Old Friends, New Friends…and Shoes

What a fun weekend of reconnecting with old friends, and meeting new ones!

Saturday
I got to spend Saturday with my dear friend Medha. Though we’re in touch on a regular basis, we hadn’t seen each other in almost a year. Unacceptable being that we’re both in the Bay Area! We finally picked a day to meet and made it happen!

We had a nice lunch in the City, then did a little bit of shopping (hello, MAC counter…).

It was so great to see her and catch up. We used to work together a few years ago, and its been such a downer not to see her on a regular basis anymore. Its funny how your colleagues end up being the ones that know the most about you during that period of your lives when work together. I guess spending 40+ hours a week together will do that for some people.

Here we are goofing off in Niketown.

(Medha is my one of two friends who has mastered the art of self-portraits – LOL.)

Sunday
Sunday was a special day. I met a bunch of fellow bloggers for an early morning run! Aron had started a monthly meet-up a few months ago, but this was the first time that I could make it.

I woke up a little nervous. After Saturday’s 6-miler, I’d not only had to deal with the right foot pain under the shoe laces, but I’d also developed some left knee pain. I am pretty sure that they are shoe-related. I wasn’t sure how long everyone was planning to run, but I was definitely planning on keeping it short. Friday’s double workout and Saturday’s run had left me a little tired.

I was also a bit nervous because I’m not much of a social runner, i.e., I can’t run a block without music.

When I got to Walnut Creek, I was so happy to meet everyone! I’ve been reading Aron and Danica‘s blogs for a while and it was so great to finally meet them, and I also got to meet Sandra, Layla, Martiza and Page.

(Thanks for the photo Aron!)

As soon as we started running, I could feel my aches and pains. But – the no music wasn’t a big deal at all. It was fun to chat (though I mostly listened because if I start to talk while running, I’ll heave). When we reached 2 miles I decided to turn around. I didn’t want to push it and mess myself up even more. So the girls continued on and I headed back.

After the run, we spent a good couple of hours at Peet’s chatting and getting to know each other. I am so glad that I went – I enjoyed everyone that I met and hope we can do it again soon! It was so nice to have people to talk to about races, training plans, and of course…shoes.

After the meet-up, I planned to check out a different running store in the East Bay area. Though I love my regular running store, the last 2 shoes they put me in didn’t work, so I thought I’d try somewhere new. I’d planned to go to Fleet Feet in Pleasanton, but they didn’t open till Noon.

So in the mean time, I dropped by my friend Wendy’s home and hung out with my favorite guys, Jake and Brody. Jake requested no cameras, but here’s my friend Brody in his NASA astronaut (last year’s Halloween costume):

(2 years old and already an iPhone expert!)

Wendy suggested I just go to See Jane Run because its closer to their home. I was confused. I thought See Jane Run was only in Alameda and San Francisco. I had no idea there was one in Blackhawk! Had I known, I would have gone there a gazillion times already!

I am running the See Jane Run 5K in a couple of weeks (actually with the some of girls I met today!) so I was excited to finally get to their store in-person. They didn’t have all the high-tech stuff that Road Runner has, but they had me walk and run around barefoot so they could see how I run. Without me telling them anything about my history, they pretty much said the same thing that Road Runner and my sports podiatrist had said.

I tried on many, many, many pairs of shoes – Asics (too narrow in the toes), Brooks (too narrow on the arches), Saucony (too stiff), so it came back to Nike. The frame of Nike shoes seems to work best for my feet – wide, soft, breathable, cushioned. This time, I’m trying the Vomeros. I’m hoping the third time’s the charm.

Related posts:

1. In Search of Shoes…
2. New Shoes!
3. Friends, Fun and Fashion
4. Happy Day!