New Shoes

I was a cynic, I will admit.  When people told me that having good running shoes made all the difference, I was not convinced.  I thought that they had all been duped by the salesmanship of the Running Store.  When I started running, I went to the sporting goods store, and bought the cheapest shoes I could find.  20$.  I figured why spend a lot of money on something that I wasn't sure that I would keep using anyway.  But after a few months of running, and still fighting knee pain, I decided that I might need something new.  The final straw was when I looked at the bottoms of my shoes and realized that the tread had been worn completely off in places.  I took advice and went to the Running Store ready to bite the bullet and drop 100$ on a pair of shoes.  Shopping for shoes at a dedicated running store is quite the process.   The guy that was helping me looked at my old shoes to see what my wear patterns were.  He had me stand barefoot to see how my feet turned into the floor.  When we were ready to start trying things on, he had me wear two different types of shoe at the same time, so that I could tell which one I liked better.  He had me go outside and run up and down the shopping center sidewalk so that I could get a good feel for them.  He told me to describe what I did or did not like about the shoe.  I found myself identifying myself as a rookie with statements like "It makes my foot too squishy."  But in the end, the system worked.  I wore one shoe for several rounds of face offs and it won every time.  Until the final round, when I tried on a Nike shoe.  Before I had even finished tying the laces, I could feel the difference.  I loved how it felt on my foot.  It was breathable without being too roomy.  And I was excited to see how it felt when I ran.  And while I was outside testing the shoes out, a nice lady gave me a coupon for 15$ off that she was not going to use.  85$ later, I walked out with my beloved new shoes.  Within a week of runs, my knee pain was all but gone.  And it has not returned. 

Thank-you, Nike shoes, I am now a believer.  The shoes really DO make all the difference!