New Running Shoes

Short Story: I got new running shoes last Saturday and greatly enjoyed the process of finding the right shoe for me.

Long Story:

Last Saturday my husband treated me to a new pair of running shoes. He even looked up a store that does an actual fitting by watching you run. We live in a smaller town now and this shop was about an hour away so we made a day of it.

Seeing as this was only my second running shoe purchase, and a fun experience, I invited my daughter to take pictures for me and now I'll take you on my shopping trip.

We went to Try Sports over in Wilmington. We were greeted by a store clerk that was very friendly and promptly began their "5 Steps to the Perfect Fit"

• She took a little clipboard and asked me a few questions about my running and what I was looking for in a shoe. Me: I'm getting back into running and want to make sure I have a good shoe that can take the pounding this body gives it when jogging. :) And it's been a year since I bought my latest pair of running shoes. I usually try and "run" three times a week when I'm going steady.

• Second she measured my foot size and confirmed I wear an 8, so in running shoes we would try an 8 . 5. Although some shoes run small, so we might try a 9 in some styles as well if need be. She also explained to me about purchasing some insoles that would be formed to my foot and would last for a couple pair of running shoes. They could also be used in any close toed shoe.
  Third she checked my arch on this scanner looking machine. She had me look as well and I'm pretty average in that area.

• Fourthly she did a video gait assessment wherein I jogged in a "neutral" shoe from their store on a treadmill and then we watched it in slow motion on a video screen. She took it frame by frame and we were able to see that I do pronate slightly. Me: THIS WAS SO COOL! Yea, so I'm a nerd and I felt so special getting fitted for my own best running shoe. (This shot isn't showing the pronation, but just the view of what it caught on camera to look over later.)

• Finally, it was time to pick out shoes. She advised I look for a medium support. I don't pronate a whole lot, so I don't need restrictive shoes. Me: This is where it gets hard for me still. I switched from Asics to Nike last year, but today the Asics felt so much better than anything else. *sigh* I hate deciding which feels better since new shoes always feel better when you're trying them on. I read about Mizunos and Brooks and think those should be the shoe for me, then I remember how I always wear Nike and think that should be it, I finally decided to go with the Asics GT 2160.

I'm thinking after I become a more solid, regular runner maybe I'll have "my" shoe of choice. In the meantime I have to go with what feels good at the time and try them out. Maybe I should take notes as I wear them for future purchases.

We decided since I do pronate a bit to go ahead and get the fitted insole so I can use it in my old tennis for walking. So, she fitted me for those by having me stand on these blue foam blocks and she rolled my feet back and forward on the warmed insoles until they fit my feet perfectly. I'd try to explain these, but probably do horribly, so suffice it to say that my feet felt very nice in these the rest of the day when I put them in my walking shoes.

My husband even agreed to purchase a good running bra. I didn't have my daughter takes pictures of that fitting. *giggle* Trust me, trying to fit a very snug bra over sunburnt shoulders and back was funny to me, but not something I'm sharing a visual of with you. Your welcome. :)

Back to the bra...I've been putting off spending money on a good one due to the cost (my Juno bra was $52) but since I'm not losing quickly and my chest aches when I run I decided to ask for one. My love was so sweet to add this to our mounting pile of purchases, and I was thrilled because 'the girls' didn't move at all when I jogged in place with it on in the fitting room. Glory!!

Yes, it was a fun shopping experience for me. I already have a Garmin, I get Runner's World magazine and now I have new running shoes and a chest brace/girdle good running bra. I'm set and ready to get back to my new, most difficult and yet rewarding exercise.

Hope you enjoyed the shopping trip! :)

p.s. Thanks to my dear Twin B for the photos. Great job!!!