Heck Yes for New Shoes :)

I've been spending a good majority of my summer down in Bend, OR...partly to relax and get away from everything I'm used to, and partly to spend a good chunk of time with my boyfriend, Michael, who goes to school in the area.  One of the things this has meant for me is that I've gotten to try different running paths than I'm used to.  I don't know about the rest of you runners, but if I run the same route too much, I get boooored!  When I have to look at the same things every time I go out for a run, I tend to let myself slack on my pace, and lots of times, don't go as far as I intended to.  The end result is that I'm not training as hard as I should be for whatever race I'm working toward at the time.  So for those of you in the Central Oregon area, if you have a chance, you should take a run through the Eagle Crest Resort.  

With over 11 miles of paved running/biking trails throughout the resort, and even more off-road trails, you will find yourself hard-pressed to run the same route twice if you don't want to.  The one thing about running in Central Oregon that I'm not used to (being from the Seattle/Tacoma area), is if you don't want to drown in your own sweat and despair, you pretty much need to get your run in before 9:00 am or after 7:00 pm.  As the sun seems to rise earlier than normal here, I haven't been able to sleep past 7:30 am on any given morning, so this has worked out for me for the most part.  There was, however, one unfortunate morning when I woke up late and went out for one of my long runs (not realizing how hot it was going to get when I started my run at 10 am), and after about 15 minutes wanted to drop dead and have the animals finish me off, just to put me out of my misery.  Let's just say, my run was a LOT shorter that day!

Another nice thing about being in a different area is that you get to experience all of the fun running stores that aren't in your area (or, at least in my case, that you didn't realize were in your area).  One day, after going out to breakfast, Michael and I stumbled upon one of my new favorite stores, Fleet Feet!

Talk about a wonderful experience.  Every single worker was so nice, and each person in the store was given the specific individual attention you would expect at a mom-and-pop shop, not at a chain store (was extremely excited to learn that they have a store in Bonney Lake...can't wait to go there once my vacation is over and I'm back home!).  I even saw an honest-to-God celebrity on my first trip into the place.

Dennis Haysbert, aka The Allstate Commercial Guy ('Are you in good hands?'), was in the store buying sunglasses and energy gels for a charity golf tournament he was competing in at the Sunriver Resort Golf Course.  He is a HUGE person...well over 6 feet tall, but seemed like a really nice guy, and I'm sure the glasses were just what he needed to win the tournament!

They have such cool things going on at Fleet Feet...one of the coolest being their FIT run analysis that they do for free if you come in with the intent to purchase a shoe.  First they measure the amount of drop you have in your arches when you go from sitting (with no weight on your feet) to standing and putting more weight on each individual foot.  Found out that my right arch doesn't collapse at all, and I only have an itty-bitty, slight collapse in my left arch.  Then they watch you walk bear foot so they can examine your stride, and bring out several different pairs of shoes for you to try, based on your stride and amount of arch support needed.  There is a treadmill in the store, with a video camera set up behind the moving belt, and you get on the treadmill in every shoe you try on, jog for about 10-15 seconds, and they record your steps so that you can watch yourself run in each shoe, and compare your strides from shoe to shoe.  I tried on several different pairs, and I was almost persuaded to switch brands to the Brooks Adrenaline (this was another thing I loved about the staff, they didn't pressure me to buy the more expensive shoe...in fact, the guy told me to get the Brooks over the Asics for better arch support), but in the end, I ended up with the Asics GEL-Nimbus 13.

This is the fourth version in a row of the GEL-Nimbus I've run in, and I can't seem to bring myself to run in any other type of shoe.  Something about the snug fit (it feels like a glove for your foot) and the amazing cushion throughout the sole of the shoe make it the idea choice for me, since I've become addicted to longer races (half marathons specifically) that put a lot of stress on your feet and knees.  And come on, look at those shoes, aren't they the prettiest things you've ever seen?!?!  I can't wait to take them on their very first morning run tomorrow!

So, what's your go to running shoe?