Shoes are serious.

New running kicks! Love. Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13.

Now, while I’m the first to admitting that I can go a little crazier than needed on flats and wedges and boots…oooh, boots. Those shoes are important, but running shoes? So much more important. You need to take it serious. Why?

Darn injuries. Wander over to my search bar and enter “stress fracture.” That will get you up to date.

So for this reason, if you’re a beginner runner (who may not know better), an average runner (who may be too cheap or maybe just a little lazy), or even an advanced runner (who may be stuck in a shoe routine rut)––I wholeheartedly recommend getting fit for shoes.

Tonight I went for the third time to our local Fleet Feet in Winston-Salem. I wish that I had taken more photos to document, alas. More important things on the brain like shoes!

So. Why get fit?

– Everyone’s feet are different. (Are you flat footed? Do you have a high arch? Do you have weird toes? Ok, maybe less of the last one.)

– The way your feet are determine a little bit the way you walk and run. (Maybe you’re one of those golden “neutral” runners, but I bet a majority are under- or over-pronators; which means you roll your ankles a little inward or outward when you run. You may have no idea you do this. In fact, you’re probably totally unaware.)

– The way you walk or run affects your feet, your ankles, your legs and even your hips. (If your ankles are rolling around while you run, muscles are having to work harder than they should.)

– Shoes can affect your personal gait to make it more perfect.

Which all means, the right shoes mean no injuries and a faster, healthier you.

So, what to expect? That classic shiny silver foot measurement. I’m always appalled by this. I typically have totally average 8.5 sized feet. That’s totally normal. Impossible to find cute shoes in the sale section. But for running shoes? I’m a 9.5.

In regular shoes? I’m a regular.

In running shoes? Narrow is SO MUCH more comfortable. (Stop judging my long skinny feet, I can feel it.)

Lastly, I’m a little flat-footed which means that I roll my ankles outward a little more than usual when I run.

So that means I get some pretty sexy superfeet inserts and I get the foxy running shoes with a thicker sole (stability runners, total hot stuff material). Again, don’t judge.

But once you’re given some choices of shoes to try out, walk around the store in, and just as importantly to run on the treadmill in—it’s really easy to figure out which ones are best for you. They just fit right. Which means, they just feel right.

I’ve been an Asics loyalist (specifically the 2000 series) since I started running so tonight I felt a little bit like a cheater; but . . . I switched to Brooks. And these babies? They feel AWESOME. No more scary recovery runs where I keep wondering if I’m going to re-injure myself on the next step because there will no longer be that voice in the back of my head that says “You need other shoes!”

Here’s to running!

#runhappy