Cinderella and the Mesh Synthetic Leather Slipper

I have feet like big boat paddles. They are wide, tough and more often than not, kind of clammy. Gross, I know, feel bad for my dad who is forced to rub them when I go home.

My paddle feet need comfortable shoes for the many miles they endure. I'm partial to Saucony Pro Grid Trigon 5 shoes, but to my shock and dismay (okay, not really shock and dismay - more like disappointment) they are discontinuing this model. So I will order the last in the stock, and hopefully two pairs will get me through my race schedule in January.

When shopping for running shoes, there are a couple of things to pay attention to:

-Arch Support
(do you have flat, medium or high arches)

-Stability
(do you pronate, meaning, does your foot fall sideways and put extra stress on your knees)

-Material
(what type of running will you be doing? What surfaces? What distances?)

-Width
(do you need a wider style shoe? Yes please!)

And once you've answered all of those questions and had a gait evaluation by someone in the store --they watch you walk-- then you can choose your color. That's right, the look of the shoe comes last. I've had lime green, light blue and orange shoes. None by choice, I am at the mercy of the companies who make the shoes.

A pair of shoes can last anywhere between 300-500 miles before they wear out. It depends on the surface and it depends on your feet. Shoes nowadays are much more durable even though they seem so lightweight. I change my shoes out around 400 miles, unless I get into a horrendous mud fight with a big puddle (Hawaii Marathon), in which case I retire them at around 300.

You should get your gait re-analyzed every other pair because your running form can change over time. I usually order a pair online every other time. I go Arch and Sole in Hollywood/Fairfax for my in-store needs.

With the trail run races coming up (one in Sept and one way off next April) I'll be getting a pair of trail shoes. I've read that Brooks makes some nice, lightweight shoes for ultra runners. I'll check them out and report back this fall.

Image: Sportpower.blogspot.com