#76- New Running Shoes

I knew something was wrong when I couldn't feel my foot.

It was after one of my morning runs last week and I had sprinted the last hundred metres, but when I stopped I nearly fell flat on my face because my right foot felt like a block of cement strapped to my leg.

I came to the conclusion, after months of denial, that my three-year-old training shoes had come to the end of their lifespan.

Those shoes had been with me through a lot. From lacing up with me as I ran down the beautiful Rideau Canal to the snow-dusted paths on campus and the goose-filled park near my house in Toronto.

But they were starting to become a pain in the Achilles Tendon.

So I made the trip to the running store over the weekend to find myself a pair of trainers that wouldn't have me hobbling around.

And after a few solid runs in my new shoes I love them.

They are snug, comfortable and even make me look good while I run down the streets (although I may be a bit delusional about that last bit as I frequently envision myself running in epic slow motion with the soundtrack from Chariots of fire in the background).

But really, they are a great pair of shoes that allow me to go out and get some exercise (those Beaver Tails can really weigh on a guy), explore my community, soak up the great weather we've been having here (no really, there is such a thing as good weather in Ottawa) and most importantly do something I love; run.

Running has been a part of my life for a really long time. It's something I've done with friends, family and in my own peaceful world. It's something that keeps me active and challenges me and makes me feel a natural high (I try reminding myself of this point when I'm cursing a particularly long hill or a stiff breeze coming in my direction as I run). My shoes help me do all this. They are the vehicle for this activity in my life that brings so much happiness.

So I am grateful for my new running shoes. I am grateful they allow me to run comfortably and safely and  give me the chance to do something that is good for my body and mind. I'm grateful I have them as a tool to challenge me in new ways and hopefully make myself a better person.

#36- Wind

I was almost blown over by the wind several times as I walked to the mall to get some food today, but it was exactly what I needed.

I have been cooped up in my room for the better part of five days now studying for exams while the weather has been getting steadily warmer. My room has seemed a little like a prison and today I decided to break out, get some much needed air and clear my head.

When I left the house I was immediatley hit with a warm and blustery wind. This was great because I finally felt free from the dry and hard to read notes that seemed like they had been chaining me to my room. The wind made me feel alive and part of the real world instead of tumbling face first into textbooks.

I would like to think that the wind and I have a sort of love-hate relationship. While on runs throughout the years, the wind has been there beside me many times, either fighting against me, threatening to throw me off stride and blow my momentum or at my back pushing me forward, keeping me cool. But helping me or hindering me, the wind has always been something to keep me company during my runs which really helps me keep going.

So I am grateful for the wind. I am grateful for the sense of freedom and life it brings to me, for the warm or cool air is provides and for the comfort it gives me on runs, even if it is a fickle force. I am grateful that the wind brings change, brings rain or sun and creates energy for people. Even though I can't see the wind, it always makes its presence felt, in big and small ways.