Cascadia

One of the most attractive features of our new house is its proximity to trails.  We’re so much closer to a multitude of hiking and biking trails; we even have a trail that runs through our neighborhood.  It’s extremely convenient to be able to walk out our back door and be on a trail!  As you know, Doug and I are both very active people, so this was a definite selling point of the home.
 
Doug has always been a big runner.  He runs pretty much every day, so having the trails right there to run on has been something he has loved about the new house.  There was a time in my life when I ran everyday too, but it’s definitely become more difficult with Drew. Finding time to exercise is hard, and Doug and I really struggled at first finding a balance where we both felt like we were getting the time we needed to get our exercise in.  We’ve come up with a pretty good system now, and it has definitely allowed me to have that time to get a workout in that has become a necessity for both my health and my sanity.

One saving grace is that we are so close to trails that it doesn’t take too long to go for a quick trail run.  So I’ve decided that trail running is now my choice activity.  I started out running on the trail through our neighborhood with my regular running shoes, and I quickly learned that, not only did those shoes get dirty on the first run, but they weren’t really built for the trail. So I needed some new trail running shoes (darn!). 

Doug and I went down to Bozeman Running Company where I got my old running shoes to try to find a trail shoe that would work for me.  Buying my old running shoes was one of the most pleasurable shopping experiences I’ve ever had because the employees are so knowledgeable and helpful.  I knew this time around they would help me find the perfect trail running shoe.  Tyler (my favorite BRC employee – Doug thinks I have a little crush!) helped me find my old running shoes, so I knew he’d be the perfect person to help me find a trail shoe.

Now, if you’re a girl that is not extremely girly and don’t really like the color pink, you know it’s tough to find anything women specific in any other color.  For some reason, manufacturers think that, if you’re a woman, you want something covered in pink.  I’ve never been a huge fan of pink, so I knew finding a shoe that fit well and that I liked the look of might be a bit of a challenge. 

Tyler pulled a bunch of different trail shoes for me to try on.  There were a couple that I had to rule out immediately because they were so pink.  Going into it, Doug thought I would want the Brooks Cascadia because that’s what he runs in, but my old running shoes are Mizuno (and I LOVE them), so I thought I might like that one better.  After trying on all of my options, I ended up choosing the Brooks Cascadia.  They were by far the most comfortable and seemed to be made better than any of the other shoes that I tried on.  They have some pink on them, and they're actually not a shoe that I would have ever thought I would like, but for some reason, I just do.  I’ve used them a few times now and I really like them.

  

I’m also the type of person that is motivated by new gear, so getting these new shoes has helped me want to get out there and get running. It was a great purchase, and I’m so happy that I’m getting in some trail running this Fall.