A Tale of Two Shoes

It was the best of times (6 miles in 45 minutes, personal best YES!), it was the worst of times (my feet are taking a terrible beating), it was the age of wisdom (fallen arches REALLY hurt), it was the age of foolishness (But I continued to train with the same ole' shoes anyway)....

You get my drift. I don't really need Charles Dickens to make my point. I actually just wanted to talk about my awesome new shoes. I know Tim and I resolved to "not buy anything new" this year, but the health of my trotters was at stake! I looked into various types of shoes. Every time I went to generic athletic shops (ie footlockers etc) and asked for a specific type of shoe, the sales people would point at ALL the shoes and say "this should be what your looking for"... Uh... 46.3 pairs of shoes and they all have high arch support, a snug fit, and are made out of breathable, lighter than air materials??? I didn't think so. So I continued to search for the perfect shoe AND train. Probably not a good idea. Definitely not a good idea the day I ran a long run outside. My feet were killing me. I had to buy new shoes. But, I didn't want to go back to the mall. Luckily I happen to live in Seattle which has a plethora of specialty stores. Which brings me to the actual reason for the post. There is a store in Seattle called Super Jock and Jill. It is strictly a running store and it is amazing. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. They had me run in my old shoes so they could see exactly where I need more arch support. Then I tried a few pairs and they sent me on a run around the block to try them out! AND if after a month of running in my new shoes I don't like them, I can bring them back for a FULL refund. I just wanted to post about this place in case any of you living in Seattle are in need of a new pair of shoes. I highly highly recommend this place. Oh, and the best thing, my new shoes didn't cost an arm and a leg. The prices are very competitive. Aren't my new kicks sweet?

Oh, and Brock wanted to show off the beard he has been growing lately. Not bad for an 18 month old!
And how cute is he in his new church suit. It's actually pretty big, so I didn't put the pants on. But still handsome!