Excited About New Shoes....yet not really....

One Year...
600+ miles...
Two Pairs...
Three Races...wow, just three?

Regardless, it was time for some new shoes (as previously discussed a couple posts back). I try to support the local running stores here in town, and since I had some store credit I went ahead and jumped for the GTS 13's. First run tonight and DAMN what a difference! I was really starting to feel the effects of adding mileage on some worn down treads lately, so tonight felt like running on pillows with springs on the bottom.

I think I mentioned a brief brush with pain a couple weeks ago when I started to feel some pulling in my right calf, but I'm starting to think that could also be attributed to the old shoes. No sign of injury recently and the runs are still just clicking along. Six and half weeks to go and I'm feeling pretty good. The long weekend runs are the ones I'm most interested in at the moment. As long as I can complete the mileage I'll be happy.

So, about the whole "not excited" part. After Brooks killed the color options on the 11th and 12th edition, the 13th comes in rather mundane if you ask me. Brooks returned back to a look similar to the X edition. You pretty much get red/white or blue/white. Blah. I actually reserved my pair on the phone, so I wasn't sure what I was getting when I picked them up today. Thank God they were the blue. I hate red. I don't think I should have to explain myself.

So here we are, the last four pairs of Adrenaline shoes...guessing I threw all other former pairs out in the trash, but I absolutely LOVE this shoe.

Mental Humpin'

Well, my ultimate nightmare for the P200 & 13.1 has been realized. I'm going to die if the weather is anything like tonight....

Cold ( ~40*)
Windy ( Gusts at 30 mph )
Rain. Real rain.

But my goal was to let as few things as possible interrupt my training schedule, so I set out in the elements. Seems pretty important to me to have the right gear for bad weather, especially the rain. Pretty easy to work around the cold, but nothing is worse than being wet. At least not to me. If I'm wet for any reason other than:

a.) working out
b.) swimming
c.) showering

...I'm not happy. My Brooks LSD jacket did the trick tonight for both the wind and the rain, fortunately. I think they should start paying me for endorsement as much as I mention their products.

So that brings me to my question. What gets you over the mental hump during a run? Whether it be pain, cold, rain, disinterest, etc...what keeps the legs churning? I think it varies based on the session, but for me I ventured off to thinking about work and some lingering issues I'm dealing with. That's sad, if you ask me, but hey it worked. So, what is it for you? Music? Running Group? Let's hear it!

And just for entertainment value, I offer you this....