Friday, November 23, 2012

Taking a Break to Break in my New Running Shoes


I buy my running shoes at Wasatch Running Company.  They do an amazing job of matching runners with the exact shoe to meet their running style, running goals, and budget.  The fitting process takes about half an hour. 

They measure your feet.  They watch you run.  They watch you balance on one foot and then the other, and then they bring out shoes for you to try – on the treadmill.  After I tried the first pair of shoes, I ran with two different shoes several times – to compare the feel of the shoes and to choose the one that felt better.  At the end of the day, I had a new pair of Mizunos – which is what I had been wearing before.  Maybe it was familiarity, but they were the shoes that felt the best.

Wasatch Running stands behind their fitting process.  I know.  I took them up on their guarantee last year.  It seemed the very feature I liked when I tested the shoes – support under the balls of my feet – didn't work so well on longer runs.  My toes went numb.  Wasatch Running not only took them back, but went through the entire fitting process again to get me into the shoes I just retired.

Only one caveat:  they ask you to take your first few runs in the new shoes on a treadmill.  So I am prepared for some treadmill time.  Not my favorite place to run.  Good thing Danny and Katherine Dreyer included some tips on treadmill running in their book.  I plan to devote my treadmill time to practicing posture, leaning, and keeping my lower legs relaxed.  

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