Friday 1 February 2008

New shoes

This week I decided to repeat my plan from last week and add a nice loop into my run home from work to extend it and turn it into a good training session. Obviously the plan this time did not include getting lost again.

The first thing I needed to do however was to replace tired out old trainers. Last time I needed trainers I went to Runners Need and went through a proper fitting process to get shoes suited to my running style and problems. Apparently I over-pronate quite badly so I need trainers with decent motion control. Unfortunately, they did not have my size in the trainers I currently wear so I had to go through the fitting process again. Basically the staff video your feet while you are running on a treadmill in various pairs of trainers. They can then play back the video in slow motion to analyze your running style and find you suitable trainers. It is wonderful compared to the sort of service you normally get at a high street sports shop, where the level of advice you can expect from the spotty teenage staff is "These ones look cool".

Having got the new trainers the first time I wore them for a run was my 10km run home. I probably should have gone for some short runs first to get used to the shoes as I did get a bit of a blister by the time I get home. Apart from that they were great. But best of all I didn't get lost. I managed to remember all the street names and navigate all the way back to the flat without resorting to the Garmin. On this basis I have concluded that finding my way last time was not luck it was skill (honest).

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