Mizunos Saved My Life (She Says Dramatically)

Mizuno Women's Wave Rider 16

In sheer desperation, I went into Roadrunner for another assessment to see what they recommended for footwear (I had been assessed years ago but honestly don't remember what the results were and never purchased shoes based on them). Seeing as how I had tried everything I could find or think of and my shin split kept coming back, I was at my wits end. I rested it. I iced it. I took anti-inflammatory medicine. I taped it. I massaged it. I got my leg adjusted by my chiropractor. I rolled my foot over a golf ball. I rolled my shin over a fitness roller. I did leg raises and toe flex exercises daily. And while those all helped, and my injury didn't get worse, it still didn't fully heal either.

In the process of researching my injury and trying various remedies, I also realized that my running technique needed improvement. Namely, my stride was too long, which was causing me to heel strike. This typically exacerbates shin splints, so I knew I had to change up my stride. I shortened it, and this helped measurably. However, to be comfortable I was having to land entirely on my forefoot, which was awkward, and caused blisters around my big toe, even at short distances. This is what finally brought me into Roadrunner. I was pretty sure it was my stride that was the main culprit, and thought that I needed a different pair of shoes that fit better and wouldn't give me blisters.

I was fitted, and found out a number of interesting things:
1. I carry 60% of my weight on my right (the injured) side. It is my dominant side, but this is a very large discrepancy of weight distribution between the two legs.
2. I was wearing too large of shoes. (I was in 7's and I should be in 6.5. My left foot is actually a 5, my right a 6 and your running shoes should be larger but not that much so)
3. Although technically my feet are not wide (they measured me twice) I do need wide shoes, and longer laces to go with them. I must have puffy, 3 dimensionally large feet, if normal width across.

I was given three shoes to try, and the Mizuno Wave Rider, which came in wide ended up being the right fit. Funny thing, if you didn't know, this happens to be the same shoe that Wendy Davis wore for her famous 13 hour filibuster. I swear, I'm not copying her or trying to be trendy.

Anyway, I got these shoes, along with the custom orthotics they made for me. (I have a pair of customs already for every day use, but I figured it was good to have a full foot length one for running, and as an added bonus I wouldn't have to switch them out every time I went running, or go without them if I forgot them that day.)

My first run was heaven. I felt like I was running on clouds. I felt like my feet were weightless and nimble. And I didn't need to run on my toes - I could strike mid-foot and there was no pain in my shin. My third run was a 5 mile run and it felt fantastic. I think I finally have it all sorted out and I finally have traction for my half-marathon goal. Whoot Whoot!

Sugar Free(dom)

I didn't realize I had not updated on my Sugar Eradication post. The two weeks was easier than one would think. I didn't have to decide anymore - the decision was already made. I wasn't eating sugar. For instance, someone brought in cookies one day. I normally would have taken one, then had to decide if I was going to eat it before or after breakfast. How long I would try to hold off before eating it. If it wasn't amazing, would I throw it away or finish it? If it was amazing, would I go back for a second one? (Sometimes even a third?) How soon could it be appropriate to go back for the second one? And how long would I let it sit on my desk before I ate it?

This internal dialogue would happen sometimes several times a day, as I was confronted with sugary temptations at every step of my day. I did a great job at keeping these things out of my house but honestly, I spend less than half of my time there and most of it is spent sleeping. So skipping to the end result saved me that entire conversation with myself. And I realized that my battle was not with choosing to eat it, it was how much I felt I deserved to eat. And I didn't feel that I ever really deserved it because the weight of all the donuts, bagels, slices of cake, pieces of bread, servings of pasta that I had ever eaten before weighed heavily on my conscious, and I wasn't fully enjoying whatever I was splurging on in that moment.

I didn't have any withdrawals - the biggest obstacle was just deciding to quit. And let me tell you, it was the most freeing decision. I was free from sugar and it's addictive hold on me. And at the end of two weeks, while I did lose a few pounds, the biggest change was in my thought process about food, specifically treats and foods I knew were splurges, and my cravings for them. First, I didn't want them like I did before. I stopped having a ravenous appetite for them. In fact, I was craving my protein, my vegetables, my healthy fats. I could pass up something that I knew I didn't really want or need - even at parties and events! And those times that something came up that I knew was amazing or I really wanted to taste, I could - and stop at a bite or two. And often even that was too cloyingly sweet for me. I feel as if my system has been reset. My ideas of portions for treats are appropriate now; there is no way I could down a big bowl of ice cream or have a large piece of cake at this point.

I am looking forward to seeing how my cholesterol has been affected too. At last check it had crept up to 190 (very high for me - it can be as low as 150 for me normally) and there is increasing evidence of sugar consumption being linked to high cholesterol levels (among other heart related diseases).

*UPDATE* My cholesterol had dropped back down to 157 when it was checked in August.