skechers fun run @ true runner st. louis

**Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored by Vocal Point and True Runner.  All opinions are my own.**

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Audrey at Vocal Point to head on over to True Runner out in Brentwood, MO to attend one of their Wednesday evening fun runs.  I've known about True Runner since they opened a few years ago, but since Brentwood is about 30 minutes from where we live, I never had the chance to go check out the store.True Runner St. Louis hosts bi-weekly fun runs on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.  And one of the best parts about these fun runs is that they usually have a "sponsor" or a theme for runners to enjoy.  This past weekend, they had a Strange Donuts fun run.  I was fortunate enough to participate in a Skechers Fun Run this past Wednesday.  A sales rep from Skechers was at the store and let us test drive some of their shoes on a 4-5 mile loop around the area.  It's not every day you actually truly get to test out the shoes on a real run before deciding whether or not to buy them.  Count me in, please!I arrived at True Runner about 10 minutes before the run started and was immediately greeted by Theresa, the assistant store manager.  She asked me a couple of questions and explained to me the fun run.  She was so nice and immediately made me feel comfortable in the store.  I walked around the store a little bit, checked out some of my favorites and some new fun apparel before going to try on some Skechers.I ended up asking to try some lightweight running shoes, since those tend to be the ones my feet like the best.  Something low to the ground that feels more like a racing flat than a training shoe, but can be worn for distances anywhere from the 5K to the marathon, since, you know, I like to run them all!  Adam with Skechers gave me some Skecher GOrun 4's to try out on our run.  I could immediately tell I was going to like them once I slipped them on as they felt like I was just wearing my socks.  The less I think about my shoes on a run, the better!Thad was our store lead runner for the night, and he briefly explained the route we were going to take, which would give us a little over 4 miles.  Since Adam and I were the only ones who hadn't run with the group before, they asked our pace - luckily, most of them would be running right around an 8:45/mile pace, which is the perfect easy pace for me.It was a nice little group and I did my best to make some small talk, even though I am completely socially awkward and not outgoing in the slightest.  Luckily, it's easy for me to talk about running since that is my main hobby and my second hobby (blogging) is all about running as well.  We chatted about Boston, Meb, Skechers, Chicago, and what it's like to travel the midwest as an employee for Skechers, promoting their running shoes and going on group runs.  Seriously - I want that job...Once we go about 2.5 miles into our run, we arrived at Shaw Park and did a loop around the park before heading back toward the store.  At this point, we also began to pick up the pace.  We went from running 9:00/mile the first mile, to starting to tick off 7:30/mile at the end of the run.  And I felt awesome!  There was a nice, light rain, my legs felt great, and best of all, the shoes felt amazing!We ended up running 4.62 miles in just under 40 minutes, averaging 8:30 per mile.  Not too shabby for a Wednesday evening - and even better since it wasn't at 4 in the morning!  True Runner provided us with pizza and water after the run, and I sat around for a little bit talking to Adam, Theresa, Thad, and Jenny, the store manager.  I said it a few weeks ago, but I'll say it again:  Runners are seriously the nicest people ever!I knew I wasn't going to leave the store empty handed, but I just wasn't sure exactly what I wanted because there was so much awesome stuff in the store to choose from.  I knew I needed some new compression socks, but I just kept going back to those shoes.  I didn't want to take them off and put my current running shoes back on.  I was tempted to wear them out of the store, but I figured that would be frowned upon...And then I spotted the "new arrival" sign on the same pair of Skechers I wore on the fun run except in pink and black instead of teal and gray.  And with that, I came home with a brand new pair of running shoes!  They are going to be perfect for training for Rock 'n' Roll Chicago this summer!Thanks again to Vocal Point and True Runner for the fun running experience!  I can't wait to go back for another fun run!  Oh, and the best part about their fun run?  If you participate in 10 runs, you get a $20 store credit!  You better believe I'm going to try to get those 10 runs in! [Tweet "Trying out some @SkechersPerformance shoes on a Fun Run @TrueRunner #stl #vocalpoint #truerunner"]