OMG shoes.

I broke up with my Saucony Ride 4's today. We're still going to be friends and hang out whenever I wanna do some cardio machines or BL DVD's... but our days of running are over.

But I'm being as serious as a heart attack when I say this: I will cherish our memories.

Those shoes were my first legitimate running shoes. I got fitted for them in the real-life running store. I wasn't sure about them at first, but man they have been there for me when other shoes couldn't have. And I only paid $40ish for them.

If you are planning to run, whether a half-marathon or a 5K or anything between, please hear me LOUD when I say this:

PUT YOUR MONEY IN YOUR FEET.

Seriously. Your legs will fall off if you don't. 
Okay no not really. But running, especially for an extended time or distance, in the wrong shoes can really mess you up. Take my advice, I learned the hard way.

When I started running, I had this pair of Reebok Paris Racer's that I scored at Rugged Wearhouse, which is like a TJ Maxx only wayyy cheaper. 

I loved them. I wore them so much that the bottoms starting peeling off.

I had those shoes on the first time I completed my first real run.

*FLASHBACK TIME*

My friend and classmate, J, had been telling me for semesters that I should go running with her. Yeah right, I thought. This girl was serious about running and me? Not so much. At that point, I could run for about 1.5 minutes straight before puking and/or fainting from exhaustion. I knew, FOR SURE, that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with J. So I did what most friends do, I dodged the shit out of her requests.

Damn, I can't today. I've got to wash my hair.

Next Thursday? Hmmm... I would but I've got to rearrange my bookshelf.

Next month? Next month is PACKED for me. Every. Single. Second. Sorry!

Until one day when the crazy side got the best of me and I told her yes. We made plans to run around the track at our college after class later that week. Holy shit.. here we go.

She was a wonderful and patient coach. She slowed WAY down so that I could keep up with her. She told me that I didn't have to go any further than I could, but that if I could still talk to her, I was fine and should keep going. So we started on our first lap.

We CRAWLED along the track. I didn't even look like I was running - it probably more closely resembled a bouncing fast walk. We talked the whole time. About everything we could. We gossiped about our classmates. We talked about her husband. We talked about my dog. We talked about ANYTHING we could to distract me from realizing that I was actually running. When we got close to finishing the fourth lap (this was 1 mile), she asked me how I felt and told me I was so close to finishing a whole mile without stopping. 

And at that moment, I said something crazy.

Actually, I feel great! Let's keep going.

And we did. And we finished 2 motherfreaking miles. And it probably took us about 30 minutes - but I had never felt so accomplished in my entire life. 

I had runner's high. I had runner's pride. I couldn't believe what I had just done. And I couldn't wait to do it again. 

That day - the runner in me was born. (Queue the epic soundtrack music)

*BACK TO REALITY*

So the Reeboks were a total win. And since they worked so well for me, I thought everyone who had ever warned me about the importance of a good running shoe was CRAZY. Obviously, these people just wanted an excuse to dump money into an expensive yuppy shoe. I had just proven that I could run in CLEARANCE shoes from a warehouse outlet.

I later found out that this was an exception, and not a rule.

Enter the next pair of running shoes.

I honestly don't even remember what kind of shoes these were. I snagged them at Marshall's for like $20. They were pink and orange and white and looked good on my feet. Sold! I slapped those bad boys on and headed out for a run.

I think they were okay at first. I can't remember them feeling particularly awesome, but I don't remember really having problems with them until about the 3rd or 4th run. All of a sudden, I started having the worst knee and hip pains ever.

I blamed this pain on everything BUT my shoes. 
The road.
My period.
The weather.
All that ballet I took as a kid.

Did any of these excuses make sense? No. 

I was coming up on my first 5K ever with my friend E and I literally couldn't run because of all the pain. I tried taping my knee up. I tried a brace. I tried everything. But I knew that I couldn't back out of this race. So at the last minute on the night of the race, I made a radical and sporadic decision. I put those old Reebok Paris Racer's on.

I would be exaggerating if I said that these shoes made it all better. I was in pain for a majority of the race. But I really believe that because of these shoes I was able to run 2/3 of the 5K. 

After that 5K, I hung up my crappy running shoes for quite a while. I had done it! I had run a race. And I was done with that whole little "I wanna be a runner" phase I was going through. My joints recovered, those pink sneakers got donated to Goodwill, and I went back to my sedentary lifestyle. 

A few months later, I met T. T was a resident of the apartment complex that I worked at part-time while I was in college. She was always friendly so I enjoyed when she stopped by the office to chat. One day, she stopped in wearing some running attire and I asked her about it. Turns out, she was training for a half-marathon and trying to stay up with an intense running schedule. Now T was not your average runner - she wasn't stick thin; she was actually overweight (she started running in order to LOSE weight - go figure!). I was immediately inspired by her efforts. Before her, I thought that only skinny people were serious runners. I thought that if you were anywhere within an overweight range, you just didn't run. If she could keep up with this intense ass training schedule, I could at least pitch in a few miles every week. She talked me into going to the running store in town for some new kicks and we made plans to start running (short runs) every Wednesday.

This is how I met my Saucony Ride 4's.

And actually, T was the one who introduced me to the Mizuno Wave Creation 12's (WHERE do they come up with these names for running shoes?). They were hers. She bought them, wore them a few times and didn't like them. So she tried to take them back and couldn't annnd BOOM. They became mine.

So now I'm rocking two pairs of running shoes. My Mizuno's in North Carolina, and my Brooks in Wyoming. I really hope they don't find out about each other..

And speaking of the Brooks, here's our first picture together:

And speaking of running, here's a snip of Sam and I making plans for that 10K next month...

If you're still reading this, you've survived my ramble of the day. I might have wandered around and lost track of thought but here's the lesson I'm trying to spill:

Take CARE of your body. If you are planning to run, GET THE RIGHT SHOE for you. It doesn't have to be expensive... If nothing else - visit a running store, take advantage of their FREE foot assessment, figure out what kind of shoe you need, and buy that SHIT online. 

Thanks for sticking with me today. 

This is what happens when I drink too much coffee and get new running shoes.

Keep kicking ass, everyone.