A Love Story That Started With a Pair of Running Shoes

I didn’t need them and could barely afford them, but they gave me the courage to ask my wife out. [ view in [browser](. add runnersworld@newsletter.runnersworld.com to your address book ] [RunnersWorld.com]( FOLLOW US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [You Tube]( [A Love Story That Starts With a Pair of Running Shoes]( "The foundation of my marriage is built on a lie." That's a line I've used when new friends would ask me how I met my wife, Maura. Over our eight years together, I've gone back to the well so often with that joke that Maura doesn't even feign offense anymore. She knows it's meant for a dry laugh. But it is 100 percent accurate. In a borderline-desperate attempt to ask my future wife on a date, I lied. I did not, despite my request, actually need her help to buy one very, very red pair of Asics DS Trainers. In 2011, I was a newly minted editor who had just moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, an hour north of Philadelphia, for my first real job. I was alone in a new town, but I loathed the idea of heading to bars solo, and my new coworkers' post-work hangouts set off my innate awkwardness, which compounded as I internally berated myself for not fully fitting in. These outings rarely led to future invites. Thankfully, I discovered the local run shop and its weekly meet-up. [READ ON]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [What Is the Impossible Burger and Is It Even Good For You?]( These plant-based “meat” patties are selling out faster than they can be made, but are they actually healthier than beef? [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Can Your Fitbit Tell You When a Common Digestive Disorder Will Start to Flare?]( This can be an important step toward thwarting a flareup before it begins, too. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [Deer Collision Knocks High School Runner Out of First Half Marathon]( The hit forced Cecelia DeWitt and her dad Joe to pull out of the race, but she’s already looking forward to her next shot at 13.1. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [24-Year-Old Suffers Cardiac Arrest at Half Marathon, Is Saved by EMTs at the Finish]( Kyle Woods now has a defibrillator implanted in his chest, and is already looking toward the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon. [Read On]( [RunnersWorld.com]( [How This Vegan Ultrarunner Fueled a 3,175-Mile Cross-Country Trek in 75 Days]( Feeling burned out by a chaotic work schedule, Robbie Balenger looked to running as a catalyst for a life-change. [Read On]( [runnersworld.com]( ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019 [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Notice](