NEW SHOES

Weight: 80 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 12 hours 22 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 115.1 kilometers
Time left: 17 weeks

When I went running on Wednesday, my right shoe broke. The little rim where the holes are for the laces snapped at one hole and it was difficult to tie the shoe back in a way that worked. Anyway this pair of Adidas had been my running mates for many kilometers and I knew already before the snap that their moment of retirement was approaching. I needed new shoes.

On Thursday, I spent my lunchbreak at the Decathlon sports megastore. They had two different kinds of Asics shoes of which I knew they had tested well, but the cheaper of the two apparently tears around the big toe after the first 500 kilometers, or so it says on bulletin boards. Yes, I had done a bit of homework. There was this pair; brilliant but rather expensive. The only alternative was the Nike Pegasus Air, much cheaper and equally praised by running shoe commentators (is that a fulltime job? Does it pay? Where do I apply?). But the Nike is too narrow for my foot. So the Asics it was after all, which is good because they are orange.

I pondered about what I would have done had the Nike been a perfect fit. You see, I still feel obliged to boycott Nike for their sweatshop policies and exploitation of the world's poor. Now I know perfectly well that other companies are no angels too, and the Asics I bought were indeed manufactured in China. But Nike remains the emblematic company for all that is wrong, and giving up my Nike boycott would mean giving in to consumer cynicism. No? Oh, yes, I don't tank at Shell stations either...

On Friday I gave my new shoes their first run and boy are they good! They propel me forward big time (Chui Hsia claims that I always say that of new shoes, but I tell you these runners REALLY propel!). They absorb shocks brilliantly and weigh almost nothing. Only thing is, the heels are markedly different from my old shoes and I get a bit of cramp in my lower legs when running uphill. But I guess that'll pass.

Today was the Gaston Roelants 10k race. Weather was very, very nice: cold, dry and sunny. Before the start I saw Tine and Vincent, and also Georges who runs marathons for charity and gets others to do the same. But from go I was on my own - amidst 2,500 runners, that is - as the others sprinted off at their individual paces. For seven kilometers I managed to run at six minutes per kilometer and the last three I accelerated, finishing in just under an hour (58,18). I'm quite happy with that result.

Then, when I came back home, I learned that my uncle died this morning. He was my mother's favourite sibling, so it must be very hard for her. I spent the rest of the afternoon in town with Sanna. She had a great time, but my post-race feeling of exultant happiness never returned.

Oh, yes, I read this description of someone's first marathon which is really hilarious. You'll find it on this blog, just click on "Marathon, The First" on the right hand side.