new shoes-day

I received a gift certificate to VA Runner from my parents for my birthday, because I was in desperate need of some new running shoes. My old ones, gray and pink Brooks Glycerin 10s, were very much at the end of their life expectancy and needed to be retired.

I waltzed into VA Runner yesterday afternoon and proclaimed to the young man at the counter that I needed new shoes, and they couldn't possibly be the Glycerins because I'd had 3 pairs of those already and I didn't like the redesign on the 10s. (The 9s were the best. Why do things change?!) I was ready for a change because the Brooks shoes just weren't doing the job for me anymore.

The nice young man nodded knowingly, sat me down, looked at my shoes, looked at my feet, and asked me a few questions. Then he started bringing me boxes of shoes.

I tried on Sauconys. I tried on Mizunos. I tried on New Balances. I ran laps around the outside of the store and jumped around like a crazy person. I ran with two different shoes on my feet. I ran with tight laces and loose laces. I made observations like "the soles feel lumpy" and "the toe box is too tight" and "these feel too shallow."

I finally walked out of the store with these:

[source: Brooks]

Why, yes - those are the Glycerin 12s, the exact shoes I had insisted could not be my shoes. Wouldn't ya know it. They are super flashy. I'm in love.