Shoe Rx

When was the last time you got measured for a pair of shoes? This hasn’t happened to me since I was nine or ten years old, when a salesperson at Kinney Shoes measured my feet for a pair of sneakers. I’ve been wearing the same size (size 7) since high school. Then last week Rene and I noticed a cool new running store next to Trader Joe’s called Roadrunner Sports. Our friend May, who runs with us on Sundays, needed a new pair of shoes so we went with her to visit the new store.

Roadrunner Sports offers this fantastic service where they determine the best kind of running shoe for you based on the shape of your feet and your running style. It’s really high tech: first they make you step on this gray pad with sensors to determine how high your arches are and which parts of your feet absorb the most pressure. You view the results on a computer screen, with color and everything (you’d think I was having a medical procedure performed!) and the store associate talks about your feet – apparently I have high arches, absorb pressure with the balls on my feet and heels, and push off with my big toe and second toe (who knew?!).

Going over my foot scans with Tana, the best sales associate EVER

Then they make you run barefoot on a treadmill so they can capture video images of your feet striking the ground. This shows whether you overpronate (run with your feet pointing outward, supinate (run with you feet pointing inward), or have a neutral gait (your feet are pointed straight, which occurs in only 20% of the population). I found out that my left foot is neutral but my right foot overpronates slightly. According to the foot and treadmill analysis, I need shoes for stability/cushion, as well as inserts for my high arches.

They made May and I run down the middle of the store to try out our “prescribed” shoes. It was like a little runway up in there, with customers running up and down the store all gussied up in new shoes.

May working those shoes and lookin' fierce!

I was impressed with the shoes I tried on, the Asics Gel Kayano 14, but I just bought new running shoes last month and couldn’t justify buying another pair of shoes. They cost a whopping $135, which is beaucoup bucks for a running shoe! They were so pretty though, with turquoise trim around the bottom, that they will most likely be my running shoe purchase six months from now. Here’s a picture: I felt bad about taking up so much time and not buying the expensive shoe that I ended up buying the arch supports inserts (which I did need). The inserts feel great but yesterday I laced my shoes too tight and got a blister on my left arch. Honestly, who gets a blister on their arch? I am hoping that it doesn't sideline me for the rest of the week - I'm feeling good for the first time in a month!