New shoes!

What a wonderful shoe shopping experience!

Trainer Dave keeps bugging me to buy new running shoes. Need to have waterproof ones. We run in the grass and by the time we finish our mile, my shoes are soggy. And my toes are cold. So he and Lilly insisted I go to the running shoe store a couple of cities away.

I finally went today! I walked in the door and the shoe salesman greeted me with a friendly smile. I announced that I was told I had to buy some new shoes here. He was certainly happy to hear that! When is the last time you had shoe service with a smile? He had an English or Scottish accent - I didn't get a chance to ask. Sat me down, took my shoes off for me, watched how i walked, assessed my high arches, put me on the tread mill while a camera filmed my feet so we could see how my gait was. I had to ignore the colors. Some were downright ugly. But this isn't a fashion statement. I just needed comfortable shoes that helped my run without hurting myself. He had me try on 6 different shoes, lacing and tying each and every one! None of which my trainer mentioned. And the shoes I just bought in January were apparently all wrong for me. Because you see, with my high arches, I can't just wear the same shoes as, say, a flat-footed runner. I had to find some that were comfortable for me. And as for the waterproof detail, he said I was better off with breathable shoes than dry shoes. Who knew?? And - bonus - I got a 10% discount for mentioning that I was sent by my boot camp trainer! (even though he'd never heard of him!)

I'll have to scotch-guard them. :)

Yes, Mom, we talked about my pigeon-toed-ness and plantar faciitis, high arches, and high insteps!

So here they are! It's hard to take pictures of your shoes with you in them. Especially with a puppy who thinks she ought to be in the picture as well.

At noon today, someone turned on the wind machine in the sky. The sun peeked out from under the high clouds before it heads for the west. There's a storm blowing in tonight. Didn't quite make it to 60 degrees today. Brrr! Chai tea helps!