New Shoes

On Saturday, I bought new running shoes to replace the two-and-a-half year old Nike’s that I got long before I ever considered the possibility of being the kind of person that runs.

It was a fascinating experience buying running shoes at running shoe store run by running shoe experts and one of the more satisfying shopping experiences I’ve been though. (Thanks to the good folks at Big Peach Running Company in Brookhaven).

They started out putting me on a treadmill and videotaping my gait. Apparently, I slightly over-pronate but correct myself by the time I push off. That means I don’t need shoes to help correct my motion. Next, they had me stand on a thermal pad to get an imprint of the bottom of my feet. This let them know that my arches are high enough to drive a semi-truck under and I need mad arch support.

Based on that, they then brought out a number of pairs of shoes that fit my foot shape and running mechanics. I put one of shoe X on the right foot and one of shoe Y on the left foot in a comfort and fit cage match to the death. After each round of the cage match, they asked what was wrong with the losing shoe. After the fourth round, a shiny pair of Mizunos emerged victorious.

Next, I ran around in the parking lot a bit in the victorious shoes. When I came back, ever-helpful Mike asked if there was anything I would change about the shoe. I said I wanted something a little bit tighter. So, we went through another three or four pairs, cage match style again, before we finally determined The Right Pair of Shoes. And, surprisingly, their prices were competitive even with stores on teh interweb tubes. While that certainly wasn’t the reason I went there in the first place, it leaves me with absolutely no reason not to go back.

What struck me about the whole process, though, was just how much there is to know about shoes if you really want to find the right fit. Mike had detailed knowledge about each pair I tried on. It was certainly not the experience I’ve had before buying shoes at big sports retailers and the like.

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1 Comment

That sounds like a really bourgeois shoe store.

I hope your feet feel special.

Melissa | 11.4.06 | 12pm

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