New Shoes and New Coach

So I finally went down to Pacers last Saturday and got my free pair of New Balance running shoes. They're part of the running gear I receive gratis for being a Pacers/New Balance PR Challenge essay winner.

I'll hit the roads with them for the first time this evening. I've always worn Nike, so hopefully these trainers will work. Cross fingers. If not, it's back to Pacers for another pair of New Balance shoes. These are the 767's, a stability shoe, though I don't pronate or supinate much at all. I have them in blue/pink/gray.

New Coach: Also part of the "PR Challenge" deal is that I get free coaching from the Pacers head coach until the April 22 George Washington Parkway Classic 10-miler, where I will have to prove myself. I hope to run sub-1:20.

George Buckheit coaches local elite women - two of them have won the Marine Corps Marathon - and the Pacers/Brooks racing team, which is also all elites. He also manages the stores' Miles Ahead training program for dedicated recreational runners.

Here's a write-up of his cross-country career at Bucknell University. He looks pretty much the same, except for the 1970's hair. George is also still very fast. He ran 35:18 in a 10K last month. Not bad for a 49-year old!

Running With the Cool Kids: George is really nice and down-to-earth. "You look like a runner," he said, when he met me. Which flattered me to no end.

He invited me to do a long run with his elite women the other weekend, which about bowled me over. Coach said that I was fast enough ("Unlikely," I thought) to keep in sight of them if they decided to throw down some tempo miles.

However, I couldn't because of the 10K training program that I volunteer for. But I said I would love to run with them in a couple of weeks. And I will.

Memo to self: Stop eating doughnuts! Raise your weekly mileage! Re-commence track workouts, stat!