Oh, the exciting places we'll go

After work tonight, Brian & I met to shop for new running shoes. I hadn't realized just how bad my old Nike Shocks were until last weekend when I noticed that the bottoms were falling apart and much of the treads had been worn away. I celebrated by taking these Brooks bad boys on a 3.5 mile run at the Y. Nice ride. Very comfy. These are my first Brooks shoes. Previously, I've tried shoes by Puma, Nike, New Balance and Asics.

I can't help but get a little sentimental about all of the places my old shoes and I have seen together. Here's a sample:

• Hiking in Arkansas (see left).
• Canoeing in Oklahoma.
• Tailgating in Lawrence and KC.
• Volunteering in inner city Chicago.
• Taking in the Katrina-ravaged beach in Biloxi.
• Sweating through countless TurboKick classes at the Y.
• Trying to keep up the pace at Wichita road races, including Race for the Cure, the River Run and the Turkey Trot.
  
• Climbing to the top of a telephone pole at a ropes obstacle course in Arkansas City (see below).

You've done well, shoes. Don't worry. I'll pick you first now when it comes time to garden and mow the lawn.