Welcome back Blends! I hope you all had a marvelous weekend. I definitely did. Mom & Dad came to stay with us for the weekend to spend quality time & to help kick off the last week of my birthday celebration. (Did I ever mention that I actually like to celebrate the entire month of September, even though the real day isn’t until the 20th? :D) I mean, I’ve already started blowing out candles at restaurants…
But before Mom & Dad arrived, Hubbs took me to search for new running shoes, which yall know I desperately need after my running struggles. We decided to hit up the closest Fleet Feet.
What a FUN experience!
First, meet John. He was my super helpful sales associate.
He measured my foot two ways. First, without any pressure on my foot:
And the second time, while I was standing straight up.
Did you know your feet measure at different sizes depending on whether or not you are applying pressure (AKA standing up) on them?
Well, turns out mine don’t measure too differently. Mostly because I have very FLAT FEET.
Then John watched me walk and jog and within seconds said, “OK, you definitely over pronate. A lot.” which means I need some hard support underneath my arch to prevent my feet from falling inwards.
He also inquired if I have ever had ankle injuries, because my ankles actually shifted inward when I took steps in an odd way he says he doesn’t see very often. Interesting stuff!
I tried on 3 different suitable shoes for my foot “conditions”. Asics, Mizuno’s & Brooks.
I got to run around out back in each pair:
I narrowed it down pretty quickly to the Mizuno’s or the Brooks. To break the tie, I tried on one of each and ran with them out back on concrete.
WOW!! Only when I got to wear them both at the same time could I tell a MAJOR difference. The Brooks were lighter and I felt the road more (in a good way). I loved the way they felt. The Mizuno’s felt like they had more padding, were heavier and, honestly, felt a little like orthopedic shoes in comparison to Brooks. Decision made!
Saturday morning I decided to try out the new kicks by completing Day 3 of Week 7. Again, jogging for 25 minutes. I don’t know if it was the cool weather, the new shoes or the awesome company I had with me, but the jog was DO-able!! No cramps (slightly in my right side at the very end… but not bad!) and I completed the 25 minutes without stopping!
Victory!!
We celebrated with a delicious Whole Wheat Arnold Breakfast Sandwich with peppers fresh from the plant on my porch, onions, spinach & nitrate-free bacon!
The foot fun didn’t stop there!
Have you seen these?
They are the new(ish) Vibram Five Fingers!
And they are AWESOME.
I know they look kind of silly and I was making fun of Hubbs for wanting to try them on, but we were in REI Sunday and decided to both see what they felt like.
They are so difficult to describe, but as soon as I slipped them on, I felt like an animal. I wanted to run and jump and climb on things. The hard rubber bottom protected your feet, but you felt barefoot at the same time.
I won’t lie…. we’ll most likely both own a pair in the future. You can hike in these bad boys. And learn to run barefoot, which is a quickly-growing trend. Plus… they feel AWESOME.
Don’t knock ’em til you try ’em 🙂
One last pic of my fam, because I love them so much for driving up to spend the weekend with us!
What is your favorite brand of shoes?
Have you tried out the Vibram Five Fingers?
What do you think about the barefoot running trend?
Holly @ couchpotatoathlete says
My husband has Vibrams and wears them every day. He has a black pair that we wears with his suit for work — yes he wears them to work…
I think its funny that you mention that the Mizunos felt like orthopedic shoes compared to Brooks — all of the Brooks pairs I have tried feel like orthopedic shoes! I’m glad you found a pair you like!
Alexis says
I’m glad u went with Brooks- I’m on my 3rd pair and they’re amazing. When can we run together?!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
i’m getting some vibrams for my birthday and i can’t wait! i don’t know if i’ll ever be running consistently again, but i’m down with just walking in them!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston says
Glad you had a great weekend with your family and were able to get good running shoes!! The VIbram Five Fingers really intrigue me and I’ve never had the opportunity to try them on yet! I think I’d like them because I love being in my bare feet!
Nichole says
You should absolutely drag out your birthday celebration as long as possible!!
What an awesome weekend. And I’m glad you went for the Brooks, I felt the same way about shoes that were heavily padded. Glad you had such a custom fit!
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says
I love Brooks shoes too! Sounds like Feet Fleet is a great place to go to get sized!
Sarah for Real says
I need to check out the one acutal “running” store here in Spokane. I’m about 99% sure I am not in the right shoes. Congrats on your great run! I’m moving onto week 8 without doing that last week 7 run, doh! I’m a very bad virtual running buddy.
I don’t think I can participate in the barefoot running thing because I have one leg shorter than the other and wear a small wedge in my left shoe. Just like 3D movies, this is one trend that my body will not allow me to participate in 🙁 Sigh….
Maria @ Oh Healthy Day says
Yay! Congrats on your run! Sometimes it’s just simple small fixes to get you out there and your mojo on. I own those exact same pair of Vibrams and love them! I don’t run in them (yet, you need to build up the strength in your ankles and feet), but I use them to cross training. So comfy!
Alexa @ The Girl In Chucks says
Congrats on the new kicks! I really should go be properly fitted for running shoes…I just bought some off of the rack. Can you really feel the difference when you’re running?
Corey @ The Runner's Cookie says
Nothing like a new pair of running sneakers to jump start the motivation!! I’ll be curious how you like the Vibram’s if you end up buying them!
Marina says
I have also flat feet, and I use reebok, I’m pretty happy with them.
But I would love to try Vibrams!
Amy B @ Second City Randomness says
I always celebrate my birthday for the whole month. Why not? Just more reason to be happy and excited! 🙂
Love getting new running shoes! The difference is amazing. Every single time…
Natalie @ simply fit. simply clean. says
Very informative! I never know what to look for when buying sneakers. I just hope they’re comfortable and cute. Thanks!
Just found your blog through The Front Burner 🙂
TheHealthyApron says
I really want to try the Vibrams! I am all about exercise in the barefoot so I think these would be great!!
Happy early birthday!
Lisa @ I'm an Okie says
what happened to Georgia?! I wanted to cry for you!
Glad you found some running shoes you like–it will help in your runs a lot!
Linzi @ Destination 26.2 says
Yay for your new running shoes! I think happy feet indeed! I just got my new running shoes last week and couldn’t be happier. And happy month long birthday. I even go so far as celebrating my half-birthday! Any excuse for a celebration! LOL!
Michelle (Delightfully Dietetic) says
Yay for new shoes!
And the whole barefoot running thing is kinda strange in my opinion. I think I’d hate it. I hated the toe sock craze while I was in middle school haha
Leah @ Why Deprive? says
I love getting new shoes! 🙂 Im a Nike girl all the way. They fit my feet the best.
I’ve considered trying out the Vibrams – but theyre just so expensive!
Melissa says
I’ve seen a couple of people wearing the Vibrams at the gym. They look a bit silly, but if they aid in becoming a runner I may just become a fan. Now I need to see if we have any specialty running stores around here.
Jane says
Love my Brooks, but just bought some New Balance Rock & Tone shoes for walking.
Glad you had a great weekend with your Mom and Dad. Continue to enjoy Brittany Fest!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
No doubt it makes such a difference to have a professional help you find good running shoes! I’ve never tried the Five Finger shoes but a lot of people have them around campus. I heard they were awesome. 😛
Pure2raw Twins says
Good job in picking out great running shoes! I have not tried the Vibrams Five yet but I really want to!!! They look like they would be great for strengthening the feet and legs 😉
Angela (the diet book junkie) says
haha…happy early birthday!!
glad to hear you like your new shoes! i haven’t tried the 5 fingers yet, i’m still getting used to my Nike Free Runs, but they definitely help with the “heel striking” thing. my quads are very thankful for that:)
Tatum Greco says
The thing is, in life, tons of people know what to accomplish, but very few people in fact do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You need to do something
John (Fleet Feet guy) says
Glad the shoes are working for you! We enjoyed working with both of you. I’m glad you raised the question about barefoot running and Five Fingers. The latest barefoot running craze began with the book “Born to Run,” in which author Christopher McDougall studied the Tarahumara, a reclusive tribe living in north-central Mexico whose members run hundreds of miles in flimsy sandals. McDougall describes his own switch to barefoot running as something akin to a religious experience. The critical thing to remember is that for most people, running barefoot or in Five Fingers requires a complete change in how you run. Most of us, to some degree, land on our heels, then our feet roll forward until we push off from our toes. Running barefoot or in Five Fingers, you have to land on the balls of your feet, which creates sort of a prancing style for most runners. While we all have a natural heel pad in our feet, it’s not enough to absorb the full force of striking the ground when we run. That doesn’t mean barefoot running is good or bad. It’s just different.