My Arsenal

In preparation for my quest, I stocked up with an arsenal of footwear.  My running shoe of choice is the Hardrock by Montrail.  Yes, they make shoes intentionally for the Ultra runner. Basically, trail running shoes are a hybrid of a street running shoe crossed with a hiking boot.  I have tried other shoes but the Hardrock provides a nice cushion with dependable stability and they are pretty light too, well lighter than a ski boot.

When the Hardrock goes on sale, I buy in bulk.

The Hardrock come in regular and wide width.  I found the first four regulars on a good sale.  Upon second thought, my feet may be more comfy in the wide version (as I get deeper into the summer I am concerned that my feet will swell).  Fortunately I found the wide version on a killer sale and bought three more.... an over supply is no worry, it is not likely they will go unused.  Sierra Trading Post and Running Warehouse were my sources, but I did have to spend a fair amount of time searching around for the best deals.

Tried and true, I can even take a fresh pair of Hardrocks out of the box and run 4+ hours without a blemish on my foot.  They breathe well in the heat and do well submersed in a river crossing.

I like to take photos of my feet doing fun things.  This was taken during a stream crossing during the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim adventure.

Peter is aghast ever time there is a shoe box delivered to the doorway.  I really try to have a "shoe comes in shoe goes" out policy but there always seems to be an excess.  Not a bad thing when someone with a size 7 foot comes over but forgot shoes.

This garden art was initially felt to be the protector from weeds.  I strike the pose of The Slayer of the Shoe Garden.

Off to Bishop on Friday.  My next posting will be my first race report!

Happy trails, Carolyn