It was cold, windy and the sky was bleak. Marti, my running friend, and I were on a schedule. We needed to run six miles outside to keep up with the program that we got from Runner’s World Magazine.
I put on a pair of running capris, a breathable shirt, a breathable long sleeve silky shirt, and a hoodie. I decided to try my Asics sneakers for this first long run. I was told that Asics were the best sneakers for running, but I really didn’t know.
Nowadays, there seems to be a controversy over running sneakers. The traditional running shoe has a heavily cushioned heal that encourages runners to land heal first. But recently, there have been numerous articles about “barefoot running” and many of the shoe companies have come up with running shoes that simulate being barefoot by enabling you to land on the balls of your feet.
I actually had a pair of Nike Lunar xx. I bought them from Nordstrom’s. I didn’t know where to go and since I knew that Nordstrom’s had a big shoe department, it seemed the most logical choice to me then.
I wore them to the gym. Dom, my trainer at the time, laughed at me. “You can’t wear those running!” he said. “Go get yourself a pair of Asics. They are the best.”
I took his advice and purchased a pair. They were expensive, but I figured if they hold up and do the job, then they would be worth it.
Turns out that the Nike’s I purchased at Nordstrom’s are the shoes that I have found to work best for me on long runs!
But on this day, I decided to wear my Asics. I ran out of my house to meet Marti halfway between our houses. When we met up, we started running. The two of us ran to and up the Long Beach boardwalk and passed other runners and cyclists. We saw the empty beach and clear blue water, a series of apartment buildings, and then we saw the end of the boardwalk!
“Should we keep going down west?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Let’s turn back and then we’ll run all the way to your house. That should be about six miles.”
I trusted that Marti knew what she was talking about since she had already ran a full marathon last year in New York City.
At about the fourth mile, she handed me liquid energy called “Gu.” I sucked it out and swallowed it. It tasted like black cherry but had a thick consistency. Although it upset my stomach, I got a very quick boost of energy, which helped carry me all the way home.
I don’t know if it was the sneakers, the weather, or the “Gu,” but the funny thing was, that day, I felt like I could have kept running forever.
Related articles
- A Runner’s Diary: My First Long Run (blogcritics.org)
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