Looks straight to me when I wear my running shoes.

I was honestly a little nervous before my long run this past Saturday.

As I’ve mentioned, my runs the last few weeks (check out my post on “The Week of Suck”) have been far from wondrous. In fact, several have been downright shitty.

My visit to the podiatrist on Thursday did help alleviate a lot of my worry. That finicky right foot of mine is just finicky… not injured. Some additional padding to my orthotic (changing my foot’s angle) and I am supposedly good to go.

But as I laced up my shoes at Griffith Park on Saturday I couldn’t help but wonder if this change might have additional consequences, such as rubbing, blisters or some other kind of unexpected pain.

Part of me was wondering if the new set-up to my shoes would make me feel like I was running at a slant… like a big clomping “Leaning tower of Pisa” (if the landmark ever decided to take up distance running, that is).

The happiest race on Earth apparently.

Not to mention that the Disneyland Half Marathon is next weekend and I’m not as prepared as I’d like. I haven’t run more than 10 miles at a time since the Shoreline Half Marathon back in mid-July.

Usually the week before a half marathon I like to do a nice taper-ish 8 miles at a steady but not overly speedy pace.

This Saturday I was planning to do 12 miles at a decent clip (around a 10 min per mile pace). I guess I felt the need to convince myself that I am ready for the fall racing season.

Fortunately, the change to my stride was extremely minimal and the run felt good, even though it was a tad warm out.

Running one of my “comfort routes” (one I’ve done dozens of times before), I kept things at a nice even pace (slightly below 10 minutes).

I did feel a small tinge in my lower back at the 11-mile mark and deciding to be a tad cautious at that point, I stepped off the gas for the last mile. And I did get a massage last night, so even better.

But all said and done this was the best long run I’ve had in about six weeks and it’s got me feeling much better heading into my fall schedule.

Gearing up for Salt Lake City.

That said, I am going to continue to play things safe. Since Disney races are notoriously slow anyway (lots of walkers and selfie-addicts out there to dodge), I’m planning to treat next Sunday’s race as glorified training run.

I’m also on the fence about deferring the Ventura Half Marathon on September 7th. I’ve got the REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon on Sept. 13th (a race I’m really looking forward to) and it might be best to have a light week in between Disney and Salt Lake City. I probably won’t make the decision until after run around the House of the Mouse.

One other little thing to tack on the end here. I’m suddenly curious about the Hoka One One shoes. I was at a running store yesterday looking for a new armband for my iPod shuffle and one of the salespeople started raving about the Hoka “Clifton” and “Bondi 3” models.

Worth a wear?

They didn’t have my size in the Bondi 3, but I tried on the Cliftons… these things were so light it was scary. I did think they were a little narrow in the toebox and it’s hard for me to determine a new shoe’s fit without my orthotics, but my interest is definitely piqued and I may have to try a pair for an extended run. Do any of you wear Hoka One One shoes (and what’s been your experience)?

Have a good Monday… and Run on!