My little brother turned 27 years old last Thursday, and my cousins—good, big-hearted people—threw him a surprise drinking bash last night. I had a card and birthday present for him, so I agreed to go for one drink and then head home.

See, they couldn't get the party started until 8:00 PM. Guys, I'm usually in bed by 9:00! Not only that, Nick was already scheduled to kayak the Kick¹ today, while I had plans to go into work for half of a day and then spend the other half BSing my way through a 1500 word essay on marketing research tools.

Nonetheless, we walked in, and Uncle Rick—Uncle Rick of parallel bathtub Euchre fame who knows how much I value flattery and told me last night I look younger every time he sees me—set a pitcher of free beer before me and Nick. By the time they whipped out the glow sticks and mardi gras beads, I was primed.



In conclusion, it was so nice to see my brother tickled that people would come out to celebrate him, and we were in bed by midnight: you can never hold your resolve once you have a little buzz and the small voice of what you really want to do, responsibility be damned, speaks over all others!

¹ I am pretty sure that "Kayaking the Kick" is just a Laura/Nick phrase indicating a day that typically starts at about 5:00 AM to travel to the Kickapoo river, and then spend six hours kayaking downstream before heading back home. It's one of my favorite things in the world to do, but I'm just too bogged down between work and school right now.

This is my fifth Memorial Day weekend with Nick, and I have come to love all of the activities that we squeeze into this three-day span. This year, the sun was out and the weather was warm…perfect for the first paddle of the season and exploring state parks all over again. It's like seeing an old friend after the winter thaws away. Not to mention, Brat Fest is always in town!

We started out the weekend Friday afternoon with a hike through Parfrey's Glen. Parfrey's Glen was the first designated natural area in Wisconsin, and it is absolutely beautiful. Nick and I last visited the glen back in 2006 (see below…sorry, I'm being lazy and linking to Flickr instead of using Javascript), but devastating floods washed away the boardwalk in 2008.



It's like nature reclaimed the land, washing away the human stain. I think my idea of heaven looks something like this. A babbling brook bouncing capriciously over moss-hued rocks, deep foliage filtering sunlight in sparkling lace patterns, and quiet but the sound of birds chirping. It was humbling being in such a place of sublime beauty. It's a bit more technical getting back there without the boardwalk, but the effort was well worthwhile, though Nick questioned my technique.



Actually, I think he just has moments where he is taken aback by how girly I truly am. There I was with my pink shirt, wrists flipped up while tip toeing from rock to rock through the stream (the wrists flipped up really does help, I am sure), and I keep hearing him laugh behind me. But hey! I made it! I fully support girly-girls!



Sadly, we kept forgetting to take the camera along (or, as was the case with kayaking on Sunday at Mirror Lake, the camera and the picture card) for the rest of the weekend's events, but I think we remembered it for the most precious of views (brats not withstanding). See the entire set on Flickr.

Three days ago, I mentioned to Nick that we were out of my favorite electrolyte drink: Powerade Zero.

I was so tickled the first time I happened upon it because it's everything I've ever dreamed of: a recovery drink that doesn't completely negate all of the hard work I just put into that workout. I have Nick hooked now too, as I'm not sure he really understood what a calorie was before me. We usually keep a case (15-count) in the hall coat closet.

Picking up a few items at the local grocery store, lo and behold! SALE! Not just any sale, but sale in the style of a grandiose Oprah SAAAAAALE! Buy six, get nine free. Quantity unlimited.

'Kay, guys. This is when my OCD kicks in:



Nick took the picture, so I didn't get a chance to make sure all the labels were pointing the right way. You get the picture. Sale ends tomorrow.

I have to start this post by painting a picture of where I was yesterday.

I was in the middle of a longer run, a brace on my left knee because it reminds me to be gentle with the pulled hamstring on that leg, and an ankle brace on the right foot because I broke it in second grade and it's always been a pain in the you-know-what. I was also wearing my SI-joint brace yesterday because my low back and hips were feeling particularly feisty as I continued one step in front of the other. I had a moment of truth with myself then and accepted that running is not easy on my body. Some people were built for this sport, and I was not (simple enough, right?). I think running is more mental than physical, and it is the mental aspect that has me hooked. Work may be stressful, school may be overwhelming—but nothing seems quite so hard after a nice long run. Plus, they say that running increases brain function, which helps with homework. Win-win.

Okay, so to the real point of this post:

Since I started my weight loss journey around nine years ago, I have long championed the importance of buying really good shoes. I started out as a hardcore walker, getting to the point where I walked 20 miles a day (broken up between the morning and evening, not all at once). I started running after my walking mile speed topped out at 10:30, and I felt like I couldn't improve any more on the walk. Going from a walker to a runner, I think my stride suffered a bit. My walking stride was extremely wide with a strong heel strike. I think I initially brought that wide stride to my run, but wide strides are really hard on the lower back, and I've stopped that now. Do you know what hasn't stopped? That hard heel strike.

Nick was watching something on TV the other night about the Tarahumara. These people are renowned for their long-distance running, and they do it all barefoot or nearly barefoot. Without shoes, people tend to land on the midfoot instead of the heel, which tempers the impact of the ground before jarring the hips and low back. The next day, I attempted to run with this in mind, pointing my toe on the way down so that I would not land on my heel.

Guys, this works. I put in two ten mile runs a day apart, and I felt great. I don't think I have the guts to actually go 100% barefoot, at least not yet. I am debating, however, whether or not to try the barefoot alternative available. I felt like I was running through mud in March and April. I am hoping that I can make May a little more fun on the running front.