A Free Snip... and a Pricey Pair

Today I had two tasks to accomplish:

1. Get my hair cut
2. Get new running shoes

Accomplishing the first made me happy because I always feel kind of transformed after getting a haircut and because it was free. My hair salon evidently believed I felt loyal to the hairdresser I used the last time and, when she left the salon, they "lured" me back to their establishment with a coupon good for a free haircut by another stylist. I suppose some people stick by their hair dressers, but me, I feel no need to nurture a bond between me and someone who pretends to be interested in my life because I'm paying her an ungodly amount to cut my hair.

Anyway, the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from getting a free haircut was quickly washed away when I walked into the running store. I asked the salesman for advice on what shoes to buy, probably for the first time in several years, because I do generally feel very loyal to my tried-and-true brand of running shoes. This particular salesman (who claimed to have just earned his PhD. in exercise physiology) declared me a neutral runner. Can you believe that?! I mean, here I spend over 10 years of my life believing I over-pronate and he tells me, "No, unh-unh. You're as neutral as they come." You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Understandly, my feet were a little confused. I tried on pair after pair of neutral cushioned shoes and all of them felt weird. Except for the ridiculously expensive ones which had me wondering whether the salesman had laced actual shoes or down pillows on my feet. I tried the lower end ones; I tried the lower end ones with insoles; I tried the lower end ones with the lacing bolstered at the top so as to stop my heel from slipping. But in the end, I caved. I bought the pillows. And I have never been suckered into the primo running shoes before.



But these aren't just any shoes. They're galactic shoes. Silver and powder blue. And though I have yet to try them out, I'm hoping they retain their pillowy-ness at least through my half-marathon. After all, I did shell out the big bucks (and I mean the big bucks) for them.