5,5km Speedwork.
Yesterday I decided I could not postpone my visit to a good running store anymore, so I put the kids in the car and off we went. Before talking about that though, I'd like to share a little bit of history of my running shoes. I bought my first pair at Fleet Feet in Davis, California (insert here big sigh). Without any fancy computer equipment, the guy assisting me just gave me a pair of shoes and send me in the street to run for a few meters while he was observing attentively. The verdict came quick and easy: I needed shoes with extra arch support, and he presented me with a pair of Asics GT2120. I didn't run much in those shoes, maybe even less than 100km, but I did walk a lot in them.
A few years later, when I was already living here in the Netherlands and I was carrying my son in a giant sized belly, I started having problems with my left foot. I though the time had come to replace my Asics, and went to a store nearby which supposedly also specializes (among many other sports) in running. A probably not-so-experienced sales representative made me step barefoot on a sort of foot-scanner, and decided (based on my footprint only) that my feet were perfectly neutral. That's how I ended up bringing home a pair of Nike Air Pegasus + 26. They were nice and comfortable, but my problems continued so I ended up seeing a podiatrist who confirmed the overpronation diagnosis. I'll skip the odissey with the podiatrist and custom made inserts... in the end I got some otc inserts with arch support specific for running, and that solved all the problems. Until now, that is.
And we finally get to yesterday and to my visit to the Loop Centrum (sorry, all in Dutch but there's pictures), which I can only define as a runner's paradise. It's all only about running and walking. You don't shop by yourself (unless you want to), you are accompanied by a sales representative and advised in all of your purchases. I was lucky to be assisted by one of the owners: he interviewed me for about 10 minutes about my running habits, had a look at my old shoes, had a look at my footprint (by means of a glass plate) and made me run on their indoor track equipped with high speed cameras just to confirm what he had already said by looking at shoes and feet. I do have a tendency to overpronate with both feet, but my Nike with the insert were enough to correct the defect on my left foot, it was the right one which needed more support. So why is my left knee hurting? Maybe running mostly on the right side of the road (must do that when I run with the stroller) has an influence on this... or maybe not... who knows. I went home with those shoes that you can see up there (Saucony Progrid Omni 10), a pair of winter pants and a headband (those that cover your ears and forehead, not those Bjorn Borg style). I'm ready for the winter runs!
The shoes were the only new purchase that I didn't use today (though the headband went flying in the stroller after 1km, it had served its purpose, thanks) because I want to walk a bit in them first and then I will gradually switch. I will probably try them on Sunday, I have a short run anyway.
No problems with my knee, by the way, and I think the type of workout helped with that: after the warmup I did a sort of "Galloway interval training", 1 minute running pretty much as fast as I could, and one minute walking. All good, let's see what happens on Sunday and if my time on the Magic Mile improves with the new shoes. You never know what a good Schoo can do for you.
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