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Although I didn't run the Chicago Marathon this year, I headed to the expo anyways. Why? For the free stuff aaand.... The chance to meet Desi Davila!!! You may remember that I am a bit of an Olympics nerd. When Maggie mentioned that her contact at Brooks was able to set up a meet and greet for some of her Chicago Blogger friends, I cleared my schedule and made arrangements to be there.

When Desi first walked up to our group, all of our faces all lit up with excitement. I mean, we were meeting one of the most famous women in current American distance running! It was really hard not to geek out too much when talking to her.

L to R: Amanda, Sara, Jeni, DESI!!, Maggie, me

I read the Runners World article about her so I felt like I already knew her! I did get some one-on-one chat time where I asked her what kinds of things she has been doing since London (water running? elliptical? etc.) She said that she has been completely resting and not putting any pressure on her leg. Complete rest! Sometimes, that is what our bodies need despite what we want to do. She only just got cleared to ride a bike a few weeks ago and she explained how great it felt to just sweat. While we were chatting, lots of people were taking walk-by photos of her and it was a little strange (I am for sure in the background of a few). If she had the chance, she would ask them if they wanted to be in the photo too. You can just tell that she is a genuinely sweet and down to earth person who just happens to have this amazing athletic ability and complete focus and drive to get stuff done. And she is so tiny! It was really great meeting her so thanks to Maggie and Brooks for helping set this up!

After meeting Desi for a little bit, we got our gait analyzed to find out what pair of shoes would best fit our running style. Turns out the Brooks Adrenaline are a good fit for me. Next, we went for a fun run along the lake with some of the Brooks ambassadors. It was such a beautiful fall day and the view was wonderful!

When we were back at the expo, we ran into Nicole Fritz and snapped a quick pic!

All of the Brooks people were so surprised that we all knew each other and that we kept running into people that we knew. All I have to say is that the running community in Chicago is small and big all at the same time!

Have you ever met an Olympian? Was it hard to keep from geeking out? I know it was for me!!! :)

Last weekend I had a date with my husband's cousin. Not just any date... we headed to Running for Kicks in Palos to buy a new pair of shoes. Running for Kicks is kind of a local legend, and the owner is well known in the local running community. His store sponsors local races and it caters only to runners. I had a really great experience when I went back in February and picked up my new Asics that got me through a lot of races and my spring and summer training cycle. As the miles on those treads are starting to get up there, I knew it was time for a new pair. I went in there wanting to give a few other brands a try, including Brooks and Saucony (plus, they were out of Asics 2170s anyways). (The employee helping me seemed to know her stuff, but at first glance she didn't really look like an employee at a running store. I hadn't seen her working there before so I was caught off-guard a bit.)

Anywayssss, I tried on a few Sauconys that were similar to the Asics 2170s and the Asics Kayanos but I wasn't completely sold. The Brooks shoes, on the other hand, felt like I was running on pillows. So comfortable! I've been running in Asics since I was 14, but now I may have a new favorite. Feet, meet the Brooks Adrenaline 12.

I am in love. I tested them out for the first time last week and they were amazing. I can't wait to try them out more! I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful relationship. I'm really glad I decided to give Brooks a try! What is your favorite brand of running shoe? Have you branched out from an old favorite?