Hi all, I am running in the inaugural Rose Bowl Half Marathon in Pasadena this Saturday. I am excited about the race as the Arroyo Seco area the race is held in is very pretty and I grew up around here. It is a mix of roads and trails and should be interesting.

The shoes we run in today are great for reducing impact. There are a myriad of devices, gels, air channels, etc., designed to lesson the compressive loads on the joints and body. One drawback, however, is that if you do most of your running on even, paved surfaces the lower leg muscles and joints do not have to work as hard to stabilize.