New Shoes

Well, it was that time again. Time to fork over the big bucks for some new running shoes. Fortunately, I've found the brand and style that I like (Asics GT-2100 series) so the process is fairly painless,  minus the emptying of my wallet.


A recent trip to Fort Worth Running Company had me amused with the kid who was helping us pick out our new duds. I must premise this with my previous running shoes were a nice pinkish color (not my color of choice, but I'm not picky when it comes to shoes that are meant to get dirty), the newer model is now in a purple (other colors not available at this retailer), which gave the him an opportunity to seal the deal...so he thought.


In case you aren't from around these parts, living in Fort Worth breeds great pride for TCU, the town bleeds purple all year long. Unfortunately, for the nice kid who thought he was really 'selling me' the shoes "they come in TCU purple" is not the best pitch for someone who went to the red-headed step child school of the DFW Metroplex that I like to call UTA. Asics are the only pair I would consider buying...no selling required for this gal. I jokingly laughed that I'm the wrong person for those shoes, and I think I may have upset him a bit. I can't imagine his discontent lasted too long as he did make a hefty sale off of the two pairs of shoes and lock laces we bought.


Thinking about it our recent journey to the FW Run Co the other night after our purchase, my fiancée (who will be attending graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the fall) brought up the incident and commented that the kid got it right with his shows, in Buffalo black and gold. Go Buffaloes! Maybe I'll have better luck with the next pair.

Like I said, color is no problem for me and my running shoes, it's about quality, not style or price when it comes to that much pavement pounding.


A few notes about running shoes that I've learned over the years:

• Most quality shoes will last about 350 miles, it just depends on the type of runner you are and the routes you take. Pay attention to the soles, if they look worn it's time to upgrade.
• Never stick your shoes in a washer or dryer!!!! If you get home with soggy feet let them air dry in a cool place. Nobody cares how clean your shoes are...if they're too clean you obviously don't run as much as you would like people to believe.
• Keep your shoes away from heat, unless you want to start a breeding ground for awesome smells and gnarly bacteria.
• When buying your running shoes they should be approx. one half size larger than what you normally wear for everyday shoes. Your feet will swell when you work out, so give them room to grow, or say goodbye to your toenails.
• Never wear new shoes on the day of a race!! You're asking for trouble if you do that, you need some time to break them in with a few light runs, race pace is a bit too much for your feet to handle in new shoes.