Since I started running in September, I've been using the same pair or sneakers, New Balance 1224s. I liked them, but the padding on them all but disappeared so I had to get a new pair. Milton suggested I go to Road Runner Sports because they could do an analysis of how I walk/run and recommend a sneaker.
First we went to the Garden State Plaza mall which, in retrospect, was maybe not the best thing to do on a Saturday during the holiday shopping season. Once we got to Road Runner, a nice teenage girl whose name I forgot the very moment she spoke it analyzed my gait. For the first part of the test, I had to walk barefoot on a mat; the second part had me running on a treadmill for about a minute. After that was done, Electra - that's the name I've given to the salesgirl - told me I had a very pronated gait. That, along with flatfootedness (it's a word!) meant I needed "motion control" sneakers i.e. the special ed sneakers.
But let me back up for a second. When Electra said I was flatfooted and had a pronated gait, she said it in the same way that one would say, "He stuck a rabid gerbil where?" or perhaps, "I can't believe OJ got away with murder." Her voice was a mixture of wonder and sheer horror, as if it a miracle I could even hobble into the store on my power. Electra didn't mean to be cruel, which only made it funnier that she was.
As I said, Electra determined that I needed motion control sneakers to correct for my Quasimodo-like gait. The other categories had at least 10 types of sneakers to choose from; I had 4. Ultimately, I chose the Beast by Brooke because I could feel the difference they made when I tried them on. When I went for a run yesterday, I was battling the wind and focusing on not being blown away so I didn't notice any changes in my feet, but today my the inside corners of my feet aren't sore like they usually are.
****
I ordered the SLR camera over the weekend. I usually buy myself a big Christmas present, lie to myself that it's a combination Christmas/birthday present, and then buy a separate birthday gift anyway. That isn't going to happen this year.