Saturday was a big day, it was time to go get new running shoes. Now I know what you're thinking; "hey, you're not running at all, and you think you can retire a pair of shoes?" Well, yes and no. It's true, I have not done any running in a long time. My Garmin Connect Brooks Ghost 9 meter still reads 86%. So, yes, I still have about 14% of life (that is about 55 miles), and yes, that 14% is not going to come off in a week's worth of runs once I do get back.
My wife and I were going to visit my daughter at UMass Medical School in Worcester, so I decided it would be a good time to cash in my birthday gift card at Marathon Sports in Shrewsbury, which is about a 15 minute run from her house. I walked in about an hour before closing to find two other shoppers testing various running shoes and opining on said equipment. I figured I was in for a wait so, eyes fixed on the running shoe display wall, I dug in and mustered some patience when I was greeted by a smile and a "can I help you?" I pointed to the other clientele, demonstrating that I was the last in line when Mr. Salesman quickly surmised that everyone is well taken care of and I was "in the blocks."
I told Mr. Salesman that I currently have a pair of Ghost 9s and they were the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever had and if he could recommend something similar for my next pair of shoes. "Well," he said, "let's start with the obvious. Why don't you try a pair of Brooks Ghost tens? What is your size?"
He brought out the Ghosts and I quickly tried them on. Mr. Salesman assessed the fit even before I started to walk around. "They look a little snug. Are your current pair 10.5's?" he asked. I told him yes, and that I have been wearing 10.5's since I started running. "Hmm," you know, the kind of "hmm" that signals some kind of concern. "I have another Brooks shoe that is similar to the Ghost. Let me get some in a size 11. I'll bring out a few other similar shoes you can try on" said Mr. Salesmen, and off to the abyss of the back room he went.
It gave me a little time to think. No other running shoe salesmen has ever said that the size of my shoes is too small. Heck, I haven't even realized that my shoes have been too small. I thought that that cramped feeling was the way it was supposed to be. Granted, some of my shoes have been more cramped than others, and I can not say that any injury or soreness was caused by shoe size. Anyway, I guess it couldn't hurt to try a size up and see what happens.
Mr. Salesmen comes back with a pair of Nikes, a pair of New Balance, and the Brooks that he was referring to, a pair of black Brooks Glycerin 15's. I tried them on, and, to my amazement, they felt just as good as my old pair of Ghosts, with one exception. They felt less cramped. Not too loose. Not too tight. My test run around the parking lot went smoothly, again with the shoes feeling fine. I told Mr. Salesmen how good they felt and he offered to have me try one more pair of shoes, a pair of Hoka One Ones. (If you are not familiar with running shoes, Hokas look like a cross between a balloon and astronaut boots) I had a test run, but still the Brooks felt much better. Sold.
Things started to get busy in store, it looked like a bunch of high school kids came in wanting gear at the last minute, so I really did not get a chance to thank Mr. Salesmen. And to be fair, I still have not actually had a run in these new shoes, so for all I know they could still be duds. But I think that Mr. Salesmen went above and beyond to help me out, knowing full well that I am no way any kind of elite runner. So let me thank you here. Mr. Salesmen at the Shrewsbury Marathon Sports store, thanks for your helpfulness, patients, kindness, and professional acumen. See you when I retire these shoes!
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