New shoes!

Ah, it's either the end of the summer season or the new fall season, but no matter how you look at it, people are snapping up sale items or gearing up for the change in weather. My new shoes, however, do not fall into the school/work category. Oh, no, of course not! Why be pragmatic and actually think about returning to work and professional attire while I still have a few more days of flip-flops and t-shirts?

That said, I *did* go out and purchase a new pair of shoes last week. They were on sale, fortunately, but still cost a pretty penny. However, I am going to view them as a good investment, shoes that I will wear pretty much every week, at least once or twice. And so, TA-DA:

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I bring you the Louis Garneau Women's Multi LG MTB Shoes!

While I already owned a pair of cycling shoes that I've been using for spinning classes, the studio only has two bikes that work with my shoes and the cleats that they have (LOOK cleats, which are specifically for road bikes). So, for the past few months, I've dragged myself and sometimes Michael to the studio at least 15 minutes before class started so that I could ensure that I would be on one of the two bikes that worked with my shoes. Let me tell you, what should have been a stress-releasing experience was more often than not terribly stress-inducing because I would feel so pressured to arrive early and to GET THE BIKE!!!

Last week, finally, I broke down and bought these shoes with SPD cleats so that we can approach spinning classes with a slightly more relaxed attitude, at least in terms of our arrival. Michael and I both decided that this purchase probably lowered my blood pressure by a good 50%. I'd call that a healthy investment!

While I'm excited to not have to kill myself or fight with another person just to get the right bike, it seems absurd to me that I now possess TWO pairs of cycling shoes. Hmmmm... I consider myself someone who sort of "dabbles" in cycling, but as I amass more and more gear, I will eventually try to see myself biker chick, just like this (for inspiration):

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