I had one of the most enjoyable shoe shopping experiences yesterday! With my Big Sur race coming up and all the training runs I have planned, I figured it was time to invest in a new pair of running shoes. My last three purchases have been Nike’s Air Pegasus. They fit my narrow feet like a glove, breathe well, and offer ample cushioning and absolutely no “support” in terms of pronation. This is ideal for me since I’ve had my gait and foot strike examined and I’m not prone to under- or over-pronating when my feet strike the ground. Early in my running when they first started coming out with shoes specific to certain types of foot strikes and surfaces, I learned the painful way that running in the wrong shoes will do more damage than good. For me it was unwittingly wearing shoes that corrected over-pronation. Fortunately around this same time, the running shoe stores that specialize in running and shoes started putting people on the floor knowledgeable in this arena to help fit you in the best shoes based on your specific needs. Now, I always bring my current running shoes that I’m replacing into the store with me along with a pair of athletic socks. The socks are because the ones I run in are usually a little thicker that my everyday socks and often, living in California, I don’t wear them at all with the flats or sandals I wear into the store. The wrong socks o no socks at all will affect fit and shoe size! I bring my shoes because if the folks know what they’re doing, they’ll be able to tell by examining the heels how your feet strike the ground and thus, which shoes you should be running in. If you’re new to exercise, they can also examine an everyday shoe that you wear regularly. This coupled with what kind of ecercise you want to do can get you in the right shoes!

Okay, back to yesterday.

After a little lunchtime research on Yelp, I headed over to Athletic Performance on Main Street in Los Gatos. From what I read, this is where the local high school track & fielders go along with the more serious runners. Bingo! Right when I walked into the store, I felt at home. Although no one greeted me at first — they were busy fitting other customers — I could see they had a great supply of shoes, gear, and garb. Not too much time passed before an older gentleman helping another couple saw me studying the shoes and asked if I’d been helped. From overhearing snippets of his conversations with others, I decided he must be a former track coach. Cool. Soon enough, he had me in the next generation Pegasus. He invited me to take a run around the block in them which I would recommend to help make a definitive decision. I, on the other hand, already knew these were the ones for me! As I was paying, he generously matched the discount I usually receive from my other running shoe place, Ryan’s Sportshop in Santa Clara. (Ryan’s didn’t have the Pegasus in stock. His loss since I will now be going to Athletic Performance for all future running-related purchases!) The best part, though? I inquired about group runs. Not only did I get the scoop on several running groups and their weekly meetups, but I also got a personal invitation from one of the women working at the store to join her on a weekend run. I even got her name and number. Turns out we run the same pace… only she runs for twice as long. This weekend I’m looking to run 14 miles, 7 miles each day. She wants to do that in one run. One of these days I will get there!