New shoes mean faster running right?

     Today I spent an hour and a half trying on new running shoes. An hour and a half!!!! That is more time than I have probably spent on buying shoes in the last 10 years. I was so nervous I was going to make the wrong decision.

     We went to running warehouse so that I was sure to make a good decision.

I really like how they record you running on a treadmill so that they can analyze your gait and heel strike. 

    It was interesting to see that my running form and heel strike had changed (and improved, at least a bit.) Two years ago when I decided that I wanted to be more fit (which I failed at) I had run different and required a much more stable shoe. Today I only needed a neutral shoe.


  



     I am so thankful for Amanda at RuntoTheFinish for her email and advice on picking a running shoe. I felt that I went into the store more informed and was able to ask the right questions.

  
    For the first time, I picked a shoe based on comfort and feel rather than the color. My last shoes I bought prior to taking up running, as such, they were not designed for running. They were pretty.

    After explaining my tendency to get blisters on my arch and the random toe numbness I get we started the tedious process of shoe buying. My hubby related it to buying a car. I had to ask questions, know the history of the shoe, test drive it....

     In the end I made a decision.... I know you are all curious, so without further ado....
 Mizuno Wave Precision 11.

New shoes!!!! Not so cute but I swear I felt like I was putting a glove on my foot.  They felt made for my feet. LOVE.AT. FIRST.SIGHT (well maybe not sight...)

What I like about them:

• Firm, yet comfortable heel cup.
• Roomy (but not too much so) toe box.
• BREATHABLE
• Light

     Now of course, I haven't actually gone for a real run yet, but preliminarily, these are my thoughts. I am so excited to head out for my run tomorrow in a pair of shoes actually made for running. SO EXCITED!

    Happy Friday all!!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Do you have a long run planned? If so, how far?

Crisco vs. Applesauce

What a busy week it has been!! Finally yesterday afternoon the hubby and I had some time to do something fun. We enjoy cooking together and we were craving cookies so we decided to compare recipes.

Choices were to use Mom's recipe with crisco and quite a bit of sugar or to use a new recipe with applesauce and limited sugar.

Taking photos of everything we do is something quite foreign  to my poor hubby. But he has been a very good sport! 

I however, am not so good at taking timer shots... I'll work on that.

    Both of our recipes, called for white flour but we substituted and used whole wheat instead. Even using the wheat flour (which usually makes recipes drier) the consistency of my batter looked a bit runny but I trusted the recipe and I'm glad I did.

     Both cookies turned out great! Corey actually thought

the healthy cookies looked better. He decided he wanted 

try each cookie with a blind-fold. After tasting each, he 

decided that although the could tell which was which, the 

healthy cookie actually tasted better. 

Much moister (yuck I hate that word!)

    Would we always make the healthier version?? No probably not. But it's good to know there are options out there to make our cookies much healthier.

    Today I think we are going shopping. My sexy hubby got very muscly while he was deployed and none of his clothes fit.

I mean look at him.... okay, okay that's not him. But you get my point.

I might have to buy myself something too. I'll be sure to share the goods with you guys.

O, what's that you ask, "aren't you going to workout?" Yes, my friends, I intend to run today. We might head to the beach and take our new puppy. If we do, then I hope to get in a beach run.

It's quite the adjustment having the hubby home. A good one of course, but I keep forgetting to blog. I have run twice this week and have a long run planned for tomorrow morning.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What is your workout plan for today? Do you find healthier ways to bake?