A Company With Sole

I am super excited to announce that I am now an ambassador for Kindrunner.com! This company, whose tagline is, "It pays to be kind", is the first socially responsible ecommerce site for runners who want to minimize their environmental impact and make a difference in the world.

The Environmental Factor
Have you ever wondered what happens to your old running shoes when you toss them in the trash? According to Mike Conforti, one of the co-founders of Kindrunner.com, most shoes end up in a landfill less than 10 miles from your home. A whopping 50 years later, they're still there AND in wearable condition, because it takes up to 100 years to biodegrade. Think about how many shoes you have -- and then multiply that by the millions of people who run.

For each pair of shoes purchased from Kindrunner.com, your old pair of running shoes can be returned and then you'll receive a $10 Kindness Cash Reward credit. (You can redeem it instantly or accumulate them over time.) You're also encouraged to reuse packaging  materials when you return your old shoes, so the shipping process is environmentally friendly too!

The Human Kindness Factor
Here's the best part. Most running shoes are still in wearable condition when they're discarded. They might not be good enough to run in, but for someone who has no shoes at all, they are perfectly fine to wear. Kindrunner.com, through its global shoe donation partnerships with Soles4Souls and The MORE Foundation Group, ensures that your old shoes go DIRECTLY to someone in need. These shoes will provide basic transportation and help prevent injury and disease in developing countries. Who doesn't get excited over that???

Here's The Kicker
Kindrunner.com's Virtual Running Shop (tm)  helps you find the best shoe for you. It's filled with expert staff videos profiling each product offered. A durability mileage rating and comparable alternatives are provided for each product as well. And if you need more help, Professor Fit (tm) and his experienced staff are always available so you'll find that perfect running shoe you're looking for. You are going to find what you need at Kindrunner.com.

Best of All
The first 500 customers who purchase shoes will get a free pair of running socks with every pair of shoes purchased FOR LIFE. So go check out Kindrunner.com. It's the perfect pairing of helping both the planet AND someone less fortunate -- while doing something all runners love to do -- buying new shoes!! It doesn't get much better than this.

Visit Kindrunner.com, and connect at Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

The Boston Marathon Murders

Let's not sugarcoat it -- this was an act of the utmost cowardice and malice. We don't know who carried it out and we don't know why 3 people were murdered and over 175 injured. But we do know -- evil will never stop us.

From Boston Marathon: A Loss of Innocence from Runner's World Magazine:
"...Marathon running is a sport of goodwill. It's the only sport in the world where if a competitor falls, the others will pick him or her up. It's the only sport in the world open to absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other division you can think of. It's the only occasion when thousands of people assemble, often in a major city, for a reason that is totally peaceful, healthy and well-meaning. It's the only sport in the world where no one ever boos anybody. If you're losing your faith in human nature, look at marathon crowds, standing for hours with no seating, no cover, no bathrooms, to cheer thousands of strangers."

Two years ago, I began running for the first time, an overweight, older housewife with no experience, and I was welcomed into the community of runners as one of them. They've given me acceptance, confidence, advice, friendship and much, much more than I could ever give back. I am honored to call myself a runner and be amongst this group of incredible athletes.

We will not let this stop us. Evil will not take away the joy we have for this sport. Evil will not prevail. We are runners. We run. It's what we do.