Long Runs, Weekend Ahead

One day left to go in this week, but I'm already looking ahead to the long holiday weekend ahead. The Viper will be taking an extended vacation next week, so posting might be sparse.

This week has gone pretty well, with an up-tempo mid-distance run Monday, a short hill run yesterday, and tonight I'm planning an eight-miler on the Buckeye Trail, which will put my weekly mileage above any other yet this year.

If I can pull it together this weekend, I'll finally break into a double-digit long run, which will be a first for 2011.

Temptations
After announcing my refusal to buy new shoes this year, I've found two great deals that I'm having a hard time passing up. I was offered a discount on a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves at my local running store for commenting on their Facebook page, and I found a coupon code for a pair of Saucony Hattoris. Of course, this month's budget is tight and my birthday money is all gone.

Irony
I first heard of Saucony's new shoes through Ian at Half-Fast, disproving my theory that he's totally useless these days with his adherence to maximum running shoes and minimal blogging.

In his review of the Hattoris, Ian wrote, "I’m not much of a minimalist. In fact I’d go so far as to say that I’m a maximalist; it’s the American way! I want a bigger house, a faster car, more money and bigger shoes that do more for me. More is always better!"

Last week, I got an e-mail from a marketing representative from Skechers, offering me a free pair of their Shape-ups SRT in exchange for writing "a positive or neutral blog post or article about them" and directing readers to the company's website.

I refused the offer on the grounds of freedom of expression, but isn't it amusing that Ian, who proclaims "more is always better," gets free minimalist shoes, and I, who recently admitted to buying into the marketing hype of "barefoot shoes," gets offered a free pair of maximalist shoes. Isn't it ironic, Alanis, don't you think?