This post is not about running.
Not technically.
It’s about running shoes.
My Asics are about 6 months old, and since it’s basically the start of the running season I decided it’s time for new shoes. Since I had such a good experience at Fit Right NW, and since I have a 10% off coupon that I picked up at the Shamrock Run last weekend, I headed to NW Portland.
Last time, I bought the afore-mentioned Asics GT-2100s and a pair of Adidas Supernovas. I had been alternating between the two, but never felt fully comfortable in the Adidas. Since the beginning of the year I’ve only run in the Asics.
Since the last time I was there, Fit Right has added a treadmill and video camera, to record my actual stride. Another nice touch. I had to wait a bit for someone to help me but that was OK, I wasn’t in a hurry. Before I knew it, Emily had me take off my shoes and socks and got me running on the treadmill. She pointed out my slightly-toes-out strike, my push-off at the end, and said it was a completely normal type of pronation. She recommended a general motion-control shoe. A shoe made for more stability might over-correct and cause problems.
Of that type of shoe… well, I had a choice between the Asics update, the GT-2110, or the Brooks Adrenaline GT6. Yeah, the same shoe I had gone looking for last time and couldn’t find.
I tried both of them, but felt more comfortable in the Brooks. It kinda felt good to be back in them, actually (I’m such a brand loyalist). The Asics slipped on my heels a bit.
I also planned on picking up some trail shoes and some shoes for speedwork and racing. Unfortunately, Emily told me that they did not have the Brooks Adrenaline ASR trail versions of the Adrenaline GT6. I’ll have to order those online or find them somewhere else.
But for speed… since I have a wide foot (at least for running shoes), Emily suggested a pair of running flats. As I told her, I’m not exactly Olympic material, but I wanted a lighter shoe mainly as a psychological aid. Something to put me in the mental mood for running fast.
She brought out a pair of Filas and a pair of Mizunos. She said that those were the ones she had that had the width I needed. I said I would only be wearing these for speedwork once a week at most, and at races. She warned me that they would feel very different from training shoes. “Lots less support. You will feel the ground through these.” She said that I should try them out on shorter runs first in order to get used to them, since they would not be supporting my feet as well.
Both shoes felt much much lighter and far more responsive than my Brooks, but the Mizunos were less comfortable in the toes. Emily pointed out that the Mizunos actually seemed to fit my upper foot better, but I decided to go with the Filas.
And they’re so… freaking… yellow!
Today was such a beautiful day in Portland. Warm-ish, sunny, blue sky. I wandered around NW Portland for a while after buying my shoes (and a new Brooks short-sleeved running shirt that was on sale). If I hadn’t run for an hour yesterday I would have gone home and gone for a run today.
Um… I still might. Actually.