Q: Who runs on their birthday?

Well, that was slow.

Not that it matters. I ran five miles and that's good enough for me. According to the training schedule, I won't run that far again for a couple weeks. By then, I expect to be a little faster. Emphasis on little.

I guess this is a good time as any to talk about my new favorites:

After our first group run a couple weeks back, we took a ride down to Runner's Den to get fitted and outfitted. I ended up with this pair of Brooks Adrendaline GTS 9 running shoes, but don't let the jargon fool you - I don't know the first thing about them.

From what I understand, my choice of shoe means that, as the miles ramp up, I shouldn't run into any of those annoying foot problems (soreness, blisters, et al.). We'll see, but I'm just happy to have new sneakers.

For now, I'm excited to have a rest day tomorrow and to tackle another three miles on Thursday. So far, I don't quite hate running. A welcome surprise?