New Sneakers

Reluctantly I agreed to needing new sneakers. I had worn mine way past their 400-mile limit and they were beginning to break down. I really did not want to give my old ones up because they had been through so much with me. A few nice day 5K runs, one very cold Jan. 1 5K run, over 200 miles in training for the half marathon, 13.1 miles, and countless walking miles. Those shoes and I had gone a long way together, but sadly, it was time.

I was told by some very knowledgeable runners to go to the big giant runner’s store, and that they could help me pick my new pair. When you walk in you know you are in a serious athlete’s store. I almost turned around and left. There are running clothes, shoes, equipment, gadgets, slogans, you name it. Since I do not always think of myself as a hard-core runner, but more of a person dabbling in the sport it can be a little intimidating. I signed up to get a gait analysis, which I remember from my last pair I needed. Last time in the much smaller running store, they simply watched me walk to check my gait. This time was a completely different experience.

After a short wait, it was my turn and the very nice man asked me to remove my shoes and step up on their treadmill. He asked me to start it and run at an easy pace. Running barefoot on a treadmill is horrifying. I dare you to try it. You feel like you are running crooked, your feet are slapping away and it was all I could do to keep from getting too close to the edges in fear of losing a toe to the belt. After just 30 seconds, it was over and I got to watch my awkward running played back to me on a video screen. The nice man explained a bunch of things about how I run that I am still Googleing and then it was on to the next test.

Next, I had to step onto a gel mat and I guess it measured how high my arches are because after I got to see a computer picture of my feet and he said I had very high arches. The very nice man looked over at the shoes I had worn into the store and said I really should never wear them again. Apparently having very high arches and my shoes being flip-flops may have come with a high price tag and a designer name, they did not come with any kind of support for my feet at all. The very nice man who became not as very nice attacked my flip-flops saying I should never be walking around in them except poolside, that I was causing my foot to hurt not by running but by the flip-flops, and should consider better sandals for support. I tried to tell him that they came with a cute black clutch but he was not interested. I started envisioning orthotic sandals and nursing homes, and I think I may have looked horrified because he stopped lecturing.

After that eye opening experience we moved onto fitting my custom inserts. Little did I know at the time that they would cost almost as much as the sneakers, and apparently sneakers these days are not enough but now we all need inserts as well. Finally I was given my full report, I run evenly on both feet, my right is very weak, high arches, blah, blah, blah.  I just wanted to try on some shoes.

The shoe salesperson took over from here and showed me a few select pairs that would be good with my gait analysis. One pair was so ugly I would not put them on. The second pair were too soft, the third too hard, but the fourth were just right. I walked around the store and liked how they felt. I asked if they came in a different color but sadly, they did not. To get the right sneakers I had a limited selection of colors and styles, after all, these were not designer flip-flops.

I made the choice and checked out joining their store’s special customer club (for which they rang a big bell signifying my specialness). One of my children who had been in the store earlier asked if I passed the test. I told her I must have because they let me walk out with some serious runner’s shoes.

So my new sneakers and I have started racking up miles together. I love them and they feel incredible. They are giving me that extra push I needed to go the extra mile. I know they say the shoe doesn’t make the athlete, but maybe sometimes just a little bit, they do.