New Balance on Zappos.com

Pretty sure The Blonde Side’s never been mistaken for “chicken legs”

If you’ve read The Blonde Side or followed me on Instagram for a while, you know I’ve fallen head-over-heels for New Balance running shoes.

I’ve tested out many running shoes during my time as an athlete – I love Nike for many activities and their look and feel, but for function for my particular feet I’ve really become a loyal New Balance fan. The shoes I’ve been running in for the past six months are the New Balance Fresh Foam 980’s. They come in a myriad of colors, and have held up through all my travels, half-marathons, workouts at the gym, and more.

Since I’m a girl and either A) like to change my mind a lot or B) find something and fall in love with it and order a bunch of them so I never run out, Zappos.com makes shopping for running shoes particularly easy (free 24-hr shipping and free returns 365 days/year is just a simple bonus).

My favorite feature on the site is the ability to narrow down your search considerably to save on time, and to help ensure you are ordering pretty much the perfect shoe. My first option of course is to select New Balance, but the option I like most is “pick shoes by shoe weight,” as I’m a big fan of shoes that are extremely lightweight. Heavy shoes seem to slow me down, so this is a non-negotiable when shopping new shoes. The Zappos.com feature allows you to select from four weight options (6-10oz, 11-15oz, 1-5oz, and 16-20oz), which is incredibly helpful since you can’t feel them in person (or you can just order a bunch and return the ones you don’t like as much for free).

Not to mention Zappos.com offers 24-hour delivery and free returns, just in case you order the wrong size or

Zappos.com allows shoppers to choose “shoe weight” while shopping

change your mind on the color. As a creature of habit, I’ve run into the issue many times where a shoe I’ve really loved has worn itself out and I want the exact same shoe – many local stores won’t keep them in stock and 99% of the time, I’ve found that the same shoes (in the same colors) are available on Zappos.com, and since I already know the size, it’s a no-brainer.

Pro tip: Reading the reader reviews/comments on the shoes has also proved helpful many times, so keep that in mind.

New Balance shoes are also American-made and absolute marketing geniuses – huge, huge bonus for this Red, White and Blue blonde girl.

Even The Blonde Side makes a smart move from time-to-time, like buying New Balance running shoes on Zappos.com.