My Inspiration: New Running Shoes!

I had just gotten back into a regular running when the Great Seattle "Snowpacalypse" of 2012 happened a couple months ago.  Because Seattle does not use salt on the roads (for fear of contaminated runoff entering Puget Sound), this meant that, even after the roads became passable about three days later, that the sidewalks, curbs, and front yards sat stagnant, piled high with mounds of sticky white fluff.  The sidewalks were buried under massive snow, and the roads were mushy & slick.  So I could not exercise outdoors for quite some time, which, of course, meant that my newly re-acquired running routine ended practically before it began. 
Then, during the two meager attempts I made at running a couple weeks later, the arch in my right foot burned like it was on fire, and my toes on both feet felt like they were slamming into the toeboxes of my shoes. 

Needless to say, I desperately needed new running shoes!  The old Nikes I wore had been around for about a year, probably longer, and my right foot had been hurting every time I ran, even sometimes while wearing normal shoes.  But, how could I possibly afford new running shoes (typically around $100 for a decent pair), when my husband is still out of work, we're depending on my in-laws for basic financial needs, and I'm working three days a week doing church childcare?  The answer:  I had to wait until that glorious day when we FINALLY sold our house back in Cincinnati, Ohio.  And, praise the Lord, it finally sold and we were so very blessed because we made enough of a profit from it that I was able to completely pay off my two student loans!  I owed so much in school debt that we would have been saddled with this debt for probably the next thirty years to come, so I am SO THANKFUL to God for bringing the right buyers for our house!

Okay, back to running shoes.  The picture above is my new pair of Asics running shoes.  I had never worn Asics before, but had done some research online and discovered that, apparently, lots of podiatrists recommend Asics to clients with foot/arch problems.  I also discovered that Asics embeds some stability support in most of their shoes, so they contain, by default, a good level of stability straight out of the box!  This is huge for me. 

I had been to a specialty running store in Cincinnati, and was promptly told that I was a severe over-pronator whose arches practically collapsed ENTIRELY with each foot fall, thus I needed the most stability-formulated shoe on the market, which conveniently, were also the most expensive (of course!).  They also talked me into buying some supportive in-soles to put in my shoes, which cost another $45.  See a pattern here? 

Those shoes gave me crippling shin splints so consistently, that I was forced to stop running for a month while my body healed.  I never, EVER wore them again, and decided to go in the complete opposite direction, buying the most cushion-y shoes I could afford:  Nike Air Gel.  These shoes were great for a few months, but then the cushion wore out, they stretched out, and my feet began sliding around inside them.  So those got demoted as well, and I now use them only for walking. 

So now that I've discovered Asics, which come very highly recommended, I hope that my search has not been in vain!  I've only worn my new shoes three times so far, but they do seem to be the perfect balance of cushion and support for me.  And my arch has not hurt at all, so YAY for that!  And, perhaps the BEST part about all of this?  I found my new, super-cute Asics on sale at DSW for around $75.  I will never pay $100 for "too much" shoe ever again!