Check out my New Shoes!

Today I went into another running store, this one recommended to me by K. I met the owner, who was very sweet. I warned Mike that I was clueless, a former couch potato training for a 5K, and that K was my trainer who recommended his store. Mike knows K and he did take care of me. He made me stand up, sit down, stand on some machine that measured my feet/arches/pressurepoints? and then walk across that same machine. Then I started trying shoes on. Mike would put a different shoe on each of my feet, slap my ankle, and tell me to go play. I dutifully ran up and down the strip mall in 101 degree heat. He would then change one of the shoes and I would "go play" again. After a few times of running up and down he sent me home with these:

Can I hear a collective "Ooooooh, Aaaaah!"?

It turns out that I over pronate (new term for me and I am not sure yet what it means, but apparently it explains the shin and calf pain I've had) and these babies will help fix that. The shoes were spendy, more than I was planning on. But the people I have talked to said that the owner would never scam me for an easy sell. The research I've done online all show that this shoe sells for the same (even on Amazon) and I am paying for the over pronation of my feet?/running?/still do not understand the term completely.

One thing that surprised me is the sound. Mike asked me if My feet made slapping noises when I ran. Yes, they did. It turns out that is not me running flat-footed like I thought. It was the shoes. My new shoes are quiet. I do not sound like a herd of elephants while running in these shoes.

I was also sent home with a goodie bag with a cool running jacket. I feel like I belong to a club now because I have seen the serious runners in my ward wearing this. The goodie bag also included a tank, t-shirt, decal for my car, and running socks ("because cotton is of the devil!" according to Mike, the store owner. He says it causes blisters). There is also a bag for my stuff.

I realized after I left the store that I did not once try to suck in my stomach in order to fit in. The atmosphere was so much more relaxed. When I joked with Mike that I was not an athlete, he smiled and said "yes, you are." It felt good to be labeled an athlete.

I am excited to see how my run is affected tomorrow.