Running shoe shopping

It's time for some new running shoes. I'm convinced I'm wearing the wrong running shoes—so that's why my achilles hurt and my times are slower. So I went to the fancy running store and got my gait analyzed.

I had the sweetest most patient salesperson in the world, but I think I just wasn't in the mood to buy shoes.

I went in and the girl watched me walk (no treadmills and iPads at this store, like the store my husband went to). I don't pronate. I have a neutral gait. (Nothing learned here.)

And she brought me out about 8 pairs of shoes. And I hated all of them.

I didn't want to be that person. But I was.

The first pair she bought me was hideous. "You're not going to look at your feet when you run," she told me. Like it didn't matter what my shoes look like.

Like she didn't know how important gym outfits are to me. I was horrified. It was the beginning of the end.

The shoes were also too small. My feet measure a 6.5. But I take a 7 or 7.5 in running shoes. I put no stock in shoe measuring devices. I know I wear a 7.5. So that 7 you bring me isn't going to fit.

The second pair had a white bottom—and I would NEVER wear those on a muddy trail.

There was a really ugly pair of Nikes that I didn't even try on.

I told the girl that I was really picky about colors–and would buy shoes just because they're cute. I like pink, purple and blue.

The fourth was a pair of pink and purple Mizunos. In an 8! And they were cute-ish (best looking of the group. Nothing that I would pick out off a shelf). I loved the heal in them. Super comfy. However, I HATED the plate in the shoe. I tried walking in them. And maybe I could learn to like them. I tried running on the pavement and they were SO BAD. It was so stiff. It hurt my feet. I could not run in these shoes on the pavement.

The plate was in the bottom of the shoes. Like the spikes I ran track in. It was uncomfortable and made the shoes very inflexible. Felt like torture to me. After running in them it was a hard NO.

So I kept trying shoes.

I tried a pair of Pearl Izumis and toe box was too big and I didn't like it. The heal also slipped. I tried another pair in a better color at the very end. And it all blurs together. Some were too flat. Or too stiff.

Eventually I tried on everything—except the newer version of the Asics I currently have, which I don't like.

I hated wasting this girl's times. (I hated that she insist on lacing the shoes for me! HATE HATE HATE.) I just wasn't in the mood for shoes. And for $120, I wanted to love the shoes. I didn't love the shoes.

They just had such a small selection.

I wanted a running shoe that was light and flexible. No white bottoms. Preferably in jewel tones.  I was pretty clear about this up front. But kept getting white and lime green shoes.

I went home really upset. That I couldn't find shoes. That I wasted this girl's time.

So I went online and easily found  five our six similar to what I tried on—with better prices and better colors. I think I might just do a huge order and send a bunch back. I just hate interaction of sales people. Just let me shop by myself. I know what I want. And it's not for you to tie up shoes. Or bring me ugly shoes. The end.

I ended up getting two pairs of Mizuno running shoes for $100 on 6pm.com. They were older year models in much cuter colors. So much cheaper. I think online shopping has spoiled me.

No white bottoms here. Someone understands trail shoes! 

Online Lululemon addiction

My lulu. I own that striped shirt.

I buy way too much Lululemon online. The girls at work make fun of my weekly package deliveries.

But here's the thing: I love online shopping. It is just so easy to grab my laptop when I'm bored and search for something, click on it and put it in my shopping cart and done. It ships to me and it's so easy.

Don't get me wrong. I do like shopping in my local Lululemon. The store is pretty, well-lit, in a trendy part of town. I love trying on the super soft clothes and perusing the sale rack. But it's not easy.


1. My Lululemon showroom has crazy hours. They're open roughly 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
I can't swing by after work. Most Saturdays I have plans—or there's a football game and traffic is too awful to brave that side of town.
They're hours aren't easy at all. No Sundays, no evenings. Maybe if they were open more hours, I'd go more, but right now it's a struggle to go during my lunch break.

2. Parking.
Because they're in a trendy part of town there is no parking my local Lululemon. I've driven there, circled two parking lot three times each and decided it wasn't worth it. I don't need to spend money today.

3. Selection.
The local showroom just didn't get the selection that's online. They get a fraction of the products or colors. And it's so much easier to scroll through tops than go to a store and look through racks and racks and ask if they have my size in the back. Nothing compares to trying on clothes and seeing how pants fit my thighs or butt.

4. Fitting rooms.
I don't always feel like taking my clothes off and putting something else on. Sometimes I'm in a hurry. Sometimes it's easier to click than to try. I do have to try on eventually though.

And eventually, I do my returns to the store. It's easier than shipping it back. And the girls at the store are nice. I'm just addicted to online ordering. The Tuesday uploads and Thursday markdowns only make it a really expensive obsession of mine.