New Shoes

Got myself a new pair of running shoes at the Shoe Pavilion downtown. I actually stepped outside of the Adidas store in the Westfield mall to throw away my smoothie cup and lo and behold there was a shoe store across the street having a going-out-of-business sale. I couldn't believe my luck.

The prices were incredible. Breanne tried looking at womens shoes on the first level but it was so crowded and competitive she gave up and helped me look.

There were lots of brands-New Balance, Reebok, Nike, etc., but after trying on a few pairs I went with a gray pair from Adidas that had a neon green trim. They breathed well but more importantly were exceptionally light. And even more importantly, they were marked down from 79.95 to 40 bucks.

I wore them a few times to try and break them in- to the Safeway, for a few walks, down to the Marina- and jogged in them a bit in preparation for my next long run.

Today I decided I would finally run across the Golden Gate Bridge. I attempted it a few nights ago, around 9 pm, foolishly trying to navigate the steep path and dark low ceiling tunnels that lead to the bridge. At one point there was a bright light shining directly in my eyes and I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me, and after tripping a few times, I turned around. This time, I left at the other 9, and made my way along the Marina, up the winding stairs and through the tiny tunnels up to the bridge in daylight.

I may have picked the worst day of the year to run across the bridge, from an aesthetic view point. From the Marina, the entire bridge, cables and pillars and all, was completely encompassed in a fog bank. There wasn't a sliver of Golden Gate red anywhere to be seen. Even once I was on the bridge, I could only see the walk way and a few feet up the cable lines.

Of course, this made for light pedestrian traffic as there couldn't have been more than 50 people along it's 9000 ft walking lane. Tourists still dotted the scenic points, snapping off shots of clouds, photos that could have been taken anywhere. It was terribly windy near the bridge ends. At one point my hat blew off of my head but it was stopped by the rail. I held it in my hand till I was back on land.

I ran to the end of the bridge, into Sausalito, and turned around and headed back. The moisture in the fog made it cool, running, and crossing the bridge was probably the easiest part of the run.

I was exhausted when I got back, and with only two blocks to go I noticed that my right foot was bleeding. It didn't hurt- it was probably just chaffing but it did permanently stain my new right shoe. I guess I didn't break them in all that well.

I ran about 12 miles according to Yahoo! maps, which explains why when I got home I ate pudding (4 servings), a clementine, a power bar, a handful of dried cranberries, a handful of pumpkin seeds, a piece of toast with honey, a packet of yellow raspberries, a salad, a bowl of chips and salsa, two pieces of pickled garlic, and I drank two large glasses of Orange flavored drink, which in turn explains why I continue to grow fatter.