[insert big fat smiley face right here]

During lunch I went to buy these:

Which I did.

But I also bought these:

[insert big fat smiley face right here]

You might be asking why I need two new pairs of running shoes (and why the second pair makes me smile bigger than the first pair). Or you might not actually care, in which case you should stop reading because I'm going to explain and it might be boring for you.

The pair on top, the Mizuno Wave Creation 10, are my trainers, the pair I do my long runs in, the pair that are for sure going to take care of my feet, shins, knees, and back. They are my reliables. I realized the other day I had put close to 450 miles on my current pair (oops!) instead of the 350 I thought I was at. (You really should only put about 350-400 miles on a pair of shoes, especially if you are injury-prone.) So yeah, I needed a new pair. Check. Nice, but not necessarily exciting.

Now the Brooks Racer ST4...those are exciting. Why? Well, because they are racers. What are racers? Racers = speed (they weigh less than half what the Mizunos weigh), and it's been years since I've put on a pair (even though I've been researching them almost every year). These babies make track workouts fun, hill workouts easier, and races faster. These babies are going to take me to a sub-6 mile this summer.

I saw them. I wanted.

I succumbed to temptation.

I tried on a pair. I caved. I bought.

I'm so excited.

p.s. On a completely unrelated note, I just saw an advertisement for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and got a little shiver of anticipation. I can hardly wait.