Friday thoughts

• First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your kind words about Buddy.  It's been nearly a week and a half and it is getting easier, although I still have cried at least once a day because of something that reminds me of him.  
• Tom and I keep saying that we are getting used to our "new normal".  Long walks with Charlie, eating a calm meal, less barking when a truck/squirrel/leaf goes by our house.  It's not better, it's not worse, it's just the new normal.
• I got to cheer on some friends racing last weekend... always fun!  And let me tell you - I have some amazingly kick ass friends.  Holy smokes are they fast.  And powerful.  And mentally strong.  Each one of them did amazing and it was such a pleasure to stand at the 5,8,18 and 21 mile mark of the run yelling and screaming for them!  You girls all did amazing - congrats!

•  So now we're getting ready to head to Tempe for IMAZ.  Tom and 6 of his teammates are racing.  I'm excited because I've never been to Tempe, and it'll be great knowing people out there on the course throughout the day.  Plus I get to meet Jason and Emz which pretty much makes my weekend complete!
• Can you believe the holidays are coming so fast.  I need to buy my turkey next week (because, as you know, the Kingery's do it right with like a 13 pounds turkey for the two (well three including Charlie) of us. :)  And I'm already so excited to decorate the house for Christmas.  We're pretty much starting from scratch this year with the new house which is fun and overwhelming.
• Speaking of Christmas decorations, for those of you that do a tree - real or "permanent"?  We have always had an artificial tree and left it when we moved, thinking we'd get one down here.  They are no hassle, I can keep it up as long as I want, etc.  But dang... they have gotten REALLY expensive (or maybe my taste has improved).  We are considering a real one, but oh the hassle.

Finally, I wanted to leave you with a review of a product that I'm loving.  I try not to tout products that I'm not in love with, but I'll give anything a fair shot.  A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out a pair of Saucony Triumph 10's. I've never run in Saucony shoes before, but I know a ton of friends that have and swear by them.  I'm always on the lookout for a neutral cushioned trainer so I jumped at the chance to try these shoes out before they launched.  I had all intentions of getting a review up before their launch date (November, 1st), but with shoes, I want to really get a feel for them... put some good miles in them and see how I like them.

My package came in the mail about 3 weeks ago and they looked amazing from the start (I'm a sucker for shoes that look good...)  I put them on and they were really comfortable right out of the box.  Usually I don't need to "break in a shoe" and these were no different.  I wore them the night I got them on a 5 mile run and they were amazingly comfortable.  Lots of cushion, not a lot of weight. No blisters.  No rubbing.

Since then I've run probably 20 miles a week in them.  I've taken long walks in them.  I've worn them on the beach, in my house, on the trails, to the store.  I love them.

The description on their website is perfect - "Form and function strike a perfect balance in the new Triumph 10. Breathable open mesh and supportive underlays provide a clean, modern look while securing the foot to the platform. The redesigned crashpad features three fully-decoupled, independently responsive pods for a smooth landing and efficient transition. Deeper flex grooves in the forefoot add flexibility and PowerGrid™ midsole technology provides a plush ride for the runner seeking a cushioned feel. Weight: 9.2oz."

AKA... little pillows for my feet.

I'm sold.  

The only thing that I am changing about them (and I do this with all of my shoes) is I'm adding quick laces.  This isn't anything against Saucony or the Triumph itself.  It's just a personal preference as a triathlete to be able to just slip on my shoes. 

Thank you Saucony and FitFluential for the chance to review these for you.  I was given these shoes at no cost to me and the opinions stated here on my blog are solely my own.