Blogging the Jogging ~ Entry #2

THE Shoes

Notice the emphasis on "THE".  These shoes are the perfect shoes for my feet.  How do I know?  I was fitted by Rich, a fit expert at my local Fleet Feet Sports.

Fleet Feet isn't a regular athletic shoe store. They are a store that specifically caters to runners of all levels. They have shoes, clothes and other items for people who run marathons and do triathalons. Or, somebody like me: an overweight, out-of-shape beginner of beginners.

The first thing Rich asked me to do was take off my shoes and socks so that he could see my bare feet. (Yikes! Good thing I'd just given myself a pedicure a couple of days before!) He said they looked very good, no protruding bones, blisters, corns or callouses to be concerned about. He then asked me if I had any concerns; I did: I sprained my left ankle last year while getting off (ok, falling off) a ski lift and I was on crutches for six weeks. He assured me I'd get a shoe with the best support possible for my foot.

He then proceeded to reach for the foot measure that we use on a regular basis as children with growing feet, and not so much after we're "sure" of our adult shoe size (see picture at left). Surprisingly, he told me he'd measure both feet while I was still seated.  He explained that this was so that he can mark the difference between a seated measurement and a standing one, so as to tell how much each foot stretched when I stood.  He grabbed a pen and made a marking on both feet. Then he asked me to stand so that he could do it again.  There wasn't too much of a difference.

Rich asked me to walk to the far rack and back in my normal stride, "Like you're in your kitchen; nobody's watching." But, in fact, he was. Very carefully, in fact.  Head turned sideways, cheek close to the ground, watching every move my feet made. "OK, have a seat", he said as he went into the stock room and emerged with three pairs of shoes.

He handed me some synthetic, fitted socks to put on while he explained something to me about the shoes. (See picture for the benefits of synthetic vs. cotton sports socks.) All three pairs of shoes were right for me according to the preliminary assessment he had just done.  The rest was up to me and my personal preference- how I like for my foot to feel in my shoe.  They welcome you to go outside, walk (or run) around in the shoes and see how they feel on.  But first he put a support insole in one shoe and not the other. 

The first pair felt a little funny.  There was slippage in the back and the subtlest of rubbing on the side. On to pair number two, this time with the insoles in both shoes now that I could tell the difference that extra support brings.  Way better. I felt good on my short-lived, brisk outside jog.  I was sure these were the ones.  Until Rich told me to at least try on the last shoe and compare.  So I did.  Each shoe had it's pros and cons. After trying different ways of lacing and "test jogging" a different shoe on each foot, I came to a conclusion: Shoe 3 was the winner.

I was informed that the shoes had a life expectancy of 300 miles, a lot for a beginner like me.  The insoles would last even longer: 3 pairs of shoes! "Don't forget to take them out and put them in the next pair," Rich kept reminding me.  Apparently it's a common mistake; people donate the used shoes to Goodwill and forget their perfectly good insoles inside them.  Some Goodwill shopper gets a great bargain! (See chart at left for benefits of support insoles)

After deciding to buy the insoles and a pair of synthetic socks, I made my purchase and waited to talk with Stacie.  Her business card says "Running Coach and Motivator" and I was hoping she'd be willing to do an interview for my blog.  She was!

Fleet Feet was very busy that night, customers waiting patiently to get their custom fit. The store was hosting a 5K training program that would start soon, so people were coming in to sign up for it and to get fitted for running shoes.  I looked around the store while I waited for Stacie to finish tending to customers.  I didn't mind at all.  I found the store fascinating.  It was a whole new world to me.  There were energy bars, sports bras, reflective clothing, books, magnets, mp3 holders, fancy watches that record calorie burn and heart rate and much more. 

When the last customer had made their purchase, the front door was locked and as the rest of the staff closed the cash register and put away shoe boxes, Stacie was kind enough to sit down for a few minutes for my interview.  I was nervous; I had scribbled a few questions on the back of a piece of paper and I'd forgotten to bring my tripod, but she was nore than happy to oblige.  She is so friendly personable, she put me at ease almost immediately. It's obvious that she is very enthusiastic about running.  And it's contagious.

(At left: Karlyn, who custom fit my insoles to my new shoes and Rich, who helped me find my perfect fit)

Final review: I love Fleet Feet sports!  Their personal attention and customer service is amazing. They take time with each customer to assure that they are properly fitted and comfortable with their purchase.  (Even those who were waiting to be attended to were not neglected. They were apologized to and asked to please be patient, and they understood- it was worth the wait.) Even though they and many of their customers are veteran runners, they explain the basics to a beginner with the utmost respect and cheer them on in their new endeavour. They sell high quality products, and offer training classes for runners of all levels.  I definitely recommend Fleet Feet Sports to runners of all ages and levels of experience. Even aspiring runners, like me.  The trip to Fleet Feet may just be what you need to hit the ground running.

To find a Fleet Feet Sports near you: http://www.fleetfeetsports.com/