My New Pretty Shoes

Back in April 2007, my family had gathered on a Sunday afternoon at a restaurant on Lexington Avenue in St. Paul to celebrate my grandma's 88th birthday.  We went right there from church and then I was driving to work after our lunch.  Wouldn't you know it, I forgot my shoes to wear to work and all I had were my black, heeled dress shoes.  Lucky for me, there was a running store right next door to the restaurant!

I walked into that store, feeling quite intimidated as a very overweight person who "said" she needed a pair of running shoes.  Sure, I was running a little bit.  I mean, I could probably run 2 miles without stopping (and it only took me 25 minutes!)  But I was not the lean, mean, running machine type of person who frequented REAL running stores.  Thankfully, the salesperson looked past my outward appearance and helped get me fit for my very first pair of proper running shoes so I could have something to wear to work that afternoon.

Imagine my shock and horror when the shoes they said I needed were over $100!  I'd never spent that much money on shoes before.  And I certainly didn't need to spend that much money on a pair of shoes for running!  (At that point, I still very much despised the act of running and it seemed incredibly silly.)  But hey, I was desperate to wear something other than high heeled shoes with my scrubs at work that day, so I bit the bullet and forked out the money.

best. money. ever. spent.

Honestly.

Those Asics Gel-Kayano 13s were heavenly to my feet.  They made me feel like I was running on air.  I love them.  Still do.  They're not pretty anymore but I still hold them in high regard as the shoes that made me actually feel good while running.

So fast forward to today.  I was giddy when I opened up the box that held my brand new Asics Gel-Kayano 16s.  It's not just because they're purple, that part is also very exciting for me.  But opening up that box started a new era for me.  They're my marathon training shoes.  Am I excited to start training?  Not really.  I'm dreading the day on the calendar when it says that I'm supposed to run for 20 miles.  (May 21 or 28, depending on which training plan I decide to follow.)  But I am truly excited to put these shoes on and get back into the habit of running.  No excuses.  It's the little push that I've been needing.

So thank you Mr. UPS for delivering my shoes.

And thank you Holabird Sports for still having the purple shoes in my size.

And now... Let's start running!

You know, just as soon as I can breathe without coughing up my lung.