RUNNING SHOE TRY ON SESH AT THE RUNNING PLACE

It's that time of year again and I am giddy. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the local trails are bustling. It's the spring and every spring, I love to get new running shoes. New running sneakers not only give me a spring in my step, but they help to push me out the door on my runs! They are an investment for sure, but the right sneaker is so important to prevent injury. I should probably go more than once a year, but I usually ramp up my running in early spring so that tends to be when I get around to getting my new kicks. (You are supposed to get new sneakers every 300-500 miles. I know I am well past that in my current shoes because I can really feel it in my toes. Not good, Brooke).

I love the running stores that take the time and care to examine your feet, your walk and your stride. Over the past few years, out of sheer convenience, I would order the same sneaker online or go to some unnamed chain store (not gonna rat them out) and quickly purchase a sneaker without much guidance. Today, I had a babysitter at the house with the kids and time to spend to find the right shoe. I was in luck because I quickly discovered that I was in the right place ... The Running Place in Newtown Square. 

The Running Place offers appointments, a byproduct of Covid-era safety measures. I did not have an appointment and got lucky because only ten minutes after I sat down to get started, the store filled up. Each salesperson is paired with only one customer at a time at their spaced out stations, which are positioned around the perimeter of the store. The non-planners without an appointment or waiting for a salesperson are asked to wait in their car or outside the store. So I recommend making an appointment and not risking it like I unknowingly did. There are sanitizing stations all over the store and I was asked to Purell up at the door before I entered. Yellow arrows mark the floor to keep the flow of the store in one direction when running and testing out the shoes. Call it Covid Feng Shui!

My try-on station; the yellow tape around the store to mark the store flow

I was paired up with Jen, a very knowledgeable gal who shared a passion for running. Bill, one of the store's owners, stopped by to show me how the shoes are organized along the back wall. Sneakers are grouped by the type of arch and the type of support required: neutral, control or support. Maybe I was sleeping all of the other times that I shopped for running shoes, but I have never seen this before. It makes so much sense. I should only be looking at shoes that support my neutral foot. Mind blown! (Today, I did try on a shoe from another group and I noticed the difference right away.) I'm not going to go into the details of the three types of feet because I'm not the expert and I'm sure I would mess it up. So if you are curious, go see the experts at The Running Place! All I know is that I have a neutral foot, which basically means that I do not require that much arch support from my sneakers when I run. And the sneakers that I have been running in for my entire life (ASICS Gel Nimbus and the Brooks Glycerin) properly support a neutral foot... phew.

I gave Jen my preferences, showed her my current shoes and gave her the list of  brands that I wanted to try (based on this community's awesome recommendations). And, we were off to the races. Some of the recommendations weren't the right type for my neutral foot, but Jen offered to bring them out anyway so I could compare. I'm telling you, such an educational experience.

I started out with the Brooks sneakers because well, Brooke loves her Brooks! The new Ghosts and Glycerins both increased their cushion level this year and this is why I love these shoes for my distance running. I tried on the Ghosts 13 and Glycerin 19 and continue to love my Glycerins-- light and cushioned. 

Brooks Ghosts (gray) and Glycerin (black)

Jen also brought out the New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11 because this shoe feels like pillows. I have never been a New Balance person and while I liked these shoes and recommend them if you are, I preferred the Brooks to these. 

Next, I tried on the Hoka because I want to be a fan. My running buddy, Lori, runs in Hokas and loves them. In fact, everyone who runs in Hokas, loves them. But, they are a different type of shoe, for sure. I tried on the Hoka Bondi first, which has the most cushion of the Hokas. People who are on their feet all day swear by this shoe. It is light and airy but it is A LOT of shoe. They looked and felt like moon boots on my size 9 feet (with all running shoes, I size up to a 10 or a 10.5-- the rule of thumb for running shoes is to have a half thumb nail to a full thumb nail of space between the big toe and the top of the shoe. If you don't follow this rule, you are going to lose that big toenail. I speak from experience of my younger running days). So I tried the Hoka Clifton 7, which have less cushion than the Bondi, but still accurately known for being "marshmallows under your feet".

Hoka Bondi (light blue) Hoka Clifton (navy)

So here comes the exciting part... I went off script a bit. I tried on the Asics Kayano, part of the "support" shoe group (not my foot category). This shoe has a more supportive arch than what I need and I totally felt the difference. That being said, I really liked these shoes. They hugged my feet and looked "cute" (which is not an easy feat with my size feet). I ran outside the store in these. And I got to run outside in all of my favorites. I love that they let me do this. It helped in my decision making because I was definitely confused at this point -- I liked almost all of the shoes for different reasons. And while some people alternate between five pairs of running shoes, that seems like a complexity that I don't need in my life right now. (With three kids home, I need to simplify, simplify, simplify).

ASICS Gel Nimbus (black) ASICS Kayano (navy) and I tried both at the same time for the ultimate side-by-side ASICS comparison.

So those were the pairs I was deciding between for my cushiony distance running sneaks. Somewhere in the mix, I tried on the Saucony Endorphin with Speedroll Technology for fun. I can do a whole separate post on these shoes alone, and I may just do that as I run in them. But here's the speedy deal with these babies... they are designed to make you fast. The Endorphins are part of the new "plated" shoe category, the latest running shoe trend (after the barefoot running trend fizzled). The carbon fiber plate in these shoes is supposed to push the body to run faster and more efficiently. Now, if you have ever run with me, you can attest to the fact that I am a slow ass runner. So I was a little skeptical. But, when I put these on and tested them out, I felt a bounce in my step and that bounce definitely moved me along. All of the sudden, for the first time in my life, I felt fast! How freaking cool!

Saucony Endorphins

So what did I leave with? I feel great about my purchase because the three shoes I got are all so different, which will spice up my runs. 

🏃The Brooks Glycerin 19. I am loyal to this shoe and it's been a favorite of mine for a reason. These will be my long distance running shoes...again.

🏃The Hoka Clifton 7. They are so different from my Brooks. I want to love them like everyone else. I plan on using these for my less long runs until I am used to them.

🏃And the Saucony Endorphin Pro because I didn't think it was possible for a shoe to give me speed, but we live in the era of awesome science (yay, Covid vaccine). These are going to be the shoes I use for those Peloton Outdoor HIIT and interval runs when I only have 20-30 minutes to get one in. Get ready Lori, I'm going to dust you! 

Perfect retail therapy for a week stuck at home during spring break! The Running Place will now be my place. There is a reason the store is currently celebrating their 20 year anniversary. People love this store, and rightfully so. I enjoyed spending time with Jen. She was not only very knowledgeable and passionate (she was a customer here first) but she had great ideas to share. She taught me how to do this special shoe tie for my left foot (which is smaller than my right foot) that tightly ties the shoe around my left ankle for added support on my smaller foot. Check out my Instagram post with a full video on Jen's method (there is a proper name for it, but I'm just going with "Jen's Method"). 

I also learned about The Running Place's pre-Covid Running Club that used to meet once a week (with a community of 30-60 runners!) to run 3-5 miles around the neighborhood behind the store. Best part, the owners of the store treat the runners to beer and pizza after. The past year has taught me to value community more than ever before. If a committed group of sixty loyal and enthusiastic customers running together every week and then enjoying pizza and beer together isn't a community, then I don't know what is! I can't wait till The Running Place resumes their Running Club because guess who will be there every week enjoying a run and some pizza and beer-- this girl!