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.
No comments:
Post a Comment