Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Buying My First Pair of Running Sneakers

After my first ever run over the weekend, I started having shin pain. I'm not surprised at all about it because I knew I needed new sneakers. In the past, I always have just bought sneakers based on fashion and not purpose. You can get away with that if you never actually work out in your sneakers! The sneakers were holding up fine for boot camp but the outside run was too much for my legs. So I asked my trusty Facebook followers where I should get actual running sneakers and the overwhelming response was at Marathon Sports. Conveniently, they recently opened a location not far from me so I headed there Sunday afternoon.

I found a nice employee (whose name I sadly don't know) who asked me about my exercise/running history (the response was brief!) and if I had any prior injuries. He then had me take off my shoes, roll up my pants to my knees, and walk around the store for him to watch. It sounds kind of creepy but it wasn't at the time. He told me about my gait...arch...or something. I probably should have paid more attention to what he said but the end result was I needed a shoe with a little support but not tons (or something along those lines!). Can you tell I'm a newbie in the running world?!

He then headed back and brought out all different kinds of sneakers. I must have tried on about ten different pairs. It's amazing how differently they all fit even though they were the same size. 

I ended up going with the Brooks Dyad 7...

I haven't hit the dusty trails with them yet but I did wear them to boot camp on Monday and they were great. They also said I could take them for a run around the building before buying them but I passed on that. I figured I didn't need my second run ever to be around a shopping plaza!

If you are new to running (or just need a better fitting sneaker) I highly suggest heading to Marathon Sports (or an actual running store if you are not in the Boston area). They were so helpful and knowledgeable. They even showed me how to tie a runner's knot (who knew there were other ways to tie your shoes?) and spent time talking to me about socks. The one on one attention was really great. Oh, and they also say funny things like, "Once you're a few miles into your run your feet might swell." Imagine running for a FEW MILES?! Ha! Such jokers :)
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