My New Shoes!!!

It seems to be universally agreed upon that the most important decision any new runner can make is picking out the right pair of running shoes. One of my marathon-running friends pointed me in the right direction & sent me over to Road Runner Sports to get some guidance on choosing the right shoe. Like any girl, I love shoe shopping ~ but I never imagined shopping for athletic shoes could be so fun.... or so educating.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the store was get set up with my own free personal foot evaluation. I totally recommend this to everyone. It was so interesting. First they measure your feet (an obvious task for any shoe store) and ask you some questions about your running regimen (where you run, how often you run, what your goals are... etc.) and your current shoes & fitness (injuries, sore ankles... etc.). Then they have you stand on a mat that evaluates how your weight is distributed across your feet when you stand. This evaluates your arches, your balance & your center of gravity. It's pretty cool to see. They have it pop up on giant screens in 2D and 3D models for you to look at & explain it all to you as you go. I put almost all of my weight on my left heel. Seems strange.... but now that I think about it, I guess that really is how I stand. Consequently, my center of balance is way off to the left. I have super-high arches, which I've always known... but my arches & most of my toes were actually not even registering on the mat -- so funny. My footprint looked toe-less!!

After the balance & weight measurements, they throw you on a treadmill and video-tape your feet as you run. Once they have a good recording, they pull you off and you watch your stride in slow-motion (again, on giant screens) with them to pick out some further details. For example, they watch the way your Achilles tendon lines up when you step onto it and how your feet either line up, or turn inwards or outwards when you step down. Pretty cool. My feet turn out a bit. I've always known this. I've tried to run with them straighter ... to no avail. But the guy at the store said that's fine... outward turning feet are no problem and don't need to be corrected, it's just how I run. (YAY!!!)

I ended up getting fitted for some custom insoles, which was pretty neat too... they melt them down and mold them to your feet while you rock around on little cushions. Then I was off to try on some shoes.

My foot analysis put me in the "Neutral" shoe category .. although since I told the guy I was training for a half-marathon, he suggested a "Neutral Plus" shoe, which would be more durable and long-lasting and should carry me through the race in August. The store has all their shoes organized by category so that you only need to look at the shoes that are right for your foot type (which is awesome.... other stores, like Sports Chalet, don't do this... I know.... I checked). I still felt lost looking at the wall of shoes in front of me in the "Neutral Plus" category... so I picked out a few and started trying them on. I didn't want anything that looked like astronaut shoes or had those crazy details that look like they're made out of licorice (you'd know what I mean if you saw them). In the end, I was deciding between a pair of Nikes and a pair of Asics. In the end, I went with the Asics. They were more comfortable.... and I'm assuming comfort is hugely important when you get into running the longer distances!! So I'm counting on that. They gave me a 60 day satisfaction guarantee & said if I run in them for the next 6 weeks and decide they're not right for me... I can always bring them back & switch them for the Nikes (how awesome is that!?!). Before I left, the salesgirl who fitted my new custom insoles into my awesome new "serious" running shoes reminded me that I shouldn't run in them for at least 3 days - but should wear them around as much as possible to break them in... especially with all the arch support my new shoes have. Good thing she told me, because I was ready to go running!!!

So I spent the rest of the night working on breaking in my new shoes. I ran errands in them & wore them all over the house. I have to admit, the insoles did start to feel better & better the longer I wore them. I'm very excited about my new investment. I thought I was taking up a "free" hobby (running). I didn't realize the proper gear was going to set me back..... but I definitely need the right shoes! :) I'm going to take B on a quick jog to the park after work today to further break them in. And then, tomorrow.... we run!!!