people get skinny when they run

Well, what do ya know. Beautiful, crisp weather here in southern California, and I sit nowhere near or on a bike saddle - nor have I all weekend. Boooooo! Stupid cold-allergy-funk-in-my-face thing. It's like I got this pressure in my sinuses, and my eyes keep itching as if I have a cold. I've been like this since Friday, so I forwent riding a memorial ride (followed by a few miles in a canyon) with the gang yesterday, and then I canceled on riding with The Pink this morning. I just didn't feel up to snuff either morning and have yet to beat the lethargy. In fact, I have mostly sat on my butt other than running a few errands this weekend.

these are the skies we got going out here - finally, cooler weather!

Sort of a let down to be like this the last two days before I start my new job, huh? I'd hoped for at least one epic ride, either on the road or up on dirt trails, but I couldn't risk it. If I am on the verge of getting really sick, I didn't want to push myself more over the edge and then be a mess this coming week at my new job. I may just be suffering allergies from all the crap that's been whipped up in the cool winds we've got blowing out here. Oddly, even without the heat, there is yet another wildfire burning in the San Gabriels. I'm sure the ash from that is circulating in the air, and maybe that's the culprit behind my feeling like a worn-out potato sack.

No matter - I'm still in high spirits. I had a nice dinner at home with a friend last night and watched a couple of good films. I need to do some research and write an article, but honestly, I felt too crappy to do either. I am even aware that my writing on here is uninspired at present. I can't be like this tomorrow! I'll have to be high energy and focused. I hope I will be after a good night's rest and lots of caffeine.

As for my errand today, I drove over to pick up a brand spanking new pair of running shoes. I bought them from the shop I have bought running shoes from for over eight years now - Sneakers Warehouse in Encino. The shop is owned by a very sweet man (with an accent - I think Italian) who is a passionate runner. I teasingly call him the "Shoe Nazi," because he insists that a person buy a pair of shoes based on his/her exact feet and his 'expert' observations of said feet.

His observations come from him asking you to walk barefoot across the store while he analyzes your stride. Me? I'm flat-footed, like a duck, with zero arch and terrible over-pronation. He has told me this consistently for over eight years. I, of course, could have told him this without him having to tell me...but I walk barefoot for him all the same every time I go there. Humoring folks is something I'm quite good at it seems.

"You have no arch," he said (again) today.

"I know."

"Your feet are completely flat," he added, shaking his head in disapproval as if I had somehow shown up with my flat, duck feet even after he specifically told me not to.

"I know."

"Here is the shoe I recommend for you," he announced with great reverence while handing me some handy-dandy running shoes with big bubbly heels on them.

"How much?"

"For you? Half price," he said, while tilting his head and nodding his entire upper body in a kind of European bow.

I never ascertain from him exactly how much the shoes cost before he says that he's giving me a half-off deal, so I haven't a clue whether I'm getting a bargain or not. I just buy the shoes and, so far, he's never sold me a pair I didn't love.

check those babies out

Now, you may be scratching your head here, wondering where the hell the cyclist who normally blogs on here went, and who's this new runner who is boring you with all this talk of new running shoes. Well, I'll have you know, I'm one in the same. I use to be a runner...a crappy runner....but a runner nonetheless. I even ran some 10Ks (hated them) and 5Ks (hated them too but not as much as the 10Ks) in my early 30s and on the track (for fitness only, no races) in my early 20s. I was as crappy a runner in my early 30s as my early 20s, only I had better shoes - thanks to the Shoe Nazi. Today I bought new shoes, because I plan to start running again on the same track I ran on when I was 20.

Why run? Because people get skinny when they run, and I want to get skinny. Or at least, skinnier than I am at present, and clearly, cycling ain't cutting it. I do not plan on not cycling, nor do I plan on making running anything other than a weekday fitness activity - but regardless, since I haven't bought new running shoes for over four years, it was time to get a good, Shoe-Nazi-recommended pair.

Oh, and let me clarify. Some folks may consider running this:
- run: the act of running; traveling on foot at a fast pace; "he broke into a run"; "his daily run keeps him fit"

Not me. I consider running this:
- run: to use one's feet to advance forward, traveling on foot at any pace, stumbling, skipping, walking if necessary; "she broke into a sweat"; "her bi-weekly run keeps her from getting fatter"

In other words, do not expect me to announce that I'll be signing up for any marathon, triathlon, or any other type of race any time in the near future. In fact, when I say I'm running, please picture me speed walking, skipping, jogging clumsily and meandering around a track. Hey, I'm just being honest. Besides, the point is to get to moving in a way that I've not been moving in the last, well, four years. My body has become so accustomed to the excessive pedal strokes, long hours in the saddle and cycling-driven exertion, it can function just fine without using all that many calories. Thus I pedal my butt off and stay fat.

Now, I will run. Oh, and climb stairs. I will be going up and down quite a few at the stadium where the track is located. Gee...can't wait. If anything, next week is going to challenge me not only with a new job but a whole new workout - kind of boot camp style if you think about it. Bring it on! I won't be skinny by the end of next week, but I'll be skinnier...