They're like running on little puffs of heaven

I was going to wait on this post, but quite frankly I can't. A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity by New Balance Harrisburg to receive a pair of New Balance running shoes in exchange for a link and a review. The link is on the sidebar under Running Moron Offers. Please see everything NB Harrisburg has to offer. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity and chose a pair of New Balance 768 shoes.

Today was my last training run before my half marathon on Saturday. It was scheduled to be an "easy and relaxed" three-miler. That being the case, I thought what better time to take a new pair of shoes out for a test drive.

I took off on a three-mile route around my neighborhood I've run dozens of times over the last couple of years. And -- this is the God's honest truth and not just me sucking up to prove what a shill I can be (although don't put something like that past me) -- I can affirm and attest that wearing these shoes made me feel like I could fly. I ran that three miles faster than I have at any time since July 2007.

Could my new found speed be a function of all the speed interval work I've been doing over the last four months? It could. Or it could be that the NB 768s were created for my feet and my feet alone and when the two met, the sparks flew and fast, easy running was inevitable. Which sounds more feasible? Yeah, I think the shoes and I were made for each other too.

Here are a couple pictures of the actual shoes on my actual feet after an actual 3.07 mile run that was supposed to be run at about a 9:45 pace but was completed at an 8:03 pace because the shoes just felt so right:


Feet and shoes in harmony.

Look at them from the front now, because if you run with me later
you'll probably only see them from behind.
My only regret is that I got these shoes too late to break in for this weekend's half marathon. On the other hand, I have a 10 mile race on April 5 and another half on May 3. I think I know of a pair of shoes that will be there with me every step of the way of those races.