Paris Half Marathon with These Shoes??

It all started with a new friend I met last year in my Hints for Living in Belgium class. Sitting close to one another, we started chatting and I had a mission...to find a running mate. I asked her if she ran, with her reply being, "No, I walk right now." Her interest was sparked, though, because she would come to the next class session (6 total) and report back to me that she ran for about 15 min. in the middle of her walk, with the run time increasing more and more each day. One day we just decided to run together and it completely worked. We both run slow, but hey, we're getting our booties off the couch and exercising!

So, we've slowly built a following of others now that run with us on a regular basis (some faster than us, but hey, we accept everyone!). We even signed up for the Semi Marathon in Paris on March 7th. Not sure yet how that will go, but we're on the training schedule for it. So, if you're a praying person, we'd love your prayers to help us through! We heard the weather last year caused some to sit it out this year.


This Friday we'll do 8 miles so the 13.5 of the race hopefully won't kill us! Which by the way, the race officials require a medical certificate from the doctor to prove you're capable of running in the race. I'm guessing this is so I won't sue in the case of something horrible happening, which is ironic because you would think this would be required in the states where people sue over nothing instead of Europe where lawsuits aren't as common.

The Shoe Whisperer came highly recommended so Amy and I made a trip to purchase some new scoots. (Like the pictures of them?) I have orthodics in my shoes and always wear them running. After watching me run up and down his store with my old shoes and then on the treadmill, he proceeded to take my shoes and slip them onto his own feet. Yes, he tried my shoes onto his feet. Kinda crazy, I know. Amy and I just looked at each other as he felt around with his toes and feet, digging further into my shoes. We both were thinking, "Wow, he really is the Shoe Whisperer!" He solidified our thinking when he asked me, "Did you ever take ballet?" Supposedly I run with my feet turned out in first position. Ms. Shields would be so proud! Now, if only I could suck in my tummy and tuck under my bottom like she always suggested.

I walked out with some shoes that make it feel like I'm running on clouds when I'm having a great few minutes during my runs. I told him I liked the color of the some others better, but he claimed the pretty ones wouldn't get me across the finish line like these would. Hopefully his prediction is correct. I need all the help I can get!