Out with the old, In with the new!

Running doesn't require much except a good pair of shoes. My first pair came from a retail store and not a specialty running store. They were fine. But man, was I excited when I got my first pair of real running shoes. 

I ran almost 400 miles in the shoes, wore the tread flat and completely obliterates the in-soles. But these shoes carried me in ways that can't be quantified. They carried me through a streak, through a year of 10Ks and transformed me into a runner. I'm proud that I left a little piece of sole (pun intended) on every step of my journey. 

But it is time to retire these shoes. They hurt. I hurt when I run in them. I hurt days after I run in them. Their final miles were an 8 mile run that I ran while training for my first 1/2 marathon. I was almost crying from pain the first three miles, but it ended up being a really good run. It's the first time I've run 8 miles in many, many months and I'm glad it's these shoes that ran me there. 

Today I ran six more miles, nothing hurt, and it was a great run. And that was all because I made new friends. 

Here are the new shoes that will train me for my 1/2 and carry me across the finish line. I'm excited for the adventures we will embark on together.