As we’re wrapping up the 52 half marathons in 52 weeks, here’s a question I got a lot but realized I never addressed. The shoes!
When I started running, I was spending most of my time in New York. I just went into Lady Foot Locker and said I wanted to start running. They said there was a new shoe out for the New York City marathon.
It was cute. It had the marathon route for New York in the insole. It had a cheering crowd on the outside. Box ’em up for me, baby!
They were Aasics Kayanos and I continued using Aasics through the start of my 52 half marathons. They worked for my quite well. I love those shoes.
But, as I started running more and meeting more runners, I started learning more and thinking more about shoes. I learned that the Kayanos are known in the running community as being the “shoe for fat people.”
Of course, I didn’t want to feel fat. So I started checking out other shoe options… (Realistically, I realize this is silly. If you don’t want to be fat, lose weight. Your shoes don’t determine if you’re fat. But you know. Image, whatever. You don’t want to be in the shoe that makes people think you’re tubby (as if they wouldn’t make that decision any other way).
So, since I saw 8 million (possibly a slight exaggeration) super cool Brooks displays throughout the year, I tried Brooks for a while.
I like Brooks. I do. The Dyads are a pretty good shoe for me. However, if I’m really honest with myself, I love my Aasics Kayanos.
They’re so comfortable, and they’ve never done me wrong. I wore two different pair of Kayanos (one for each day) during the Goofy Challenge, and they worked extremely well.
My attitude toward the shoe finally started changing in the middle of my 52 half marathons in 52 weeks.
I met a girl who I did not consider to be fat shouting her love about her Kayanos from the rooftops. She seemed cool and confident in herself. And I thought, “What’s keeping my from being confident in myself?!” I’m cool. And if decide these shoes are cool, then they’re cool with me.
Not to mention, I am kind of fat! I’m not hiding it from anybody. There are pictures of me all around the internet. It’s not a secret. So instead of thinking that if I don’t wear the “shoe for fat people,” I won’t be fat, I maybe need to embrace where I am. It’s a shoe that works really well for me (and for people who aren’t fat!).
Perhaps, when I lose more weight, my ideal shoe with change. And maybe it won’t. All I know is, for now, the Kayanos are still my jam.
(Note: I have been wearing Mizuno Wave Runners recently… in case you’re wondering why I’m loving on Aasics but you see Mizunos in photos. I bought them specifically to wear when I dressed as Wendy Davis for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Halloween race. I still wear them so as not to waste a perfectly good pair of running shoes. I have nothing against Mizunos. But as of this moment, when push comes to shove, or it’s time for a really important run – I’m an Aasics girl.)