It took until September last year before I had a pr; got that out of the way early this year! Next Saturday is my first 5k of the year, which I need to run fast to get off to a meeting at church. And I've been invited to go riding with a couple guys I know about an hour after the meeting is supposed to end-- they're both older and less fit than me, but with better bikes and more miles in this winter/almost spring. What to do, what to do....

Oak, the shoe issue is one thing that has me reluctant to sign up for a marathon. I'm running exclusively in VFFs these days, and I've done a half in them without much trouble. Not sure about extending out to a full marathon in them, however, and I don't really want to go back to conventional running shoes. Guess getting to the finish line in good shape is the most important thing!