Tempted by choices at DSW

Four days out of the week I wear a suit to work but on Fridays I usually wear more comfortable "business casual" clothing. I usually wear a pair of Bass loafers on those days and I noticed some scuffing recently that prompted a visit to DSW to look for a new pair. DSW is a huge shoe store that sits imposingly high above the other stores in the area. Downstairs are hundreds of women's shoes and bags on display. My wife told me, amused, that they were selling a pair of shoes "discounted" to $800. Overall, the prices were actually very good and most everything else was priced well. I headed upstairs to look for new loafers but the athletic shoe section caught my eye and I spent some time with my son looking at and trying on some nice models from Saucony, ASICS, Brooks, Mizuno and others.

These weren't the low end models that you always find on sale at Sports Authority. They had ASICS Kayano-14's for $89.00 (but not in my size) and Brooks Trance 8's for $99 that were in my size. I tried the three Mizuno models, some Saucony trail shoes (really nice fit) and a few assorted others. It's obvious why the shoes were cheap - they were last year's models or older - but if I was ready to buy I would have been happy with the choices. My son, the 10 year old grownup, finally laid down the law and made me look at loafers. I found a nice pair at a good price and left happy. I would have liked those Trance 8's too. Maybe next time.

Later in the day we all headed to the track. My wife didn't have an opportunity to fit in her workout that morning and my daughter wanted to run. I took the opportunity to run some easy laps that I alternated with faster paced segments. I also did a few 200m "sprints" at around 7:15/mile. It was a far quicker pace than I normally run but slow enough to prevent any injuries. Overall it was a very nice weekend for running and the cool, maple-scented air added much to the experience. I'm thinking of taking tomorrow as a rest day and then start focusing on my readiness for my 5K race on the 28th.