This is apparently where my feet feel the most pressure when I’m standing.

(Sunday Paper, Year VII, Issue 6)

For a certain set of people - family, some close friends, some former co-workers - the size of my feet is a known fact.

As a result of a lot of kidding around about the size of my feet, it kind of stuck with people.

(Or so I thought. I just sent some quick texts and have been proven wrong. Nevertheless.)

For years, I have worn a size 13.

Last week, I got some shocking news.

I don’t even know where to start this story. But I guess I’ll defend myself by saying this: For a while when you’re growing you go through all of these shoe sizes in quick succession and then it kind of stabilizes and who thinks about shoe size anymore?

You just get a pair you like in your size and if it fits well, you’re on your way.

(This is especially true when you get up near the size 13s. At some point you get tired of hearing, “Yeah, we don’t have it in that size,” and you just find something that comes in a 13 and make do.)

But it never once occurred to me that I wasn’t a size 13.

Then, with marathon training, I started putting a lot of miles on my feet.

Maybe my feet have swelled.

I don’t know. I do know that one of the people I run with told a story about getting his foot sized and discovering it was better for him to run with a bigger sneaker.

So after a toe was starting to blister (kind of, I won’t get too graphic) as I was training for marathon number two, I thought I’d better see what I could do about my footwear.

So I did the official sneaker/foot sizing that they do at running shoe stores. (I think? I’m still new at this.)

And, sure enough, they sized me up and suggested I wear a size 14. (Haha. They sized me up and then sized me up.)

So, first of all, maybe this is why dress shoes have been somewhat uncomfortable for me in recent years. Secondly, GAME-CHANGER.

The size 14s feel good so far. I’ve only run in them a couple of times but I can already feel a difference. My toes have room so that they’re not right on top of one another…so there’s no further opportunity for my toes to blister one another.

I got a second pair in the mail this week - those haven’t made their road debut just yet - maybe this week.

I don’t know if it will make a huge difference when I actually run the marathon - but this is actually something that goes beyond marathon training.

I think I need to get myself some regular shoes for when I’m not running in a size 14 too.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

I have, of course, managed to make this little section complicated in my head. I’ve already told you that some days I don’t have time for an album or a movie and I have let that slide and it’s good for my brain. There are other days that I’m tempted to listen to a second album and I’m like, “Is that allowed?” IS THAT ALLOWED?! There are no rules! I invented this and I am just keeping track of what I listen to or watch. Does it matter if I do two in one day!? I guess in a small way it does matter to me. So far I have not. But I think I’m going to have to change my mind on that soon. Anyway, here’s this week’s roundup:

‘Give Up’ - The Postal Service
‘The Cars’ - The Cars
‘Candy-O’ - The Cars
‘Shake It Up’ - The Cars

Notes

*I guess it’s worth noting that I heard The Cars on the radio early in the week and was thinking, “Man, I bet that was a really original sound when they debuted.” So I did a little deep dive on their early albums. Also, I had hoped to watch at least one movie this week, and Kathy and I had plans to watch something late in the week and I fell slightly ill. It’s not a big deal but it is a long story that I’ll probably write about soon.

*We filled the Super Bowl squares! I have to tell you - the reason I started this so early was that I was so scared I wouldn’t fill the grid and would have to fork over a bunch of cash to cover the prizes without sacrificing the amount of the donation to the charity. But, fortunately, all that worry was for naught.

*If you care to remind yourself what the prizes are - here’s the original post where I lay everything out.

*I’m hoping to do the numbers drawing this evening on Instagram Live. The @jsucich account. I think it’ll be fun. 7pm.

*The new Instagram, with my running updates, is @johnnyrunsalot, if you care to get those updates almost every day. Otherwise you can continue to Like the page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

*Running Update: As for the Sunday Paper’s running update…last week’s blizzard left some messy, slushy roads this week. I did get out on some paved streets for a run on Wednesday (I rode the bike on Monday) and the roads were still too messy for the Saturday long run so I had the worry of ‘when will I squeeze this in.’ So as you read this I am probably monitoring today’s weather trying to figure out a time to be able to run 11-12 miles without single-digit temps and ground that isn’t too icy.

*Oh, hey, if you’re interested: Comedy Night at Exhibit ‘A’ is back. It’s the second Saturday of the month, which is next Saturday. If you’re ready to be out in the world for that sort of thing, you can get tickets here.

*Did my first Winter Olympics watching on Saturday. A lot of mixed doubles curling, with a little biathlon mixed in.