A Good Pair Of Running Shoes Is Essential
If you need new shoes, ask your coach to advise you where is the best
place to purchase them. Many shoe sales people work on commission
and they don’t care what you buy, as long as you buy something.
However, an expert sales clerk, who is motivated to see that you get
the best shoe for your particular needs, can save you from a host of
problems.
I recommend “A Snail’s Pace” with locations in Brea (714) 529-6313, Fountain Valley (714) 842-2337,
Laguna Hills (949) 707-1460, and Pasadena (626) 568-9886. If you live or work in Newport Beach, I recommend the New
Balance Store (949) 720-1602. These stores have very knowledgeable sales
staffs who will take the time to fit you properly, in a shoe that is
appropriate for your needs.
Fit is an extremely important part of getting the right shoe.
Most people new to running, buy shoes that are too small, because they
always buy size 6 or 10 or whatever. Long distance running shoes
need to be at least ½ size larger than the shoes you wear every
day. When we run more than 10 miles our feet begin to swell; when
we run beyond 15 miles our arches begin to collapse. These two
effects cause our feet to get longer, and pretty soon our toes are banging
against the front of the shoe. This normally results in black
toenails and eventually no toenails. This is very painful and
not recommended. Because it is very painful to have your toes
banging on the front of your shoes, you will tend to scrunch your toes
in an effort to avoid having them strike the front of the shoe.
This scrunching leads to shin splints, another painful malady.
It is best to purchase shoes that fit in the first place, so you can
avoid these unpleasant lessons. Put your feet in the hands of
the Snail’s Pace staff, they know what they are doing, and will stand
behind their recommendations.
