Shoe Shopping

After reading both The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Running Injury-Free and Fitness for Dummies, I learned that the best way for me to not hurt myself while exercising would be to have the right pair of shoes. I knew of the importance of proper footwear already, but both books slammed it into my head. Wearing the wrong shoes or shoes that are too worn out can cause or exacerbate a host of problems, including hammer toe (caused by wearing shoes too small so that the toes smush into themselves, rendering them like little hammers), blisters, and black toenails.

I started running again in the New Balances I wore several years ago when I was running regularly. I knew that after a certain amount of miles shoes would get so worn that they would need to be replaced, but I doubted I got anywhere close to having run enough miles to have worn down those sneakers. But, putting them on again after years of non-use, I noticed that they were tighter. My toes felt like they were pushing up against the toe box. Is it possible for feet to continue growing? Did I put on so much weight that even my feet were getting fat? In any case, my shoes were too small and I needed new ones. I also thought of new shoes as a motivator: if I spent money on new running shoes, I should actually put them on and go running.

My books told me what to look out for when buying running shoes and suggested that I go to sports store that focused on running goods. I had no idea such places existed. The Idiot’s Guide also suggested that I make a map of my foot to see what sort of arches I have and bring my maps with me to the shoe store. So, I made my foot maps. I wet my foot in the bathtub and stepped on a piece of construction paper so that my wet foot made an imprint. I then switched feet and did the same to the other foot. According to the outlines I made, I have high arches. And, according to my Idiot’s Guide this means that I “tend to roll on the outside edge of [my] foot and push off with [my] little toe” and that my weight isn’t distributed evenly over my foot, which can cause serious injury.

Armed with my foot maps and some help from Yelp to find the best running shoe store in San Francisco, I made my way to Fleet Feet, located in the Marina district. I had to steel myself for my journey to the Marina, where I envisioned frat boys turned stock brokers and cheerleaders turned account executives to litter the streets with their obnoxiousness. But, I had a purpose: I would get my shoes and get out. I ended up walking from my house to Fleet Feet and after the 50-minute walk, my feet were a little puffy, the perfect time for shoe shopping.

When I stepped inside Fleet Feet, four pairs of eyes turned towards me. I was the only customer and all the sales people were eyeing me as I was wiping the sweat from my forehead. Did I need help? they asked. Yes, I was looking for a new pair of running shoes. The cuter of the sales guys said he could help me. I tried to not think about the sweat still beading on my forehead and how my pants were sticking to my thighs. I told him that it had been a few years since I last was running regularly, that I wanted to get back into it, and that I need some new shoes. He asked if I ever had my feet fitted before and I said no. He asked me to take off my shoes and socks and measured my feet without my weight on them and then with. He then asked me to walk up and down the store so that he could examine my walk (I tried not to be self-conscious). He then brought out a few pairs of shoes for me to try. He helped me put them on and tied them for me. He squeezed my feet. He then asked me to run in them for him. I looked at him. Excuse me? Just run, nice and slow, from here to the door and back. Huh? Everyone does it; it’s to see if the shoes are right. Hm…okay.

I ran for him. I tried to not think about how silly I felt, how my pants were still sticking to my thighs, how my form must be horrible, how my back looks fat, how I was still sweating. When I finished my short run he asked me how they felt. They felt okay but I didn’t know how they should feel. He mad me try on more shoes but didn’t make me run around. I walked around instead. I went through five pairs, concentrating on what made each shoe different, and which shoe felt the best. I tried each pair on several times, some times with one shoe on one foot and a different shoe on the other foot. During the shoe testing, the shoe guy and I chatted:

Shoe Guy: So, you’re trying to get back into running again?
Me: Yup. It’s been a little while but I want to start again.
SG: Where do you run?
Me: On the street, around the neighborhood.
SG: It’s more interesting than on a treadmill.
Me: Yeah, but the hills are a little tricky where I live.
SG: Do you plan on racing? (Apparently he had no idea who he was talking too.)
Me: Um…not any time soon. I want to start slow and work my way up there. Eventually, I’d like to. What do you do?
SG: I run 5Ks and marathons.
Me: Oh.

Yeah, it will be a while until I can run a marathon—it will be a while until I can run a mile—but it felt a little reassuring that he asked if I planned on racing, that it didn’t seem so far off as a goal, that he didn’t see me as a total out-of-shape heifer for whom running a race seemed completely unfathomable.

After going through all the shoes he pulled out for me, I chose a pair of Asics with just a little bit of extra support; they felt the best on my feet. I had no choice about the colors of the shoes (which were white with light blue and silver) but didn’t really care, even though the color and physical appearance of the shoe would have been the most important aspects to me in any other shoe-shopping case. I asked about the store’s return policy just in case after all that shoe-testing I decided I didn’t like them, and he told me that I could bring them back within 30 days, even if I got them dirty. How wonderful, I thought. He rung up my purchase and entered my name in their database so that the next time I came back, they could tell me what shoe I bought if I wanted the exact same one. I thought it was brilliant and that that was probably my best shoe-shopping experience.