Nutrition - Weight Loss

About 30 years ago, I added “run a marathon” to my bucket list. I was in my 20s, managing a restaurant in a central California beach town, and looking for a way to overcome the stress and depression that accompanied me. At the time, my daily routine consisted of going for a midday run, then spending the afternoon watching talk shows before the dinner shift. I remember hearing one of the hosts talking about how they’d completed a marathon, and thinking to myself: “If she can do it, so can I.” Training was one step, but finding the right shoe was another. It took many From Runners World for Brooks.

How it started...

My journey to 26.2 miles began with what I like to call “pseudo-distance events”—specifically three-day charity walks. While training for these events, I wore multiple running shoes. Some had semi-decent support, some created blisters in places that I never thought possible—but none earned the title of “go-to shoe.”

It wasn’t until almost 10 years after I vowed to run a marathon that I finally signed up for my hometown race—and a running shoe worthy of my loyalty presented itself.

By this time, I had left the restaurant business and was working at a fitness magazine. While talking to a work colleague, I mentioned that I was training for my first marathon. She offered to send me a few shoes to try—one of which was the Asics Gel-Kayano.

From Runners World for BowFlex and the hundreds of miles that I’d cover during training. The Gel-Kayano wasn’t a deviation from my running-shoe path; despite bouncing between brands and models, I was always drawn to the fit and feel of stability shoes. The difference was that when it came time to replace them, I found myself wanting to do so with another pair of Gel-Kayanos…and I have ever since.

Here’s where I am today

Sure, I’ve strayed a few times—trying other shoes and models that I thought might fit my body and running and walking style as they’ve changed with age. But I’ve always returned to the Gel-Kayano, picking up right where we left like with an old friend. The shoe has changed over the years, but those tweaks haven’t impeded how I move and feel in it.

Twenty years ago, after running for six hours in 90-degree heat, I crossed my hometown marathon’s finish line wearing the Gel-Kayano. Since then, I’ve completed more than 25 half marathons and clocked thousands of hours’ worth of time-on-feet runs. But it isn’t just these athletic endeavors that the Gel-Kayano has carried me through. I’ve trusted the shoe for security and comfort while recovering from a host of health challenges, including a C-section, a heart surgery, and my current life with an autoimmune condition. It’s helped me move through recovery, training, and getting back out there to compete. Now, looking toward the future, I feel confident knowing that the Gel-Kayano will carry me wherever I’m headed.