, healing up and running again comes first, Boston comes second, and MCM is a close third.    

So back to the point of this post, even though I haven’t been running lately (and I’m still in the walking boot), my shoes are wearing out, especially since I’m wearing the left to walk around campus and such, but not the right, so the left is bound to be worn out when I get the boot off, and the right won’t be evenly worn, since it’s been hiding in some unknown corner under my bed for the last several weeks, so coming back from an injury and training in unevenly worn out shoes is a severe problem (that only a runner obsessed engineering student would find the time to worry about, but hey, that’s me for you)… But, due to these unique circumstances and the not so unique fact that shoes wear out after a while, today I got new running shoes!!!  Even though I’m still a few months shy of running (and by running, I mean walk 5 minutes, run 1 minute, repeat 6 times… and so the back to running plan begins), I’m not too far off from losing the boot, and I was at the mall and they were on the shelf and they were $40 less than I paid for the last pair of the same model I got, so I jumped at them.

They’re Brooks Glycerin 11’s, neon pink, and I hope that this pair will serve me as well as the last did.  I mean, as a runner, you rarely admit how vital the little things are.  An ill fitting or worn out pair of shoes can lead to blisters, plantar fasciitis, shin splints (or gasp), stress fractures, although in my case it was a combination of supreme overuse, bad luck and semi-worn out combat boots of questionable quality.  The shoes won’t always break you, but because it has become my life goal to be as cliché as possible in this blog (but only when speaking the truth), they have the capability to make you or break you. 

So I’m not really into advertising, but today I will give a shout out for the Brooks Glycerin.  They provide a good amount of cushion, feel awesome, and hey- who doesn’t want neon pink shoes?  I know I do! 

That’s all I’ve got for now (and I can see you at your computer screen gasping with relief because I’m not pushing any more products on you, but to be fair, I’m not telling you to ditch your month old shoes and go out and get them today, but when your shoes wear out (and they will), just do it!)

Thanks for reading,

Sarah