Random Thoughts

1.  It's really annoying when people are condescending about my inexperience with marathon running, slash think they are the expert on my training.  For example, on Tuesday I had some time to kill at Grand Central, and popped into the running store.  I've been reading a lot about compression socks/tights and was curious to find out more information.  I was approached immediately by a rotund 20-something guy who asked if he could help me.  I asked him to tell me about the benefits of compression socks, and he scoffed in my face.  He asked what I was training for, and I said a marathon.  "Which marathon?" he asked skeptically.  When I replied that I was training for the New York marathon, he kind of laughed and asked if it was my first.  When I said yes, he chuckled again and asked how many miles I was running.  I told him that my longest run so far has been 15 miles, and that I am following the Hal Higdons Intermediate training plan.  He scratched his goatee and said that 15 was too far for this stage in the training.  He then launched into a lecture on how many 20-mile runs I should be doing and when, and that I need a water belt, and that I should start using GU gels and that I certainly DON'T need compression socks and it wasn't even worth telling me about them.  SO annoying!!!  I think Hal Higdons, who won 4 World Masters Championships, probably knows what he's talking about in his training schedules.  I just wanted to see some compression socks, not be patronized by someone who's probably never run a marathon before. 


2.  I recently read this article on the long-term damage caused by wearing high heels.  We've always known that heels aren't the best, but a recent study showed that wearing heels puts extra pressure on a woman's knee joints, increasing her risks for joint degeneration and osteo arthritis.  It's been shown that heels change a woman's posture, making her ankles tilt inward which destabilizes them. A different study found that regularly wearing heels could make women less efficient at more flat-shoed activities, such as running.  Yikes.  I love my Manolos, but I think I'm going to try to lay off them for awhile, at least until after the marathon.