Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Things We've Learned About Running Shoes

This afternoon, while I was icing in the physical therapy clinic, I read an article about buying running shoes at a specialty running shoe store.

The article came from a tried-and-true mega-source for runners everywhere, Runner's World.

I smiled reading the story (as I'm sure most experienced runners will), remembering the my humble beginnings of running. Truthfully, I think most of us start out that way.

You all know what I'm talking about.

That first pair of "running" shoes you had.




Maybe it was the Reebok Pump. The Adidas Samba? How about Nike Shoxs or Frees?

It's ok, we all did it.

We all took our fifty or seventy bucks and went to a suburban big box store and purchased the "best" running shoe we could find.

And we rocked that shit.

We wore them to school/work, out on the town, walking AND running. They were just that good.

So it was to our surprise, of course, when the best running shoes failed us.

Our feet hurt. Our arches throbbed. Shin splints.

Our shoes were badass, so they couldn't be the problem.

Our problem, we so decided in our weeks of running experience, is that we were not built to be a runner.

So we quit running.

Sound familiar?


If I hadn't just had the specialty running shoe store conversation with my Mom over the weekend, I may have not been so quick to find a relatable tie to the blog. My Mom explained she's been to several stores trying to find the right pair of comfortable every day walking shoes. She isn't looking to be stylish. She just wants her feet to not hurt. She's visited a short list of places - DSW, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods. None of which have produced anything close to what she wants or needs. She's frustrated. She's frustrated and her feet hurt.

After hearing the route she's taken so far, I recommended that she visit a speciality running store. (You know, the ones that we all shop at now. Now that we've learned.)

I'm sure the staff can hear her concerns, weigh and test shoe options and send her home with a shoe that won't hurt.


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