Happy ending.

Hi babies!  Happy Labor Day.  I hope you all are enjoying a nice day off (even if you were scheduled to work, you should have just said, IT'S LABOR DAY, BOSS.  GET WITH IT).  I have a full day of baking, exercising and crafting planned!  Heavy on the baking, light on the exercising.

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Good news: I cracked the case of my hip pain!
Bad news: I'm a fool!

By process of elimination, I determined that my hip pain was caused by sleeping with a pillow between my knees.  I had read in a number of sources that sleeping in this position was the best way to support and align your spine and take pressure off your knees and hips.  Sadly, for me, it seems to have created or exacerbated soreness!  Kind of a drag, because it was quite comfortable to fall asleep in that position, but the day times were sore times and that's not a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Yeah, so good that I figured it out, but bad because I don't have a wicked sweet injury tale to tell!  I hurt myself by sleeping too hard.  Awesome.  I think I'll just tell people that I injured myself in the bedroom (wink!).

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To celebrate my newly pain-free ife, I trekked to Marathon Sports and got fitted for some new sneaks.  I learned a lot from their sales associate (who looked just like Hermione), both general information and details specific to me and my tootsies.

1. Running shoes should be replaced every 6 months or 300 miles, whichever comes first.  Sneakers wear out from compression, which flattens the sole and kills any support that they provide to you.  
2. When you throw down for good running shoes, commit to only use them for running.  Not for your commute, not for the gym, not for nothing besides running.  All of these activities will shorten the life span of your sneakers, which you don't want to do when they cost $100 a pop!  The sales associate explained that lifting weights is especially hard on sneakers, as it adds a lot more weight and compresses the soles even faster.
3. Buy running shoes a full size up from whatever you typically wear.  I don't remember why you are supposed to do this.  Swelling, maybe.  It took some getting used to, but my kicks are very comfy already!
4. My feet are very flat, I overpronate, I run with my toes flopping out and I'm quite bowlegged.  The sales associate determined this by taking one look at my ostrich-inspired run performing a comprehensive gait analysis.  She watched me stand in stocking feet, walk and then test run the shoes.  She put my in several pairs of sneakers with appropriate support, meaning they had a chunk of material on the inner arch to put Baby Spice's platforms to shame.  Wonky feet, I have.

Behold, my new sneakers.

[sourcery]

I took them for a spin yesterday.  I was absolutely euphoric to be running again!

 3.41 miles

00:28:13

08:18/mile

7.2 miles per hour

Welcome Back to Running 

an upbeat playlist with a dramatic crescendo and peaceful ending

Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start"

Best Coast, "Boyfriend"

Girls, "Lust for Life"

St. Vincent, "Actor out of Work"

Passion Pit, "Sleepyhead"

Antoine Dodson, "Bed Intruder Song"
Arcade Fire, "My Body is a Cage"

Lily Allen, "I Could Say"

Tycho, "Crystal Brake"

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Thanks, Marathon Sports, for hooking me up with some great new kicks.  And thanks, dino brain, for taking the pillow out from between my bowed knees!

Question of the Day: What are you doing today?  I hope you have the day off.  And I hope you have a very good day.