My Running Companions

I'm not the type of girl who dreams of saving up my pennies to buy a pair of Jimmy Choos. I'm more of a Payless kind of girl.

That is, until it comes to my running shoes. I have my brother-in-law to thank for my sneaker snobbery. He introduced me to my first-ever pair of Brooks' running shoes a few years ago and I've been a changed person ever since.

That's why I was so thrilled when a package from Finish Line arrived on my doorstep.

Bursting with excitement and anticipation, I tore open the outer box and then carefully lifted the lid of the shoe box inside.

Their name--the Adrenaline GTS--suited them perfectly. I felt a rush of adrenaline flow through my veins as I stared at them--still in the box; still pristine (a condition that wouldn't last very long). The vibrant pink and orange hues just seemed like fast colors to me. Can colors be fast? If I hadn't thought so before, I certainly was a believer now. Yes, I could feel it...I was certain to set a new P.R. sporting these.

Slowly, I loosened the laces and slide my feet into them. Ahhh. I wiggled my toes, bounced up and down, and then jogged in place. These were the perfect running shoes.

Running shoes. The label didn't fit. It just didn't sit right with me. To anyone else, it would have been an adequate description. Running shoes, tennis shoes, sneakers...depending on the location, those might be words that one could read on a shoe box or in an online product description, but to me, those labels just didn't suffice. They minimized the significance of what was inside the box.

No, these were my running companions. They would accompany me for hundreds of miles. They would willingly strike the pavement with each stride I made. They would endure hard runs as I sprinted away my stress. They would patiently tolerate slow jogs as I pushed through exhaustion. They would join me as I contemplated life, wondered about my future, prayed for my family and friends, planned my best lessons, and rocked out to my favorite music. They would trek through cold spring mornings and hot summer afternoons, celebrating the sun but still enduring through the rain. As  I ran... sweating, smiling, singing, and even crying...they would be right there with me.

Staring back at me were so much more than two new shoes. They were my new running companions.