Shoe confessions

It is no secret that I'm a shoe whore. I wear that fact proudly like a badge of honor. There are more pair of shoes in my closet than anything else. I've got my personal favorites but they are all beautiful in their own right. Lately though, my beautiful shoes have sat idle in their boxes not to see the light of day. My daily shoes have become of the hideous Mrs. Bates sensible variety.

Why do I torture my fashion sense with these boring shoes? Because I need my favorite shoes to be able to work their magic! What are these ruby red slippers I speak of? They are my running shoes. They are blue and silver, or at least they used to be. They don't take me to OZ when I click them together, yet they do take me up and down muddy trails which is beginning to feel like home.

Until last week. I think that my favorite pair of shoes are wearing out. This concept terrifies me. Why would a self proclaimed shoe whore be upset by the prospect of having to gasp-purchase new shoes you ask? Because I spent the better part of the past 10 years on the quest for the perfect running shoes. I am plagued by shin splints. I've battled them since my high school Cross Country days. That is, until I purchased my Saucony Pro Grid Stabil GS last October. Those babies were heaven on my feet from the first run I took in them which happened to be the MacForest 15k Run. Never, ever had I experienced a stitch of pain in them until last week. They carried me through and ankle injury and literally thousands of stairs in addition to many miles on the wet winter trails. But now my old injuries are reappearing and I'm guessing that my magical shoes are no longer magical.

Now I must purchase a new pair. Of course I want the same shoes, but herein lies the problem. Running shoes are notoriously changed, tweaked and adjusted to a new model twice a year. That means my dream shoe of last season may very well no longer be available this season. However, since I have no choice, I have to throw caution to the wind and move that mouse and just order a new pair and hope for the best. Oh I just found out they come in ruby and silver. That's got to be a good sign. Click, click, click. Maybe I'll name them Dorothy!