Buying My First Pair of Real Running Shoes

This week I found myself in a store that, a week ago, I would never have entered.  I’m not sure that I’d even have noticed it before if I wasn’t with my friend.  But over our lunch hour, I found myself working with a shoe salesman on my first ever purchase of real running shoes.  As I was jogging through the Zombie Runners store in Palo Alto, I thought to myself “how did this happen?” A week ago, you never would have caught me running.  And now I was trying on different styles, taking a jog on the store treadmill, and learning all about the secret world of goo (which honestly, still grosses me out).

Last week, as a joke, I posted on Facebook that I was considering taking up running to lose these 20 pounds of baby weight that I’ve held onto since my first pregnancy nine years ago.  I’m not sure how long I can claim it as baby weight and not just start calling it what it is… fat.  But I thought I was just making a joke. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t run.  I can power walk with the best of them.  The elliptical machine and I are close friends.  But running?  Outside? In a race?  Now that’s funny.

Too bad all my friends thought it was a great idea.  Suddenly, I was getting thrown into the world of the 5K/10K and half-marathon races.  Instead of this being funny, it was turning into my worst nightmare.

I’ve never been much of a runner.  In high school, the last time I remember running an entire mile without stopping, I learned to jog at just the right pace to finish on-time without getting in trouble for being so damn slow.  Typically, my attitude is to rush through things to get.them.done.  But with running? No.  I like to consider my run more of a fast walk with a bounce.

Then I ran with real running shoes.  Shoes that really fit my foot.  And suddenly, running was easier.  Not easy.  My jog is still pretty much a walk with a bounce.  But I finished my 30 minute running feeling good.  My feet felt good.  Like they could have kept running.  I don’t want to say that it was all the shoes (or that watermelon gooey stuff I drank before), but I’m sure the shoes played a big part of it.

As I train for my first ever race at the San Jose Rock and Roll Mini, at least I know I found a place that will truly take care of my feet.