Are you an under, over, or neutral?

Pronater, that is.   I did some high tech research, took hours evaluating and studying....Ok really, I just searched "over pronate" on the internet and I actually under pronate.  There is a super easy way to tell which one you are, just look at the wear on an old pair of shoes.  I actually found these two great videos that explain what is happening when you run, how to tell, and what kind of shoes you should get based on your gait.





So why all this talk about the way I run?  Well, it's time for new shoes.  Again.  I didn't realize how quickly I would go through a pair of shoes, especially since I just went and bought the cheapest pair.  At Kohls.  Without talking to ANYONE who runs.  Or even looking at my old pair of shoes.  I know, I know.  I'm still getting used to the idea of spending $100+ on a pair of shoes.  At least they were Asics.  I took the easy way out.  Or so I thought.


You see, lately I've been having quite a bit of trouble with my ankle.  It's weird because I've actually cut back on my mileage.  Then one day I looked at my shoes.  The soles are completely worn down on the outer edge.  I under-pronate.  But, to make matters worse, I bought a shoe for OVER-pronating.  Not good.  They are correcting a problem I never had, and making the one I do have worse.  So I'm looking for some new shoes that are neutral.  I'm thinking New Balance, mostly because that was my first pair of running shoes and I love them!  However, I do want some advice, are there any other under-pronaters out there?  What shoes do you recommend?  Don't worry, I'll be going to my local running store as well, I'm just curious about your experiences.

A little hiatus...

...but I think I'm back.

In case you haven't noticed, it's been awhile since I blogged.  I'm sad to say it's been awhile since I ran as well.  I'm not really sure what happened.  I finished my 10k, which was amazing!  I even sprinted at the end to pass another runner, thanks to her encouragement (nothing gets the blood pumping like the person next to you yelling "Go, go, GO!")  And then....I just sort of quit.  My ankle and knee were hurting for the first few weeks I took off.  A ligitimate reason to take it easy, but the next three?  I really had no excuse.  Yes, I need new shoes, and it might be a little bit before I get them, but there is still some use left in the pair I have.  What really happened?

My 10k was a big milestone.  6.2 miles with a hill, and I did it.  I had finished.  Now what?  Yes, my next goal is to run a half-marathon, but honestly,  I don't know when, and after the 10k I really felt that I couldn't do it yet.  So I'm putting that one off for a bit.  That left me with no goal, no training plan.  So what did I do?  I gave up.  I came up with excuse after excuse not to get out and run.  Well, that ends today.

This morning I awoke at 6 a.m. and was out the door by 6:15.  It felt so good.  I was much slower than I've been, at times I felt I was running through jello, but I did it.  I have a goal, a training plan and it feels good.  Up until now, I've been doing the walk/run plan but I really would love to run a 5k without walking. Hey, I'd even settle for a mile without walking.  I was going through some old training plans and found one that takes eight weeks to get you running 30 minutes straight.  I'm starting on week two because the first one is 1/2 Run/walk...I'm a little beyond that.  So for the next seven weeks I will be out there four days a weeks building running time, not miles.  I'm excited and it gives me a reason to blog again. The reason I haven't been blogging?  Well, thats another story, which I may share.....later.