Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you’ve been noticing pink everywhere, you probably know it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) is a collaboration of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to services.

Many of those pink products you see donate part of their proceeds to breast cancer research.  Like this pair of flats:

The Chaste Ballet Flats by Hush Puppies are sweet little pink leather flats, topped at the round toe by a dainty pink awareness ribbon.  It’s available for $79 from Macy’s as part of their Pink Shop, which raises money for breast cancer awareness, education, and research. 

If you’re a sporty type, try these:

The 1765 KM Lady by New Balance is a fitness walker that was named by Fitness magazine the “Best for Road or Path for walking.”  New Balance does a lot for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race For the Cure Series, and they sponsor Honorary Team New Balance, a group of breast cancer survivors highlighted at Komen Races.  Part of your $100 purchase at Holabird Sports goes to support the cause!

The Pink Ribbon Boot by Durango is so uplifting-looking—I just love that soaring heart on the front.  Rhinestones dot both sides, with the pink awareness ribbon on the pull tabs.  The all-leather boot has a Cushion Flex insole, and just look at the outsole:

Rockin’.  Part of your purchase goes to Susan G. Komen (or it did, for the year that ended in August), and you can get them for $109 from QC Supply.

And one that you can’t quite wear:

This metal shoe silhouette by Etsy seller ItsScrapicated is pink-ribboned out—on the top of the heel, of course, but there’s a little silver rhinestone one in the middle of that bow on the toe as well.  Bows, polka dots, more bows… it’s amazing how much can fit on a 19 x 20 shoe!  Yours for $50 (but no donation to the cause, as far as I can tell).

So if you’re going to get pink shoes anyway, get them this month and help our sisters out.  No one should have to die from something so preventable.

Running Odd

This Sunday is Philly’s spring half marathon—the ODDyssey Half Marathon.  No, that’s not a typo: the race prides itself on being, well, a little odd.  Costume contests, optional side obstacles (yay moon bounce!)… one year, a man ran juggling the whole way.  Juggling.  For 13.1 miles. 

Juggling.

So I imagine you can’t just wear regular running shoes to the ODDyssey Half—you’ll need to wear more, er, unusual ones.  Maybe like these:

What the…?  The ATV19 Plus by Reebok has got to be the weirdest shoe I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something.  It looks like some sort of alien plant-octopus hybrid that’s eating your feet, but all those tentacle thingies are actually meant to help you conquer uneven terrain.  Also available in all black and a really weird-looking black, yellow, and burgundy combo; your choice for $140 from Zappos.

Or these:

Tie dye extravaganza!  Seriously—even the laces on the 890 V3 by New Balance are tie dye.  Now that’s dedication to a design!  If you are a neutral runner and have a high arch and $110, these can be yours from Lady Foot Locker.  (Also available in a number of other, less crazy colors.)

And of course, we need at least one of these:

The bright colors make this pair of SeeYa LS especially fun: slashes of sunny yellow, bright pink, and lime green.  And five toes, of course!  The shape was designed to help runners feel like they’re going barefoot, but with the protection of a shoe.  (Doesn’t mean it doesn’t look weird, though!)  Also available in blue/purple, black/pink, and orange/gray; your choice for $100 from Vibram FiveFingers.

There are still some registration spots available for the ODDyssey Half!  If you’re a distance runner or walker, come on out and join the fun.  I’ll be there!  Also, please note this awesome shirt my sister-in-law got me for my birthday, seen here on my last long training run:

Perfect, right?  And just look at the back:

Shoe Fairy away!

Sales this weekend:
Bakers: Buy a pair of shoes for $50 or more and get 25% off a purse
Bloomingdales: 30-40% off a selection of designer shoes, and 25-40% off a selection of regular shoes
Call it Spring: Up to half off shoes
Lord & Taylor: Friends and family sale: 25% off with savings pass or promo code FRIENDS
Macy's: Save 15% on one pair, 20% off two pairs, and 30% off three or more pairs
Payless: Entire stock sandals up to half off
Saks: Up to 30% off designer shoes
Steve Madden: Save 25% off sandals with code SANDALSALE25

Save the Ta-tas!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same.  There are a bazillion pink products out there that contribute a little towards research, so if you’re going to buy shoes this month, why not one of these?

The Brown Disco Baby Breast Cancer Ribbon Boots by Ariat are made of exquisitely detailed leather: embroidery, rhinestones, punching, and scalloping.  Look, it’s even pink on the inside!  It’s got a one-inch heel and an eight-inch shaft.  Find them at PFI for $80 ($10 of which goes to breast cancer research).

The Maryellen by Ellie is a nude patent slingback pump with a peep toe, four-inch heel, platform, and pink sole.  (Adorable!)  And the print on the inside of the shoe is covered with little pink ribbons.  I’m not sure what the donation amount is exactly, but it says that some of the money will go towards fighting breast cancer.  Find them at My Shoe Addiction for $54 (whole sizes only).

The 990 by New Balance has a pigskin upper with mesh inserts for breathability to the stability-enhancing ABZORB midsole plus something called ENCAP to promote a healthy gait.  New Balance will contribute 5% of the suggested retail price of sales from the Lace Up for the Cure Collection with a guaranteed minimum donation of $500,000 each year to Susan G. Komen through 2012.  Yours for $150 from New Balance (that’s a $7.50 donation).

These Multi Ribbon Flip Flops have an interesting pattern on the sole—four ribbons meeting in the middle in a pinwheel shape.  It has a white upper, white and pink ribbon charm detail, pink side soles, and can be found at ShopKomen for $20.

These don’t come with any donations that I can find, but they look cool so I’ll include them:

This satin pump has a rhinestone-edged awareness ribbon above the peep toe.  It’s a really lovely shape, with a three-inch(ish) heel—and it comes in a bunch of other colors in case you want the ruby to support AIDS awareness, the white for bone cancer awareness, the black for melanoma awareness, or the silver for brain cancer awareness (among others).  Your choice for $71 from Light in the Box.

I don’t want to add to the pink saturation of the month, but it’s worth thinking about.  Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.  So wear your sunblock, and get screened for breast cancer when your doctor recommends.  I’d hate to lose any of you to something preventable, okay?

Sales this weekend:
Aerosoles: Fall boot sale (save up to 25% on select styles)
Bakers: 25% off over 100 styles
Call it Spring: Free shipping on orders over $45
Lord & Taylor: 25% off one pair of boots; 30% off two or more pairs
Macy's: 15% off one pair, 20% off two pairs, 30% off three or more pairs
Nine West: Buy one, get one half off

Color Me Rad!

I love me a wacky 5K run.  I have even done a 5K through a cemetery dressed as a skeleton ballerina.  (That was not the original intention of the costume, but it just kept getting poofier...)  Why do a regular 5K when it can be so much more, I figure?

So this Sunday, my brother, lovely future sister-in-law (which I should probably just begin abbreviating LFSIL), and I will be running around Fairmount Park getting bombarded with color!  The Color Me Rad 5K involves brightly colored cornstarch being hurled at runners from the sidelines for three miles.  When you get to the end, what started as a white outfit looks like Easter exploded on you.  It’s going to be amazing.

The eternal question: what shoes?  You could do a white running shoe, of course, to collect the color as you run...

The Free Run + 2 by Nike is almost ghostly, in its white and gray (though it comes in ten color options too).  It’s highly flexible and gives the runner an almost barefoot sensation, and the deep grooves in the sole help exercise muscles you didn’t know you had.  Yours for $90 from Finish Line (and hey, free shipping!).

...but the spirit of the day calls for something more like this, don’t you think?

  

The Supernova Glide 4 by adidas is a bright cheery blue (called Super Cyan) with bright pink and shiny silver accents.  It has an anatomically contoured sockliner, midfoot support, impact protection, and a breathable mesh upper.  Find them at Zappos for $115.

The WR890 by New Balance is a fruity explosion of berry pink, yellow, and purple.  This shoe has won awards for its running awesomeness, including a responsive and long-lasting cushy insole, a unique flat-lacing system, and maximum shock absorption.  Find them at Zappos for $100.

The brightness!  The blue laces!  The pink and blue splotchy sole!  The Noosa Tri-7 by Asics Gel looks like it’s already been through the Color Me Rad 5K, totally capturing the joy of being thoroughly covered in color.  It has a mesh upper for breathability, an insole designed to reduce excess pronation, and some special features that mean you can wear it without socks if you want.  Yours for $110 from Lady Foot Locker. 

This weekend’s 5K is sold out!  You can still come and hurl color at us (please do!), or try the July 15 Boston race or August 25 Pittsburgh race, which are still accepting registrations.  There’s a similar run (The Color Run) that has some waiting list spots for its July 19 Philadelphia run, August 25 and 26 NYC runs, and September 9/October 21 DC runs.

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: Free shipping on every order

Lord & Taylor: 20% off with promo code SUMMER or savings pass

Macy’s: 15% off one pair, 20% off two pairs, and 30% off three pairs with promo code GREAT

Payless: Summer sandal sale