Nerd Persecution

I get picked on a lot for my running shoes, and I didn't help matters the other day when I bought a new pair of shoes - Pearl Izumi Streaks.  The picture doesn't really show quite how blue they really are.  In fact, they don't look too bad in the picture.

Trust me.  They're blue....very, very blue.  And very, very bright.  They're also very light and very comfortable.  I typically hate shoes the first time I run in them, and then I regret buying them.  They're ugly AND uncomfortable.  But I keep running in them and after a few runs I get used to them and like them.  But I loved these right from the start.  And with a name like Streak, I figure if I ever decide to go streaking I've got some footwear (footwear is allowed during streaking, right?).

I don't intentionally choose ugly and/or bright colored shoes.  I hate them actually.  It's just that the shoes I like typically come in atrocious colors.  It's not my fault.   I like racing flats and they tend to come in horrible colors. 

I got picked on for my bright yellow zoots:

I got picked on for my bright red Sauconys (which I still have and run in occassionally):

I haven't run in them yet, but I know I'll get picked on for my Zoot Ali'is.

And, of course, I get picked on for my Vibram Five Fingers:

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.  I really like the idea behind the new Brooks Green Silence shoes.  A racing flat that's eco friendly.  But they're not green, nor do they scream silence.

Those are some pretty ugly shoes.

Or how about the Plana Terra Vivo Barefoot Evo?  It's a running shoe that's supposed to simulate barefoot running.  But, as far as I know, barefoot running doesn't come with the public humiliation these shoes are guaranteed to come with:

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I think people need to be more accepting of those of us forced - yes, forced - to run in ugly shoes.  It's not our fault.  We're victims.

To quote the movie Revenge of the Nerds: We will never be free until nerd persecution ends.