Running - Pumped Up Kicks

If you read my first blog post, you know that I mentioned if I got a dollar for each time someone told me they weren’t a runner, I’d have enough for new running shoes. Maybe that was a bit of a stretch. Running shoes can get pricey. However, the right shoe makes all the difference in training and in races. Over the course of about 7 years, I have had 5 different pairs of running shoes. I started out with running only 5ks so I didn’t need much more than just a pair of children’s sized Nikes. Once I stepped it up to a 10k, I bought my first pair of true running shoes. Since then, I’ve had a few different pairs and learned a lot about how the right shoe can make or break a run.

Due to the fact that both of my parents run, knowing where to go to find my first pair of true running shoes was not a challenge. My shoes were bought at Road Runner through their Shoe Dog program that they offer. With this process, the customer is placed under a category. After being placed in a category, a large variety of shoes is displayed to choose from. I was placed under the "stability" category and ended up with a pair of Nike Structure 17s as my first pair of running shoes. After my first experience with Road Runner I have returned many times because the help I’ve received there has been very good. I have found that specialty running stores are on the pricier end but also fall on the more helpful side. In the book Marathon written by Jeff Galloway, he writes, “The best advice in choosing a running shoe is to get the best advice – at an authentic running store” (Galloway 180). I definitely agree with this statement and have had a number of experiences where I have found it to be true. On a more recent trip to road runner, I had custom inserts made for my running shoes. I am currently in training for a half marathon and have been having some trouble with Plantar fasciitis, so I decided it was time to get custom-made inserts. This is something that can be found only in a specialty store and at a higher price, but something that is essential to good training.

After lacing my shoes tighter

After finding the right shoe, it’s time to break them in. Something that many runners, including myself, tend to slack off on is lacing up the shoes well each time they’re used. Galloway has a section specifically about lacing up your shoes. He writes, “Many runners don’t bother to lace up the laces tight when they try on a shoe. A loose fit at the ankle is mistaken for an ill-fitting heal. If there is excessive heel motion, pull the last few laces snug and tie the lace together so that there is no gap right at the knot. This may take several attempts because a new nylon lace is slick and resists being knotted tightly” (Galloway 183). This is something that I have not put much value into in the past only because I was oblivious about how important lacing shoes is. During the past week, I have laced my shoed tightly before each run, and I have noticed a difference in overall stability in my shoes.

Question: Do you own running shoes? If so, what do you like about them?

Galloway, Jeff. Marathon: You Can Do It! Bolinas, CA: Shelter, 2001. Print.