Four years ago I started running in sweat pants and cotton shirts. After some trial and error, it didn’t take long to figure out I was on a pathway nowhere good. I scoured the running mags and visited all the stores to see what “those running folks” were wearing. I became aware of terms like “wicking” and “Dri-FIT” pretty quickly. I loaded up on all the essentials and now looked the part while still not.

My first marathon was run in a blue New Balance long sleeve shirt and it’s still with me today. It’s worn on the sleeve where I used to wear my iPod and it has a permanent “smell” to it but I still train in it today. In three weeks, I plan to wear Ol’ Blue at the place our journey began, the Las Vegas Marathon (now a RNR). It’s fun looking back on my journey and knowing that there’s still a little piece of my running past that’s been there with me the whole way.

RMFR

I’d like to take this time to wish my father a Happy Father’s Day. He has always been there for me and supported me in every direction I’ve head. From supporting me thru sports to waving goodbye as I’ve moved across the country, he (as well as my mother) have let me venture off away from the nest. Where does this fit in to running? Read on…

Growing up in North Dakota, I was entrenched in seasonal sports. Football in the spring followed closely by hockey in the winter. Spring and summer where split between baseball, golf and mowing lawns (in my mind I considered mowing lawns a sport). The furthest sport from my mind was track. I threw the spot put and discus in eight grade but I wasn’t into at all. In high school, the football coaches at Fargo South High School (Go Bruins!!!) kept pushing me to the track team but I just couldn’t do it. What would you rather do, run laps or walk 18?

Take a trip back with me to the late 1970′s and 80′s. Then in my adolescent years, I never really paid much thought to the “modified” gray New Balance shoes in the garage next to the door. “Modified” may not be the best term to describe the 2 pounds of Shoe Goo that my dad used to keep the shoes together. I can still remember his running gear. A simple white cotton shirt (the kind you wore underneath “nice” shirts), shorts and toilet tissue in his hand (do I really need to explain?).

My dad was a “runner” before the boom. He didn’t compete in races and he wasn’t a member of running group – he just ran. He’s fathomed a guess at his weekly mileage and it was big. I remember several occasions my mother driving him out into the country so he could run home with the wind. We’re talking 10 to 15 miles several times a week. Saturdays at the lake where he would be gone for a couple of hours and come back drenched in sweat. Cotton shirts that were worn so thin you could practically see thru them.

Back then I never questioned his running, never asked if I could go and he never pushed me to run with him. But now that I’ve taking up running and he can no longer run – the example he set some 20 years ago has stuck with me. I know he’d give his left arm to run a race with my sister and I and we in turn would do the same. The truth is, there’s a part of him that is running with us every time we lace up our shoes.

Thanks Pa!!! You led by example – in running and in life – and I am trying to follow in your footsteps the best I can. Happy Father’s Day and I love you very much.

Today was a great day. Anytime you go get a new pair of running shoes is a great day. I now know the obsession some women have with shoes. I was down right giddy driving to Red Rock Running Company (RRRC). I haven’t committed to one shoe/brand since I’ve been running. This is like a kid walking into a candy store and getting to sample each tasty morsel before leaving with a bag under their arm.

The thing I love about RRRC is that they “insist” you leave the store and run in them first. There’s no rules. No minimum. “Go hit the road, come back and then let us know if you like them or not. Don’t like that pair…then go hit the road in this pair”. This goes on until you’ve found “the ones”. Think about it…can you waltz into a restaurant sample all the dishes and then place you’re order? Don’t think so. Even when you’re buying a car the salesperson rides with you. This is all solo. I freakin’ love it!!!

Yes, there was a winner in today’s matchups and in honor of the “Greatest Sporting Event Ever”, today’s running blog presents my version of March Madness.

Going into todays tournament, the New Balance 800 was the #1 seed. I have been playing around with a midfoot stride and this shoe is geared for just that.

The #2 seed was the Asics Gel Phoenix. I had a pair of Asics when I first started running and the Gel Phoenix has great cushioning. It was affectionately dubbed “the Spiderman shoe” by my boyz.

Coming in at the #3 seed was another New Balance shoe, the New Balance 1063. Like the Gel Phoenix, this shoe has a very nice cushioning ride.

The dark horse in this field was the Pearl Izumi SyncroFloatIII. Hadn’t read anything about it, but I trust RRRC and their opinions so I decided to let it into this elite field.

GAME SUMMARIES

The first game was a no-brainer. Since RRRC didn’t have the New Balance 800 in stock, the Syncro Float won by forfeit. I have to find that shoe and give it a spin.

In the second contest of the day, both shoes were neck in neck. The Gel Phoenix just edged the 1063 in an instant classic.

So the championship came down to the Syncro Float and the Gel Phoenix. The Syncro Float kind of freaked me at first glance. It reminded me somewhat of the old Chuck Taylor’s in appearance – minus the high top. The best thing about this shoe is that it fit my arch like a glove. With the Gel Phoenix, I felt pressure on my arch – plus the tongue seemed like it was lapping at my shin. In a major upset, the Pearl Izumi Syncro Float came out victories – one for the ages kids.

Happy Shoe Shopping!!!

RMFR