Go to the back of your closet or the trunk of your car and find your running shoes or, more specifically the shoes that you plan to wear while running The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. Shoes that you run in may not be running shoes.
We’ll wait while you search.
Got ’em? Good.
Turn the shoes over.
Is the sole rubbed off on either one? Can you see any cushioning?
It’s time to get a new pair of running shoes.
Are there uneven wear spots on the soles?
It’s time to get a new pair of running shoes.
Otherwise, you could be in some pain by the time you run/walk the 6.2 miles of the race. Keep in mind that’s the minimum distance you will travel. By the time the day is done you likely will have covered 10 miles in the walk to the starting line, the walk from the finish line to your car, etc.
So, go get fitted for a new shoe with this piece of advice reverberating into your soul (or soles) from Amy Begley, coach of the Atlanta Track Club, which organizes the Peachtree Road Race:
“Don’t go for color; go for what fits,” the Olympian said.
Fitting is the crucial part.
While it’s easy to go the nearest sporting goods store, pick out the shoe that will match your race-day outfit and wear it around the store for a few minutes before buying it, that’s not the wisest plan.
There are several things wrong with the scenario, including that you could be shopping in the morning when your feet haven’t expanded yet to their largest size, which is when shoes should be bought.
Wearing them for only a few minutes in the store could mask some aspect of the shoe — such as a seam on the inside — that can become a blister-booster before you even get to the Peachtree starting line at Lenox Square.
Also, you aren’t a professional shoe-fitter. The shoe may seem OK at the time because the colors are pretty, or your kids like the laces, or the price is right, or the TV advertisement was cool, but if the shoes are too snug, too loose, too narrow, too wide, or don’t offer the right support, everything from the bottom of your feet to your back could be in pain by the time you get to the Peachtree finish line at Piedmont Park.
“It’s best to go to a specialty running store and get fitted,” Begley said. “Almost all of the stores have treadmills or foot sensors. Everyone there has been trained to put you in a shoe that’s best for you.”
Different stores will match shoes to your feet in different ways.
Some will use technology that you stand on to get a sense of where you apply pressure to help you get started. Others will use the trained eye of the sales representative to see how your feet strike the floor as you run, and then will help you decide on a shoe that fits your needs both aesthetically, practically and, in some cases, emotionally. Sales representative at other stores will use a combination of technology and experience. You likely will try on several shoes until you find the one that fits perfectly. You will hear words and phrases like pronate, strike point and foot fall.
A good shoe should last between 300-400 miles, which is several months of running for those who don’t engage in marathon distances.
The experience — from examining your feet to trying out the shoes by running on a treadmill or on a quick jog in the store — shouldn’t take more than an hour — not a bad investment of time to be comfortable.
“It’s definitely time well spent,” Begley said.
Breaking in the shoe shouldn’t take long, especially if it’s a model that you currently wear. The process can be done by wearing the shoes around your home or office for a few days, or by going on a few training runs. If it’s a new model or manufacturer, give yourself more time to break in the shoes.
Begley advises you not to wait until July 3 to buy a pair of shoes. There won’t be time to break them in before the race, and she couldn’t think of any quick-fix ideas to break them in before the race.
Now, about those socks….
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