The one where I hide my emotions

The title of this blog post is a play on the titles of the Friends tv show (ok, I know I am really showing my addition to tv). I just love Friends. Anyway, lately things have been very emotional and I don't really want to post about anything that will get me crying or make me rant about things that no one really needs to hear, so I will blog about my shoes.

It seems like I just bought these tennis shoes a few months ago, but they seem to be nearing the end of their life. I have never gone through tennis shoes very fast. Mostly because I'm not too rough on them, but my husband says it's because I never wear real shoes. But, since I have been walking every day at least once, I seem to be wearing them out a little bit faster. Shortly after buying them I stepped on a rock that went all the way through into the inside of my shoe. It wasn't until a few days later when I got really tired of that rock that I dug it out, but ever since then there has been a little "puff" from the air through that hole every step I make. The other day, I stepped on another rock with the other shoe and it seems to be stuck in there somewhere because it is really bothering me. I also noticed that the tread on the bottom of them is pretty much gone.

This all sounds like I probably need to get some good shoes that are a little tougher for all the walking that I am doing. The problem is that I am a cheapskate. I am not afraid to admit it. I usually buy the cheapest pair of tennis shoes from Payless that I can find. Since that doesn't seem to be working for my new lifestyle, it looks like I should probably consider some other kind, but I just don't know what to get. I'm sure someone could recommend a super expensive awesome pair of walking shoes, but I want something at least reasonably priced but good enough to handle my training and walking a half marathon.

So, do you have any suggestions for me? Where should I go? What kind should I get?