If you’re a runner, you no doubt look forward to “New Shoes Day”.
(Here’s where you imagine me running around my house yelling in an octave much higher than my macho side would care to admit, “It’s new shoe day!! It’s new shoes day!!)
Yeah, I get that excited.
So today I marched my happy little butt down to the running store and got me some new shoes.
Actually, there’s a little more to it than that. Allow me to briefly explain. I’ve been running in my Asics Gel Nimbus 10s for a few months. I loved them when I got them, but if you’ve been reading my blog for any time you’ve no doubt seen me mention that I’ve been adjusting my stride. Over this past summer, I’ve slowly and methodically made the shift from a pretty pronounced heel striker to a mid-foot/forefoot runner. This change has suited me well and I now feel more efficient in my stride and I’ve seen my PRs steadily drop this year. But, given my new stride, I wasn’t sure if my biomechanics had changed and thought it was probably time for a new personal fit.
Shoe mileage
So, after my exams today, I got out of school a little early and zipped down to the Maine Running Company in Portland,ME. Maggie was the manager on duty and she was great. I explained my situation as if it was the most complicated thing she was going to hear all day, but her body language assured me that “I’ve heard this one before.”
I was quite impressed by the selection of shoes available at the store. They of course had all the obligatory big name shoes (Asics, Nike, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Adidas, etc.) but they also had both the Vibram Five Fingers and Newtons. Very nice!!
Maggie had me walk around barefoot a few times, talked to me about my mileage and running goals, put me up on the computerized pressure pads to measure my feet and arches, and came back 2 minutes later with 3 pairs of shoes that she thought would fit the bill.
Arch Analysis
I tried on a pair of Asics, Saucony, and Brooks. The Asics felt familiar, but had too much room in the toe. The Saucony, despite being the right size were too roomy in the heel, and like Goldilocks would say, the Brooks fit me just right.
Maggie checked me out, and told me to come back in a few days if I was less than 100% happy with the shoes for a no hassle return.
I ended up with another neutral shoe, but I really like the feel of the Brooks Ravennas. The first thing I noticed was how much lighter they are, about 15% lighter. I’ll take them out for a short dry run this weekend. Hopefully, I’ve found a better suited shoe for my new stride and biomechanics.
Thanks again Maggie.
[NOTE TO THE READER: RunFasterDaddy has not received any compensation for the views expressed in this post and has no affiliation with them other than the fact that they sold me some shoes today. I just dig friendly helpful people and thought you would too. If you live in Maine, near either Portland or Brunswick, check these guys out and tell me what you think.]
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