Carrie asks, why sunglasses? Fair. They’re a small piece of plastic that doesn’t truly affect your speed or distance or running ability. Unless you’re planning on running straight into the sun, then you might survive for .000000000000001 second longer than if you weren’t wearing sunglasses. But the story begins (and we know you’ve heard this before) with SDL getting into running late in life. Despite not being a runner in high school or a college athlete, he enjoyed the moving meditation and sometimes abuse that is long-distance running. Cue the next part of the story you all know: two years later he looked in the mirror and thought, “Wow. I look like an @$$hole.” See, SDL has always been into fashion, the fun kind. And it was shocking to see himself decked out in boring performance clothes and expensive but plain running sunglasses. This was the AWAKENING. So he donated everything. Gas station wayfarer sunglasses were the fashion flourish. The INSPIRATION came from the starting crowd at a race. Looking around, SDL noticed that about 80% of the people were wearing those cheap non-pro sunglasses. A call to his good friend Ben (now goodr’s Law Dog -- listen to this REMIX to meet him) sealed the deal. They were going to start a run company based on fun and fashion and take the hard decision of spending more than $25 out of the equation.

But hold your starting pistols. Don’t get your odor-resistant running briefs in a twist. They did their homework. They asked over 100 runners: “Blue sky: what do you want from running sunglasses.” Guess where “protect your eyes” came in? Fifth. That thing that the sunglasses are actually made for came in FIFTH PLACE. Behind #1: Look Good (Check!); #2: Be affordable (Check!); #3: Not bounce when you run (Check!); and #4: Not slip when you sweat (CHECK CHECK CHECK! Buy goodrs.) The founders listened to the people and made what they wanted. The sunglasses also protect your eyes, BTW.

It’s never a good time to take a risk. But you just have to do it. SDL likes to say that this is the 6th venture he embarked on, and the previous five failed company start-ups are the five great learning experiences on his record that got him here. Just like in running, the more you fail, the easier it gets. You didn’t get that PR you just set for yourself? Makes sense. You gotta condition yourself and eventually you’ll get there.

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