"Screw shoes" and beer bottles: just another Thursday run

It was just another Thursday for most of us - maybe you ran the Back Cove, or met up with your buddies for dinner. Maybe you caught The Office on TV or finished up some laundry. The point is, it's just Thursday.

But in collegeland, Thursday (particularly a sunny spring Thursday at the end of the semester) means two things: beers and beers.

The Reach the Beacon group tried something different last night and ran over to Baxter Woods off Stevens Ave. (in Portland, of course).

To get there, we ran across Forest Ave. onto Coyle St.

Not a block up the road we come upon some Thursday evening festivities (beer, of course, being the guest of honor). There were tables of beer bottles and a happy collection of coeds enjoying the mild temps (and the much-anticipated end of the semester).

As our group ran by, a few guys shouted out some "Woohoos." Then a few more. Then the applause started. And for no good reason whatsoever, our small running group started our trek to Baxter Woods with the kind of shouts and cheers I imagine only Olympic gold medalists ever really hear.

It was odd...but really cool.

I should have taken a picture. I told myself I'd take one on the way back - but I didn't. At the last minute I chickened out. Let's face it, I watch YouTube - those college kids scare me.

But this is essentially what it looked like:

When we got back, Ian Parlin from Trail Monsters gave us a chat about trail running. I'm going to give the trail thing a try one of these weekends - road running gets a little dull after a while. But more on that another time.

The big learning last night was the phrase "screw shoes."

If your mind is in the gutter with mine, or your maturity level hasn't grown appropriately with your age, you should have laughed.

But screw shoes aren't dirty...er, they ARE...but the real dirt kind of dirty. They're running shoes with screws (yes, screw screws) driven into the bottoms. Helps runners get traction when running on ice and snow.

Why are people are running on ice and snow? Beats me.

So shoe me

Among the many learnings from last year's training (it's NOT good to slam a Monster energy drink just before a run, coffee is NOT an essential part of pre-race preparation, chafing is NOT a welcome aftereffect of exercise) the most profound one is: don't wear crap shoes.

After all, it was an injury that sidelined me at mile three of the B2B last year - an injury instigated by bad footwear. It's not that the shoes were inherently bad - they didn't torture small animals when they were young or steal money from their grandmother's purse. They were just worn out. They'd lost all support.

So getting new shoes was a priority this time around. But I wasn't going to make the same mistake I'd made before - thinking I could grab a pair of running shoes off the clearance rack at DSW. Sure, paying $30 for running shoes feels good at first...but 10 miles and two pulled muscles later it doesn't seem like such a bargain.

Yesterday I headed over to Maine Running Company to get help finding the right shoes for me. I knew it'd cost more than $30, but when it comes to not committing the same sins two years in a row, I'm willing to spend a few extra coins.

One interesting thing I didn't know about running shoes: they should be a half size larger than your regular shoes ('cuz feet sweat and swell and if you're running longer distances your toes will be crushed up against the front of the shoe). There should be "a thumbnail's length" between the front of the shoe and your toes, according to the saleswoman.

There are some cool toys available for testing your feet - like the pads you stand on that gauge how your feet are bearing your weight. (My weight is all on the heels - and my arch is nowhere to be found.)

You may also be asked to hop on the treadmill to have your gait tested. They just had me walk barefoot to the far wall and back to see my feet in action (I won't hide my disappointment over not getting to use the treadmill) and I apparently didn't have any issues with pronation (pronation's when - after your heel strikes the ground - your arches collapse too far inward).

We found a pair of Mizunos that were the same style as a pair I'd had before and liked. A brief jog on the treadmill to confirm that they felt good and (woohoo!) I had a new pair of shoes.

But the day wasn't all rubber soles and joy. Within hours of bringing home the new footwear, my old shoes breathed their last breath and crossed over into shoe heaven.

I attended the funeral this morning: