better than a glass slipper

My new LunarGlides are just so cute. I often find myself staring at them and cooing.

I admit I bought them largely because of their appearance, which quite possibly the worst way to choose a running shoe. (Seriously, do not follow my example. This is a bad, bad thing. Basically, I have totally succumbed to marketing and could have injured myself. You should always buy what fits and feels best, not what looks best. We're talking about running shoes, not Manolos here. For Manolos, maybe a little suffering for looks is OK.)

But in my defense, I did do a lot of research before I pulled the trigger -- read plenty of reviews, talked to the folks at Fleet Feet, etc. My plan was to try the shoes on first, but Fleet Feet didn't have any in my size, so I had to go out on a limb and order them without testing them out. (Again, a potentially poor decision. Thank goodness for Road Runner Sports, which lets you run in your new shoes for up to 60 days and still return them if they don't work out). Anyway, the whole thing with the LunarGlides (besides how ridiculously, insanely, irresistibly cute they are) is that they are a stability shoe that supposedly adapts to your pronation, offering a lot of support if you need it, or just a little.

And I've been looking for shoes that are a bit lighter, a bit more responsive. I have been running in Asics Gel-Kayanos (now 16s, and before that 15s, which was the shoe's previous incarnation) for the past year. The Gel-Kayanos are stability-plus shoes -- lots of support and cushioning. I have flexible arches -- which means that even though I do have an arch, it tends to roll in when I am standing. My right foot also tends to turn out slightly when I run. Hence the stability-plus shoes.

Lately, though, I've felt like my shoes are so cushioned that I can't "connect" with the ground -- I can't feel anything. And because of this, any sort of uneven pavement or slight change in terrain makes me lose my footing a little, and I end up rolling my ankle a lot.

So I thought I'd give the LunarGlides a try. I ran four miles in them yesterday and did speedwork in them this evening. (Awesome run tonight, by the way -- did a ladder workout of 1600 at 9:52, 800 at 9:06, 400 at 8:13, 200 at 7:14. This may seem slow to you speedsters, but for me, this kicks ass.) So far, the shoes rock.

And they're just so damn pretty to look at.