Incentiveator #2

Incentiveator #2-- Go to your local really awesome running shop.

In new york, it's Jack Rabbit hands down. In Boston, Marathon Sports. Feel free to name your store in other cities.

I know what you're thinking. A shoe is a shoe is a shoe. You're right...kinda. Full disclosure, I ran on New Balances (the 990 series) for about 6 years. And I was happy with them. I picked that shoe because it was really cushiony and had a wide toe-box. Both of these things matter a great deal when one has a mangled left foot that looks more like the state of New Jersey (in the shape of the state, it's much more attractive than the landscape...), but I had never had the professional treatment. When I started all this running craziness this winter, I went out and finally bought "Happy Feet," an insole that really made a difference. I noticed an immediate difference on those-- so I didn't really think that a Jack Rabbit trip would make a big difference.

Note-- so far I've said I felt good a lot. My pain issues (when I had them) were toe pain (in the big toe of the left foot), knee soreness (on occasion), and tightness in the ankles and hamstrings (kind of all the time). None of these kept me off the roads except the ankle in 2006.

I don't mean to sound like a commercial, but what impressed me most about Jack Rabbit was the fact that the first sales woman could not diagnose my running style well enough, but she sought help. After 5 pairs of shoes, she brought in another guy who worked with us-- and he really knew his stuff. Why is this important? Cause they care-- perhaps too much. Too much to let me walk out with the wrong shoe or to lose me because none of those shoes were as good as my NBs. This hand-holding is a style thing-- if you want to be in and out, this is not friend. But then, this guy made a rec and I found my new shoes.

I'm saving the name of the shoes for the next article, but for now, just know that it really is a personal fit thing. In retrospect, it reminds me a lot of how jeans fit. Not everybody can wear low-rises. And sometimes the baggy ones ain't workin. When you find the ones that make you feel good, well-- you see where this is going.

My new shoes are peanut-butter Puffins in chocolate milk good (think about it-- yeah, that's delicious). More on this tomorrow or the next day.