May 1, 2013

Meet the Shoes

Whenever you start running, one thing you hear often is to "invest in a good pair of shoes". Everyone who runs and has invested in a good pair will tell you that it made a difference. I've heard this, and I trust those that I've heard it from. Most people will also tell you to go to a running store to get fitted and matched up to the right kind of shoe. Not a Dick's Sporting Goods but a specialty store. I, luckily, have one around the corner: Potomac River Running. They're a local chain of running stores. They offer great personal service, a good selection and knowledgable staff. This is all from the short time I've had experiences with them. They also help organize a series of races in the area.

I have been running with a pair of old Reeboks, that weren't worn out yet, just old. I've had some times where they feel not quite right while I'm running and some issues with my knees, so it was time to go check them out.

Finding the Right Ones

Potomac River Running Store
I stopped by PRR after work one day with Steph to check out their shoes. I brought the trainers I currently use and explained to them my situation. I told them I had more recently started training and had only been running for a couple of weeks, but that I was training long term for a half marathon in January. They thought it was great that I was doing it, asked me about my training and when I mentioned Jeff Galloway, their response was "You can't do much better then a Jeff Galloway plan." They threw me in a pair of "neutral" shoes and took a look at me running and noticed something. They said I seemed to start a little on the outside and roll in during my step, more on my right than my left. Because of this, the suggested a shoe with more support. From there, they brought out a variety of types of shoes. The ones that felt best were the gel variety, but the particular pair they had try on first felt off for some reason. The front of the right foot didn't feel like it was in the right place. The next pair they brought out were perfect.

My shoe: the ASICS GEL-Kayano 19. It's fairly light weight, breathes and is oh so comfortable on my feet. It supported my foot well, and in the short spurts around the strip mall, it felt good. The GEL variety had some great cushioning that feels great on the feet. Of course, it is a more expensive variety of the running shoes I was trying on, but I went in with the mind set of finding whatever was going to work best. They were it. I did not however buy the shoes that day. I wanted to find the shoes and find out the price so I knew what I was working with. The price of $160 was more than I had hoped, but not more than I thought they could be. The was also one other thing, which for I turned to the internets.

ASICS GEL-Kayano 19
Lightning as a color scheme choice.
First, no, I was not going to look for a cheaper price. I went there for their experience and expertise. I wouldn't go there for that and then shaft them by not buying from them. No, the shoe looked nice, but was a little plain compared to what I was secretly hoping for. The shoe there was titanium with royal blue. Nice, but not stand out. I was hoping for one of the more "lively" shoes they had there. Upon browsing online, I found was I was looking for. The shoes came in a color scheme called "Black / Lightning / Blue". Yep, that would be the one for me. So, I immediately shot and email off the PRR that I found on their web site, explaining myself and asking if it was possible for them to order that particular one it. They checked, getting that shoe was no problem and they put the order in for me. Yesterday, I received an email that the shoes were in and today I stopped to pick them up.

So happy with my selection. They're just what I hoped they would be. Comfortable, supported and just the right amount of out there.

Tomorrow, the training test run. Report to follow.

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