New Shoes

Last night after work I headed to my local Sears to see what kind of running shoes they had. I was hoping to find a pair of Avias because they are cheap and because I have run hundreds of miles in Avias without injury.

There were several decent looking Avia running shoes for under $35. I tried on the pair I liked the best. Too tight in the toes. I tried on a different style. Too high in the arch. I then tried on a very girly looking pink striped pair. Too narrow and too heavy. They claimed to be running shoes. They felt more like trail shoes. I guess Avia has changed their design, and not for the better.

New Balance 750 running shoes.

I then moved on to the Asics line which ran between $45 and $85. Nope. Didn’t like any of them. I’ve never liked the fit of Asics. Reebok -- too much plastic. They look like little kid shoes. Nike -- too expensive for what they are and nothing in my size. That left New Balance. The one pair I liked felt funny over the toes. I walked around in them for a few minutes, then put them back. It was beginning to look like I’d have to go shoe shopping elsewhere. Then I decided to try on these flimsy looking black and pink NBers. This shoe was so light it was like a ballet slipper. Not that I’ve ever held a ballet slipper. I found my size and tried them on. OMG. What a comfortable shoe! When no one was looking, I hopped around and squatted down to bend the toes and put the shoes through a workout. Had it not been for my sore calf muscle, I might have done a quick jog around the store. The place was dead. The price tag was $44. That was a little more than I wanted to spend, but I had a 15% off coupon. And these shoes fit perfect. Half my running wardrobe is already bright pink so what’s a little more? The final cost, after tax, was $39.

When I got home, I looked the shoes up on-line. Most people gave them favorable reviews. Only a few people said they were the worst shoe ever. And New Balance shoes are made in the USA. I can’t believe I didn’t know that. I hate buying products made by third world slave labor (Nike). I’m all for people having jobs, but not at 20 cents an hour so the CEOs at the top (Nike) can get richer and the consumers can pay outrageous prices.

Hopefully I can take the shoes out for a short run later today. Not sure why, but there’s something exciting about trying out new running shoes.