New York Training Update - 10 weeks to go

I am writing this from 30,000 ft in the air, somewhere between LA and Kansas City. We have just spent an awesome weekend with our friends Mark and Angie; that included some great restaurants, new shoes and a great run down the famous California boulevard.

I left home last week without trainers. I have been putting off buying new shoes for a while because i knew i was coming to the US and I wanted some advice on what to buy. Running shops here have all the brands but very little real understanding of what to offer.

The morning after we arrived, we found ourselves in a great running store in Santa Monica called Top to Top. A cool, laid back, runner-dude who looked a little like shaggy from Scooby Doo helped me out and with some good old fashioned discussion, a quick glance at my gait and my feet he brought me some recommendations. Running up and down the street outside, I knew immediately that the guy knew his stuff and choosing between two options was pretty tough.

I have very narrow feet and a fairly even, mid foot strike, so i needed a (relatively) light weight, neutral shoe. The result... The new Asics Gel DS Sky Speeds; in bright Orange. As I explained to the guy, i am not planning on attending a fashion parade, so the color is not important;- but i kinda like them...

With the travel and the jet lag, i only managed 30km this week in three runs, which is not great for my NY training, but there was one run that made it worthwhile. Taking advantage of the fact that we were staying in Marina del Rey, (right next to Venice Beach) Lauren, Mark and I (in new shoes) set off for a pier to pier run on Sunday morning. We didn't go too early, so it was starting to get warm, but the route from Venice Beach pier to Santa Monica pier and back was awesome. The people-watching made the 9.5km round trip go by super-fast (although we were not running that fast). the weather was fantastic and the beaches are like something out of Baywatch! Meeting a very-pregnant Angie for coffee in a oh-so-cool Cali coffee shop at the end made me truly realise why so many people move to the coolest city in the world.

All in all, a great week for life,  not a great week for NYCM training. New shoes are great. 10 weeks to go. When I get off this plane, i am not sure when i will get a chance to upload this post, but hopefully i will have run a bit further by then.