More race preparation

Today I did something I should have done ages ago--I went and bought new running shoes. I'm sure this did as much for my race preparation as yesterday's run.
First, I went to Transports in Oakland which has a very knowlegable staff. The guy who was helping me was a really good listener--I was able to talk to him about my plantar fasciitis and the knee pain I was worried about yesterday. He explained to me that if I was wearing running shoes with too much support, it could be putting pressure on the outside of my knees, thus causing the pain. He then did a gait analysis, measured my feet and brought three different pairs for me to try on. He really encouraged me to do a short jog outside with each pair and after trying all of them on, I settled on a pair of Mizunos. I can tell you that all three pairs felt better than what I have been running in so I'm pretty excited to try them out. I have to admit, I was really concerned about this knee pain yesterday, and was worried it was going to affect my ability to finish the marathon. After buying these new shoes, I feel confident that my knees are going to feel a whole lot better and maybe that 5 hour finish is within my reach.