T-minus 4 days

So much for my training.  I am a pathetic shell of an athlete.  I have spent the last month being a bum, watching too much tv and playing stupid Frontierville on Facebook.  Part of the issue was my injured ankle and the unstable (Skechers Shapeup type) shoes that only made my ankle weaker.  This in turn limited my ability to train properly...or at least that is the story I am telling.

Last weekend I decided that I really needed to get some new shoes in anticipation of the half marathon this weekend.  My visit to the podiatrist last month to address the injured toes resulted in two options: have surgery to reduce the length of my second toes on both feet or buy longer shoes.  I chose the latter.

I researched stability and cushioning shoes online and came up with either New Balance or Saucony as the best shoes for my feet.  As opposed to spending a small fortune at the specialty running shoe stores, I visited Famous Footwear and spent an hour walking around the store in different brands of shoes.  After the 6th pair of shoes, I found my new footwear for the race.  My shoes are the Saucony Grid Excursion TR 5, size 9 (my normal shoe size is 8 or 8 1/2).  I have been wearing them nonstop since Sunday and they feel awesome.  I have to wear thicker socks, but it is worth it.

Tonight I took the boys for another walk around the park and a little play time with their dog buddies.  On the way home, I decided to jog a little, and to my surprise I was able to run for quite a while, at least until one of the dogs decided to stop and pee on a paper bag.  Although the half marathon is on Saturday, I am confident that I can finish the race and earn my medal.

I might blow off trivia tomorrow night to begin readying items for the trip.  I connected with a group of people on Facebook and will have people to walk with during the race.  I am hoping that I can avoid the sweepers and finish in about 3 hours, 15 minutes.

I'll check back in tomorrow and every day until the race and will definitely post my time on Saturday/Sunday.  I am excited about seeing my friend Michelle and having my first real vacation in over 18 months.

See you tomorrow.