Friday Tri: How to Enter a Running Store
The first time I walked into a running store, I was a little nervous. I've seen people walking into a running store for the first time on numerous occasions since then and I see the same nervousness in their eyes. So, let me help you.
When you enter a running store, you will see racks of sporty clothes, running shorts, bra and shirts. You may have to walk through these in order to get to the back of the store, where the actual running shoes are located. You may also see other running paraphernelia such as water bottles, water bottle holders, sports gels and other foods, watches and GPS, heart rate monitors, sunglasses, and nipple guards and sunscreen. Do not get distracted. Walk toward the running shoes. These are the foundation of your running experience. Everything else is more advanced. You are a beginner. The shoes are what you need. You will understand these other tools as you grow in the force.
As you enter a good running store, you may also wait at the door for a few moments, as if in confusion. If the store is especially busy, you may have to walk yourself over to the shoes. I find that if I go during the day, I will usually be greeted by a salesperson. Do not be discouraged by this. I hate salespeople in many situations. When you go car shopping, you cannot avoid a salesperson if you want to drive a car. In a shoe store, I suppose it might feel the same way. You might worry that a salesperson will pressure you and you think you are perfectly capable of looking through the shoes yourself and finding the pair you want and asking for your size. Please do not do this. You don't know what shoes you want. You don't know what size you need. You know nothing. You must allow yourself to be handled by the experts.
A good running store will likely have someone who can put you on a computerized analysis of both your stride and your arch. I have a high arch and so does my husband. We both wear neutral shoes. But the perfect shoes for me are not going to be the perfect shoes for you. A good running store will also explain to you how many sizes up from your regular shoe size you should buy, based on what you are planning to do, how many miles per day or week, what race you are training for. The longer your race, the larger the shoe you should buy to compensate for the swelling in your feet.
Warning! I am not an expert in this. When people who are friends ask me what shoe they should buy, I shake my head. They need to go to a local running store to get the right shoe, not to me. Don't buy on-line. Even if you know what you think you want to get, don't do it. Support your local running store, who is a leader behind most local races. And you never know when they will surprise you. After having bought the same shoe for about four years, a running store expert recommended a new shoe for me and I have absolutely loved it for the last several months. There is new stuff coming out all the time. No one who isn't in the business can keep track of it all. So go let yourself be pampered.
The next thing you should know is that a good pair of running shoes will cost you $100+. Don't go to a running store unless you are prepared to spend that much. Don't start running unless you can invest in shoes. If you can't afford that (and believe me, I have been there) you are better off walking. Do not run without the proper shoes. You will injure yourself and hate running and then you will blame me and tell everyone you know how running is terrible and convince them not to try, too. It's not because you're old that running hurts. It's because you don't have the right shoes and you're not starting slowly and small enough. Or it's because you have an injury.
OK, after you have found the perfect shoes--which are, by the way, the shoes that simply feel the best. Good running shoes don't need to be broken in. They are ready to run in the first day. If they don't feel right, take them back. Note: a good running store will let you exchange them. They probably can't sell them again, except as clearance, but they want your business and they will make you happy. If they don't, they're not a good running store. Now, you need to get proper running socks. You will pay about $5 a pair for good running socks. They will have NO cotton in them. If you don't know what the socks have, ask the running store experts. They will steer you away from cotton socks because they tend to cause blisters when wet.
With running shoes, and socks, you are ready to begin. You can wear any old sweat pants and T-shirt you want. As you get faster, you will sweat more. Yes, that is a funny reality. The best runners sweat more than the worse runners because they need to in order to get rid of the body heat they create while running. Cotton T-shirts are lousy when wet, but until you are running at full speed for more than 40 minutes, a cotton T-shirt is probably fine. All the other stuff is for when you have been at it for more than a year or so. You'll get to know the store employees by name and they'll start giving you information as you need it. Or ask, if you're curious.
A good pair of running shoes lasts for 400-500 miles, they say. My experience has been that I need two pair of shoes, one slightly older that I use for shorter runs, and one new pair that I take out for runs longer than 20 miles when I'm going to need a lot of support. I also have a pair that I've retired from running that I use to walk around running errands. Do not use your good running shoes except for running. Believe me, they will still be in good shape once they're no longer useful for running. But save them. It will save your legs and your feet. If you end up with a lot of running shoes you can't use, you can donate them. Most stores have a bin for the homeless. No one wants to run in shoes that have a useless cushion, but you can walk on them just fine.
I once was in a running store when a guy came in and refused to be helped. He then looked around at the running shoes, complained loudly that there was "no selection" here and walked out. The selection at the store was enormous, over 100 pairs of shoes. My guess was that he wanted a selection of cheaper shoes. Good running stores don't stock cheap shoes because they won't create runners, only people who complain about running. So please, don't be that guy.
.
Next week: How to enter a specialty bike shop
When you enter a running store, you will see racks of sporty clothes, running shorts, bra and shirts. You may have to walk through these in order to get to the back of the store, where the actual running shoes are located. You may also see other running paraphernelia such as water bottles, water bottle holders, sports gels and other foods, watches and GPS, heart rate monitors, sunglasses, and nipple guards and sunscreen. Do not get distracted. Walk toward the running shoes. These are the foundation of your running experience. Everything else is more advanced. You are a beginner. The shoes are what you need. You will understand these other tools as you grow in the force.
As you enter a good running store, you may also wait at the door for a few moments, as if in confusion. If the store is especially busy, you may have to walk yourself over to the shoes. I find that if I go during the day, I will usually be greeted by a salesperson. Do not be discouraged by this. I hate salespeople in many situations. When you go car shopping, you cannot avoid a salesperson if you want to drive a car. In a shoe store, I suppose it might feel the same way. You might worry that a salesperson will pressure you and you think you are perfectly capable of looking through the shoes yourself and finding the pair you want and asking for your size. Please do not do this. You don't know what shoes you want. You don't know what size you need. You know nothing. You must allow yourself to be handled by the experts.
A good running store will likely have someone who can put you on a computerized analysis of both your stride and your arch. I have a high arch and so does my husband. We both wear neutral shoes. But the perfect shoes for me are not going to be the perfect shoes for you. A good running store will also explain to you how many sizes up from your regular shoe size you should buy, based on what you are planning to do, how many miles per day or week, what race you are training for. The longer your race, the larger the shoe you should buy to compensate for the swelling in your feet.
Warning! I am not an expert in this. When people who are friends ask me what shoe they should buy, I shake my head. They need to go to a local running store to get the right shoe, not to me. Don't buy on-line. Even if you know what you think you want to get, don't do it. Support your local running store, who is a leader behind most local races. And you never know when they will surprise you. After having bought the same shoe for about four years, a running store expert recommended a new shoe for me and I have absolutely loved it for the last several months. There is new stuff coming out all the time. No one who isn't in the business can keep track of it all. So go let yourself be pampered.
The next thing you should know is that a good pair of running shoes will cost you $100+. Don't go to a running store unless you are prepared to spend that much. Don't start running unless you can invest in shoes. If you can't afford that (and believe me, I have been there) you are better off walking. Do not run without the proper shoes. You will injure yourself and hate running and then you will blame me and tell everyone you know how running is terrible and convince them not to try, too. It's not because you're old that running hurts. It's because you don't have the right shoes and you're not starting slowly and small enough. Or it's because you have an injury.
OK, after you have found the perfect shoes--which are, by the way, the shoes that simply feel the best. Good running shoes don't need to be broken in. They are ready to run in the first day. If they don't feel right, take them back. Note: a good running store will let you exchange them. They probably can't sell them again, except as clearance, but they want your business and they will make you happy. If they don't, they're not a good running store. Now, you need to get proper running socks. You will pay about $5 a pair for good running socks. They will have NO cotton in them. If you don't know what the socks have, ask the running store experts. They will steer you away from cotton socks because they tend to cause blisters when wet.
With running shoes, and socks, you are ready to begin. You can wear any old sweat pants and T-shirt you want. As you get faster, you will sweat more. Yes, that is a funny reality. The best runners sweat more than the worse runners because they need to in order to get rid of the body heat they create while running. Cotton T-shirts are lousy when wet, but until you are running at full speed for more than 40 minutes, a cotton T-shirt is probably fine. All the other stuff is for when you have been at it for more than a year or so. You'll get to know the store employees by name and they'll start giving you information as you need it. Or ask, if you're curious.
A good pair of running shoes lasts for 400-500 miles, they say. My experience has been that I need two pair of shoes, one slightly older that I use for shorter runs, and one new pair that I take out for runs longer than 20 miles when I'm going to need a lot of support. I also have a pair that I've retired from running that I use to walk around running errands. Do not use your good running shoes except for running. Believe me, they will still be in good shape once they're no longer useful for running. But save them. It will save your legs and your feet. If you end up with a lot of running shoes you can't use, you can donate them. Most stores have a bin for the homeless. No one wants to run in shoes that have a useless cushion, but you can walk on them just fine.
I once was in a running store when a guy came in and refused to be helped. He then looked around at the running shoes, complained loudly that there was "no selection" here and walked out. The selection at the store was enormous, over 100 pairs of shoes. My guess was that he wanted a selection of cheaper shoes. Good running stores don't stock cheap shoes because they won't create runners, only people who complain about running. So please, don't be that guy.
.
Next week: How to enter a specialty bike shop
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