Level 5 and Running Shoes
Last week I talked about my week in running and then highlighted some of the socks I wear to make sure I don’t get blisters while running. Today I look at the shoes I wear and even more exciting, I made it to level 5 in EverQuest!
Weekly Running Results
This week I took things a bit easy and only turned in a single day running more than 4 miles. While I felt good about running, I really felt like I was running into time limitations. Just like I’ve had when trying to level up in EverQuest, I am feeling a time crunch.
Regardless, I did manage to get out on my feet every day this past week, and I feel pretty good about the mileage I put on. Beyond that, I’m not gonna make myself feel bad for getting out there and pushing myself every day.
I hope you all feel the same and consider fitness and exercise a good thing. Don’t let limited time or exhaustion or muscle fatigue bring you down. If you get out there and do even a little, you are doing something positive.
Keep it up.
Running Gear
After a couple weeks talking about socks (here and here), today I talk about the shoes I wear when I run.
I’ve tended to prefer two brands, namely New Balance and ASICS. While my first goal in picking a running shoe is to get something that’s good for well…running, my second goal is to get something that is NOT MADE IN CHINA.
I pretty much decided when I started running way-back-when, that I would avoid paying China for my shoes. There are plenty of products where I can’t get something that is not made in China, but I found that running shoes are made all over the place.
Sure, it’s not the easiest thing to find shoes made in America these days but New Balance tends to make at least a few of their styles in the States. The problem for me was that while I started out running in New Balance, they tend to have a short shelf life, and the company switched to a new form factor after my first pair of shoes. Without something I was comfortable in, I turned to other brands that were NOT MADE IN CHINA.
ASICS, it turns out, makes a bunch of their shoes in Vietnam. While that’s a long way from America, I decided I could accept it because it was not China. They also made shoes that were comfortable for my feet.
Right now, I am running with the ASICS GT-2000 3 T500N stability shoe. It says it’s made in Vietnam so I feel better about the shoes and they are great for my feet. Unfortunately, I am gonna need new shoes soon.
According to ‘experts,’ running shoes begin to break down after 300 to 500 miles, which is typically 4–6 months. I’ve had these shoes for years, but I haven’t run much in them before the pandemic hit. Since March, I’ve been running around 20–25 miles a week, so it’s getting time for me to replace them.
Which brings me to my current situation. ASICS does not make the GT-2000 3 T500N any more. Oops!
Now I gotta do some research to find a good stability shoe that is NOT MADE IN CHINA that fits my feet well while I’m running. Normally, under non-pandemic situations, I would head over to Road Runner Sports, and they would put me on a treadmill to film my foot strike and technique, but now…you know…COVID.
So, things are a bit more complicated than they have to be. I think Road Runner Sports is open but when will I feel comfortable enough to go out to buy running shoes of all things?
I’ve got more research to do, and actually, I want to see what the return policy is for Road Runner Sports, so for now, I am sticking with my current shoes.
Ding 5!
It’s been a while…I think like over 2 weeks, but I finally hit level 5. 2 weeks sitting and fighting to get from level 4 to 5 but I feel a sense of accomplishment.
I guess it’s not much, but I have been besieged by multiple forces, primarily the login queue. I haven’t been able to log into the game on most days. Then, when I do get in, I tend to only have a short time because once again…the queue.
Anyway, Today I got into the game right away and was very pleased. My UI was once again messed up, but I’m working on it, and it only took me 2 minutes to figure out how to get things the way I like them.
I can only imagine that things might get complex as I gain more spells and set up more macros and configuration in my UI, but I’m hopeful that I can figure out a routine to go through when the game starts that I can make work for me.
I started with 19.356% experience left to gain, so I headed out to my current hunting grounds. Skeletons, wasps, wolves, and bats were all fodder for my quest. I started counting how many I killed but quickly lost track…it didn’t matter, I was determined.
Then it happened.
It wasn’t like huge bells and whistles, splashy lights, and game announcer type of advancement like Wildstar used to be, but it certainly felt that way.
Ding 5.
I feel like I accomplished something, and I’m ready for more. Hopefully, the queue will be working better over the next few weeks, and hopefully, I’ll be able to find some in-game friends to group with, but no matter what happens from here on out, I made it to level 5.
It’s a Wrap
Level 5 and running shoes…quite some big deals today. I actually came into today without any expectation of getting in to EverQuest to level up, and I wasn’t even sure what style my running shoes were, but I feel like I accomplished a lot today.
Level 5 and ASICS. At least with EverQuest, I won’t have to expose myself to the possibility of getting COVID in order to continue leveling. Shoes though…they could prove troublesome.
Hopefully, during these difficult times, we can all find simple things to feel a sense of accomplishment with. Today I was happy with level 5 and running shoes.
Ramble 2020.02.45 | Level 5 and Running Shoes