Thank you, Steve Madden

First off, I'd like to take a moment to welcome back some old friends into my life -- and just in time, too! Welcome back Doc Marten, Nine West, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Etienne Aigner, XOXO, Merrell and last but definitely not least Steve Madden. Welcome, one and all!

I went to my massage therapist last night to check on the progress with the plantar fasciitis. I ran Tuesday night (first time in 2 weeks) as an experiment to see how my foot would respond. The run itself went good. I hadn't lost any speed, and the foot didn't start hurting until around mile 3. But the hurt was different than PF hurt. It was more of an ache. Come to find out from Missy, it was a good ache.

She said the PF looks like it's healing and the ache is the rest of my foot becoming accustomed to bearing weight when I run, so the stress on my PF is reduced. Sweet! I got "permission" to run again, once or twice a week for a few weeks, then more frequently. I still have to run in the insoles, ice my foot and wear that damnable sock-brace thing at night. However, I also got permission to welcome back my old friends -- REGULAR SHOES!! Stylish, strappy, summery sandals. Platforms, wedges, heels, oh my!

OK so I'm not jumping back whole hog into the shoe fashionista I truly am. My "permission" extends to 2-3 times a week in regular shoes, rest of the time in the tennys and insoles. Today I started easy, in a beloved pair of Steve Madden, black platform sandals. They're mostly flat, so there's not much stress on my foot. Oh! How I've missed them.

I almost turned traitor last week. I even got in my car to do the unthinkable ... shop at Payless! Gasp! I was so tired of wearing the same old tennys day in and day out. And you can't wear tennys with cute summer skirts and capris, so I set out to buy some cheap, disposable "shoes" that could fit my insole and look a little better with work clothes. I didn't find anything that I could bear putting onto my feet. I think it was a sign from God. How close I was to straying from the good and holy path of shoe snob. Thank you, Steve Madden, thank you.

In other, and slightly less blasphemous news, my ride at Camp Thunder last weekend went great. All the climbing (500 feet of elevation in the first MILE) felt really good. I feel like I'm heading into the Helen race this weekend on strong legs. Compared to last weekend, the climbs will be a cakewalk (2,000 feet of elevation over 16 miles at Helen). And I've always loved the trail at Helen, even if most of the races have been mud fests. This will be my first true MTB race of the year. All the women are racing against eachother, regardless of age group. So I stand to get my arse handed to me with aplomb ... but at least I'll put in a good showing for myself ...

... And after the race, when I slip into a comfy pair of Merrell flip-flops, I'll have a big smile on my face. Win or lose.