It's that time of year again. A sea of thousands upon thousands of people will fill the streets of downtown Saint Louis in support of Susan G Komen this Saturday June 13th.  Saint Louis held their first Race for the Cure in 1999 with 10,257 participants, a record for a first year Komen event. Today, the Komen Race for the Cure Saint Louis is one of the top three largest Race for the Cure events in the world with around 65,000 expected participants including over 4500 survivors. Up to seventy-five percent of the net money raised will stay in the Saint Louis area to fund education, screening, treatment and support groups. New Balance has been there since the beginning! New Balance proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary of association with Susan G Komen for the Cure this year, 2009. Read more about New Balance involvement here and here,where you can also find Lace up for the Cure® styles featuring the official logo and pink ribbon of Susan G Komen for the Cure. Sadly I will miss the race this year so I will have to rely on my comrades for footage and updates on the great event. In the meantime enjoy footage from last year's race. If you will be attending tomorrow's race be sure to look for the New Balance booth!

School's Out. Pool's Open. Socks are Off.
It's warming up in the Midwest and if I'm not in my New Balance sneaks, you can usually find me with my toes exposed! These little piggies can hardly wait all winter! One of the many perks of working with shoes is getting a first look at all the new styles. I chose my favorite sandal for the year back when snow was still on the ground. It's the Freeport. No it's the Salina! ... or maybe the Margot... or the Petra! Eh. Who says you have to have one favorite anyway?! Those are my styles but the sandals can't do it all alone. For fabulous summer feet you have to do a little prep work as well.
Below I've listed some tips on getting your pigs out of their blankets for summer fashions and fun. 

1. Soak feet in warm water 7-10 minutes.
2. Pat dry with a clean towel, not forgetting between the toes.
3. Trim the nails straight across, not on a curve to avoid ingrown nails.
4. DO NOT use sharp instruments on calluses! This can cause infection.
     Instead use a pumice stone for the really tough spots.
5. Apply lotion, such as Khepra foot balm with essential oils, for good foot health.
     Repeat in the AM and the PM. Massage into cuticles as well but take care not to apply lotion
     between the toes.

Beware of Flip Flop Tendonitis! Adapting your feet to flip flops or sandals from closed toe shoes can create extra stress on the shin muscles and calves. Your feet aren't used to having to work to keep the shoe on and balanced. When moving into open toe shoes as the warmer weather approaches, wear them gradually and give your muscles a chance to adapt and get back into the "strut" of summer fun. This will help avoid painful shins or tendonitis of the leg. 

Use these tips throughout the warm season for good foot health!
And if you're feeling extra saucy put on some polish! Nobody likes naked toe!

For more advice on Foot Health click here.

Every year someone breaks out the candles, puts them on a cake and tells you, "Too many more of these and we'll have to order a bigger cake." While we appreciate the humor every year, we still can't help but think of how that person would look with icing up their nose. *Far off look with sheepish grin...ahem...back to the point. In the Middle Ages the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes. Each item was associated with a prediction. For example, a person finding a gold coin in a birthday cake would supposedly become wealthy; a person discovering a thimble would never marry. Thank goodness I didn't get a "seamstress" cake! Don't get me wrong. Cake is good, especially when it's birthday cake because as we all know, those calories DO NOT count. However, we still look for a few more ways to celebrate another year's worth of livin'! This year I choose SHOES, but there is too much to choose from! I need your help. I have listed below 28 models for 28 years. Let me know what your favorite is. After all a girl can never have too many shoes, except maybe Imelda Marcos, who said, "I did not have 3,000 pairs of shoes; I had 1,060." 
Sandals
Petra (red)   Petra (bronze)   Salina
                
Mia             Margot     Phoebe     Monica          Iris         Agave      Pianosa    Freeport   Newport H2
                     
Ormond     Venice H2         Venice
            
Casual/Dress
Maddie     LaJolla     Portofino  Siren Ginger   Un.Chart
                
Un.Poem (Brown        Black         Olive) 
                            
Athletic
WT909OR      WR1063WB      WR1224ST      WW966BR      WX1210TR
                            

"You cannot put the same shoe on every foot."  ~Pubilius Syrus

A lot more than a running program!
"Girls on the Run® is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. 'Their' curicula address all aspects of girls' development - their physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being."
This past month our Saint Louis location had the privilege of fitting some local Girls on the Run for the upcoming race in May. The girls came in for a fitting and left full of energy with smiles on their faces! We are so happy to be here for such a great program. If you'd like more information about Girls on the Run or to find a race date near you go to http://www.girlsontherun.org/. This isn't the first time I've buzzed about the program. Check out last year's blog for a little more info on how Brown's and New Balance play a part.

WT909OR              WR805WT             WR769ST              WR768KM              WR757CU                   WR993GL

Congrats are in order!! New Balance is on a roll! Racking up so many awards I can't keep count!

SHAPE magazing has bestowed honors on two New Balance models in their April issue
including the Spring 2009 Shoe Guide that you can find on newsstands now. 
The 760 in the walking shoe category has received Best Overall

     WW760WB
On sale for $64.90

The 749 running shoe was given an award for Best Stability
  
     MR749ST                    WR749ST

National Geographic Adventure Magazine puts the 904 trail shoe on the awards list
Best of Adventure Gear


    WR904TR


Check out Footwear Awards part I to see more great models in the spotlight!
*Have a shoe you'd like to review? Post your feedback directly with New Balance before 4/14 and you could win a new pair of sneaks from the Spring collection.
Tell 'em what you really think here!

Sunshine and 83° in Washington, Missouri today.
With that kind of forecast one can't help but develop a little Spring fever!
Warm weather is not the only thing that rolled in this week. We also got in our new Birki's and they couldn't have come at a better time! I wanted to break out the flip-flops for the day but I got a flat.
We all have our favorites and I have kept this pair of Teva's in the rotation past it's prime as one of the straps has broken and it's lost it's flip. That's right, my old favorites are now just flops.
No need for a pity party or the world's smallest violin playing taps, although I do appreciate the gesture. I have already picked out my next favorite for the year! What's that? "Stop talking and show me the goods," you say? Okay then. You ask and you shall receive.