It Has Begun

So I got these yesterday. They make it official. I gotsta run. So I did. But before we get to that. Let me tell you about this.

I went to the Easy Runner in West Little Rock to get my new tenny pumps. As I walk in the store, my running anxiety spikes. The people that work here are runners. I am not a runner. They are gonna ask me questions I don't know the answers to, and then I will look like a complete idiot. All of that floods my mind as I'm walking in and telling the guy I need some new shoes.

So they, of course, ask me questions I don't know the answers to, but somehow I deflect just enough to get by without saying anything too stupid. I realized that I was the only customer in there, and that was even more intimidating. There was a tall guy, a short guy and a girl. Tall guy was kinda awkward, but nice. Short guy was funny and eased my anxiety. A girl was terrifying.

Her name is Leah Thorvilson, and she is a running goddess in Arkansas. She runs 5 minute miles. I run 12 minute miles. So basically she can run 2 1/2 miles before I can run 1. She's a badass. But enough about her.

First shoe: neutral. For the average person. (We should all know by now that nothing about me is average. Something crazy is always going to happen.)

They take me outside and tell me to jog to the steps and back while they video tape my feet. We came back inside to watch video one.

So my foot was straight hitting the ground. Normal. My leg was straight and pointing the direction I was going. Normal. And my ankle looked as if it was broken. Not normal.

My little bony ankles were protruding out on both legs. It was straight legs, broken-like ankles and feet. Needlesstosay, I didn't get the neutral shoe. My overpronation is severe. Overpronation is just a big word for broken-looking ankles that protrude out abnormally.

Second shoe: For an overpronated foot. Running goddess didn't like it after watching the video tape.

Third shoe: For the severely overpronated foot. After watching the video, Running goddess, tall guy and short guy were statisfied with their work. A shoe that finally fixed my broken ankles.

Tall guy asked me if I had any of the following symptoms in the past: shin splints, pain in the heels of my feet, knee pain, hip pain, and/or lower back pain. I said yeah. Then it hit me that those are all the reasons I never liked running. Every time I ran my entire body would feel like it was ran over by a Mack truck.

So I bought the shoes, and then tried not to act like I was going to leave the store, put them on, and run til my lungs crapped out. (Short guy called me out on that.)

So I tried them out at the Big Dam Bridge. The roommate ran, too. It was the perfect day, aside from the fact that I did not know cycling etiquette. COMING UP ON YOUR LEFT!!!!! is yelled as cyclists zoom by. Totally not ready for that.

After 30 minutes of jogging and fast-paced walking, we looked like this.

MT, the roommate, always the picture of health.

Me always the picture of insanity. (Don't worry I will learn proper iPhone self-portrait technique....And I will never make this face again.)

All in all, a pretty successful first day.