They Suggested I Wear These Instead of Those Uncomfortable Heels At My Wedding and I Laughed and Laughed. Oh, Runners.

Despite the kind suggestions from people who know much more about these things than I do, I have trekked along in 5k training avoiding buying proper running shoes for as long as possible.  Meaning I've ignored the foot pain and the shin pain and the knee jolts and the sore ankles because at heart I am incredibly cheap and didn't want to spend the money when my current pair were surely adequate.  So basically I've been running in a pair of sneakers I bought over a year ago because my old pair had holes in them and these were the cutest pair in the store.  They were also a half size too small.  But so, so cute!  Such an athlete am I.

I finally have caved because it's so frustrating to not be tired or out of breath but have to stop because my right shin and foot feel so muscle sore that I can barely keep lifting my leg.  It's interfering with my progress and it's generally just silly so I headed down to Westchester Road Runner yesterday and marveled at the wall of colors before someone kindly offered to help me.

The nice lady examined my foot, watched me walk, measured my foot, and then brought out four options, all different brands, so I could see which suited me best.  So serious is buying running shoes that you don't even get to choose based on pretty!  They just bring you the best shoes to suit your purely utilitarian purpose.  What kind of bullshit is that?  This is no way to buy shoes, I say.

Anyway, after trying them all on and walking around and even taking them for a quick trip down the block, we determined that the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 is the best shoe for me.  They felt amazing.  I just wanted to take off in them from the second they were laced and I can't wait to take them for their first run and see if they make a difference.

The nice lady and I bonded so completely chatting over tying and untying multitudes of sneakers that she gave me 10% off.  Which made the $25 parking ticket I got because I completely underestimated how much freaking time it would take to get fitted for running shoes sting ever so slightly less! 

Here they are.  Aren't they ugly?  I bought them anyway because they were practical.  I've grown so!