All I Want for Christmas…is Running Shoes

How would you react if your boyfriend or girlfriend gave you a pair of running shoes for Christmas?

Would you be insulted? Would you take it as a tacky hint that you need to lose a few pounds?

Or would you jump up and down with excitement? Maybe you’d even grab those running shoes, slip them on your feet and lace them up perfectly to see how they fit.

I’m hoping you would do the latter. I know I hope to be.

I have never been a runner. I’ve never understood how people can run outside for an hour and be happy about it. Just thinking about running on the treadmill makes me cringe.

I am the perfect example of someone who loves group exercise. I like talking to people, socializing as I sweat and making new friends in the process. I’m a group exercise instructor, go figure.

Yet, I did the unthinkable this year. I asked my husband to buy me some running shoes.

I didn’t ask for an iPhone or a Coach bag. I asked for sneakers.

Hear me out on this one.

I don’t plan on running every other day in the morning when it’s so dark you have to wear reflective tape. I’m not going to enter any half-marathons either.

But sometimes I wish I didn’t have to drive over to the gym at a certain time of day, with or without the kids, to get my workout. Sometimes, I just want to walk out my door and start my exercise. And I know from my experience teaching fitness that proper footwear is vital.

And that’s why I put a pair of Asics – hint, hint – on my Christmas list this year.

Come Christmas morning, that might just be me you see running around the neighborhood.

I’ll be sure to smile and wave.

Alice Warchol is a freelance writer and fitness instructor.

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