A Brand-New PR!

After a grueling week of work, during which I only managed two days of running (a 7 miler on Monday and a 6 miler on Wednesday), I wasn't feeling too confident about my scheduled long run yesterday.  The different plans I looked at had anywhere from 12 to 16 on the books, so I decided I would just get out there and see how it went.  The result:

I'm still in a state of shock over this new "PR."  (That's short for "personal record" for the non-runners reading this!)  My fastest official half marathon was the Kaiser Half a couple of years back (2:32. xx) , and my fastest training half marathon was last summer (2:30.xx).  To have actually broken 2:30 is thrilling for a back-of-the-packer like me!

At least some of the credit goes to my new running shoes, Newton Running's Lady Issaac Stability Guidance Trainer.

I read about Newton running shoes over the summer and was intrigued.  And skeptical.  But, I was curious enough to actually shell out the $149 to try them.  After dealing with the usual aches and pains during marathon training (shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hamstring issues), I was anxious to find out if these shoes could possibly work for me.

At this point, I am reserving final judgment, simply because I've only been using the Lady Isaacs for a few weeks.  It's going to take a while to determine if they are really the right shoes for me, especially given the fact that they cost $50 more than the shoes I have run in for the past 11 years (Adidas Trail Response).  Then again, I don't belong to a gym, so I don't shell out monthly dues.  Instead, I spend a lot of time out on the roads and trails, so investing in quality equipment is important.

Hopefully, the training I do in these new shoes over the next 3 weeks leading up to the Nike Women's Half Marathon and the 11 weeks leading up to the California International Marathon will render a final verdict!

The countdown continues...