Mini-Marathoners and New Sneaks!

This afternoon I took my six and eight year olds to "track practice." The local running store has a FREE program for children 12 and under on Wednesday evenings at a nearby high school track. My son hasn't run since his 5K in April (other than normal little kid playing) and knocked out 1.5 miles pretty easily. My six-year-old daughter ran/walked 3/4 mile. My three-year-old even ran/walked about 1/4 mile! My son thinks he wants to run the half-marathon in November (there is NO way I'd let him at age 9---it's a couple of days after his birthday). But I have a feeling in the next five or six years, he'll be doing one. The Road Runners Clubs of America doesn't recommend long-distance running for children before puberty---so we'll wait a while. But my "mini-marathoners" had fun and want to go to track practice every week. (Good grief, could my life revolve any more around running???)

I got my new shoes in the mail today---New Balance 1225's. The colors are sort of different, but fun.I ran 3 miles in them and they felt good. I think they're keepers. I still have my Asics Kayano's to alternate with them. I'll do my 10-miler in the new sneaks on Saturday to give them a good tryout. I was feeling some heel pain lately with the Asics--as if they were not quite padded enough. I also felt they weren't very responsive---they didn't propel me forward with each step. These are still stability shoes (I overpronate), but they have a somewhat springier feel. They also have lots of traction on the bottom---something that might take some getting used to. I'll try them for 60 days and decide for sure. I ordered them a full size up (not just a half-size) so hopefully my toenails will stick around throughout marathon training and the marathon itself! That would be nice.