5 Tips to Finding Your Next Pair of Running Shoes

Looking for your next pair of running shoes? My best advice is to go in and get fitted by your local running store. I've worked in the running specialty business for more than three years now. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of getting your next perfect shoe.

Photo taken by John Knepper. 

1. Be Open Minded

When you walk into your local running store, do so with an open mind. Get rid of any old thoughts about brands or what you have read or heard about brands at the door. A majority of shoe companies change their shoes every year, so what worked for you last year might not work for you this year. Most companies are also trying to create the best running shoe out there. If you only limit yourself to one brand or one particular shoe, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities. You don't know what you don't know if you never try it.

2. Be Honest

Whoever ends up helping you needs to know what is going on with your feet. If you are experiencing an injury anywhere from the lower back down, let them know. The more information they know the better they can help you. Tell them what you are using the shoes for, whether it's running, walking, at work where you are on your feet all day, or just a good every day shoe. I also recommend bringing in your old shoes to show them. They can see what brand you have been wearing, your wear pattern on the bottom of the shoe and get your feedback on your last pair of shoes.

3. Take Your Time

We are not fast food. Don't come in when you have to be somewhere soon. Most fittings take 15 to 30 minutes, but some do take longer. Most people regret buying shoes when they are in a hurry. I recommend trying on 3-5 pairs of shoes from different brands and spending a few minutes in each to see how they feel. Take the time to make the right decision. Your feet will thank you.

4. Get Measured

Every time you buy a shoe you should get your foot measured. Feet will change throughout your whole life. They can change width or length. It's also very common that women's feet change during or after pregnancy. Remember, you want to get a shoe that is a full size bigger than what you measure at to accommodate for swelling and going downhill. There needs to be a good thumb-nail size between your biggest toe and the front of the shoe. If you are walking in the shoe, you could get away with maybe a half size up from what you measure, but swelling does apply to you as well, especially if you are in the shoe all day and are on your feet a lot.

5. Chose Comfort Over Color

Sadly, most shoes are not pretty. Not every shoe comes in every color and most stores don't carry more than 1 to 3 color options in shoes. You will also see companies creating the same colored shoes because they follow the same fashion trends on colors. Sometimes they will make brightly colored shoes which are designed for safety. The brighter you are the more someone is likely to notice you when you are out and about. Comfort is key when looking for a shoe. If it doesn't feel good when you try it on, chances are they won't feel good later. If you choose an uncomfortable shoe you are less likely to wear it, which would prevent you from working out or going for a run. Then you would have paid that money on something you won't wear. Don't let your shoes be the reason you don't achieve your goals.

Finding My Solemate

I've heard from a lot of people that when you stop looking for something it finds you. So I stopped. I had given up on the whole happiness thing. The idea that you can find someone who is your other half, but then he walked through my door.

This is Garry Gribble's Running Sports. This is where I work.

I was working in my running store, when this guy walks in looking for running shoes. I was instantly intrigued by him. I had seen him in before and I even sold him some shoes. However, we never took the time to talk to each other and this time was different. We talked.

I started the fitting process. I asked him what he was training for and his answer really surprised me. He was trying to qualify for the Olympic trails for the marathon distance. I mean, who says that? That right there made me instantly attracted to him. That is a lot of dedication and hard work for a goal as big as that one. He wanted a couple pairs of shoes. One to train in and another to race in. I panicked slightly, because I didn't have any racing flats in store, but knew I could order them. He always wears adidas. So that's what we got him. Two pairs for Grandma's Marathon. I checked him out at the register and got his name. Josh. After he left, I added him on Facebook. He apparently didn't get the hint. It wasn't until we met again that we finally started to talk.

I was racing the Skyline Shuffle 5k at Clinton Lake a few weeks after I had met him. I was talking to some people at the finish line, when I see a pair of shoes running the opposite direction of people trying to finish. I recognized those shoes. Adidas Supernovas. It was Josh. There he goes running with split shorts and his shoes. I waved at him and yelled, "Hi Josh!" He kept running. That's when he messaged me on Facebook. 

This is my 3rd place female trophy for the Skyline Shuffle. I sent this picture to Josh when he messaged me that night.

It took a couple of weeks and I finally had to ask him out. He said yes and we went out the next day. Our first date was amazing and really all we needed to realize that we were the perfect pair. We went to each other's races, went on road trips, moved in and adopted a dog! We adopted Nova from our local shelter. She is named after the adidas Supernova shoes that I sold Josh when we first met. 

This is Nova's gotcha day! The first thing we did is bring her to the store. Photo courtesy of John Knepper.

Shortly after we adopted Nova, Josh planned a night out at Clinton Lake to watch the sunset. I was closing that day at the store. We were about to lock the doors when a last minute family came in looking for some help. Of course, we helped them. By the time I made it home and Josh and I drove out at the lake, the sun was already setting. We walked down to my favorite spot on the Blue Trail. It was already twilight. Josh and I were looking out in the lake. He was holding me and telling me how much he loved me. Suddenly, I turn around and there he is on one knee. Of course I said "Yes!" Then my parents popped out of the bushes to surprise me! They had been waiting there the whole time. 

My dad took this photo right after I said "Yes!" to Josh's proposal. 

Since then we have tied the knot! It was the best day of our lives We both wore the first running shoes we had when we first met. Josh was wearing a custom made adidas Supernovas in our wedding colors. I wore an all white Hoka Hupanas. We were very comfortable throughout our wedding. Now I have my running partner for life! 

I found my Solemate. Photo courtesy of Wandering Stars Wedding Photography. 

Playing the question game with our shoes. Photo courtesy of Wandering Stars Wedding Photography.

What do you do to celebrate your marriage? You throw a 5k and 10k race the next day for all your family and friends. This is our first race as husband and wife!

Photo courtesy of John Knepper. 

The Hawk

It's been more than two years since I ran the Hawk Marathon for the first time.  I've been holding off on writing this post because it was one of those days you don't want to forget. I think each time I tried to write this post, I got this fear that I would never be able to have a race that was this amazing again.  This weekend on September 10, 2016 at Clinton Lake ended up being one of my favorites in my life. Let me tell you why.

Prior to race day, Lawrence experienced a little bit of rain. Enough for the race directors to make a tough but fair call to move the race to the road. They made the announcement at the spaghetti feed the night before race day. At first I was a little worried. I had kept most of my mileage on the North Shore Trails and had avoided pavement. I also had no road shoes. However, despite my initial concerns, my mind changed to go with the flow.

The spaghetti feed was delicious and it was great to see all my wonderful new trail running friends I had made throughout the last half year. I really enjoyed spending some trail time with many people I would be running with the next day. After a quick drive through the new course, it was time to go to bed.

I woke up just before my alarm went off. It was race day! I got up early so that I could wish my friends who were running the Hawk 100 or 50 miler good luck. I got dressed and put my trail shoes on for luck. Those runners were starting an hour earlier than us. With some photos and lots of laughter to pass the hour, it was finally time to get to the starting line.

Prerace photo with my LTH friends that were running the Hawk Marathon.

The starting line was at Shelter 2 and basically to get in the full marathon distance you had to run almost every single road along the Clinton State Park. There were many marathoners as we all huddled along the starting line. Suddenly, the count down had begun and we were off!

I took the first part of it slow, telling myself not to go out like an asshole. As we made our way around the shelters and further in the park, I kept my distance from all the faster people. I knew that they were about to encounter the first giant hill of the course. I had run this hill a few times during the summer at the Lawrence Trail Hawks Wednesday night hill repeats. I knew that if I kept a solid stride and kept my breath steady, I would make it up the hill with no trouble. As I made my descent I could see all the others ahead of me. I just watched as the other runners went way too fast. After the hill, I made my way down to the Marina Road. I had never been down to Marina before this point. You have to go down a steep hill, which I knew I was going to have to come back up shortly. As I'm making my way around the marina, I started singing "All Star" by Smash Mouth. I wasn't one for singing usually, but there I was in such a good mood. I finally made my way back up the steep hill and kept going.  At four miles in, I finally started to speed up.

Running along Marina road at Clinton State Lake. Photo courtesy of Mile 90 Photography.

Since you take every single road, you get to see runners in front of you and behind you the whole time. I loved this because I got to tell everyone good job and cheer them on as I ran, which I did every time I saw someone. Did I mention that I saw them multiple times because of the route? I got two see some of my 50 miler and 100 miler friends as well as they headed back to the start while I made my way further into the park.

The weather was beautiful, with the sun out but with cooler temperatures. There was a light breeze that kept me and my red hair and fair skin happy. I made my way past the first aid station at Lands End cabin and worked along Campground 1, which was very crowded with lake goers, campers and other runners. I really enjoyed seeing my dad at the aid station waiting for me and cheering me on!

My dad took this as I was running into the Lands End aid station.

A few miles later I made it to West Park Road and the aid station there. From there we got to run the Skyline Shuffle course, which is made up of Bunker Hill and part of the park disc golf course. It was the only part of the race that wasn't on concrete. It was a really nice place in the course because it was right around the half way point. It helped give my legs a little break from pounding the pavement. Bunker Hill also has a beautiful view of the whole lake.

Running on Bunker Hill. Photo courtesy of Mile 90 Photography.

The back side of Bunker Hill. Photo courtesy of Mile 90 Photography.

After a few miles I was back on the road headed back to Campground 1. I was feeling good! I kept seeing people I knew that were running different distances and cheering them on. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was also passing a lot of other runners. Up until I made it to the last aid station, I was using my own nutrition roughly every 5 miles and some Tailwind. When I got to the last aid station, I asked for a Coke and some Pringles. The Coke was magical and helped give me a little jolt of energy for the next few miles ahead. I saw my dad and told him that I would see him at the finish line and kept on going.

Since this was my first marathon I didn't really have any other goals than to finish. I had no ideas what to expect on how I was going to feel, especially if the race was on the trail. I didn't look at my Fitbit Blaze at all during the race, until I reached the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer building. I was starting to feel a little fatigued in the mind. I was wondering which way I was going to have to go to get back to the starting line. I was sad to find out that I had to go the far way to get back. Once I looked at my watch I realized that I had a chance of making it under 4 hours and 30 minutes. That was enough push to get me to the end. I ran faster. Soon I could see the finish line and my family all waiting for me at the end. The cowbells were going! Crossing the finish line was one of the best feelings in the world. But it didn't end there.

I finished my first marathon at 4:29:46. It wasn't what I expected it to be. It was better! I felt great. Sherrie Klover, the race director of the Hawk, came up to me and presented me with my finisher medal, my Hawk 26.2 sticker and a third place female finisher cup that was hand made with the Hawk logo on it. I was in shock. I was overall third female for the whole thing. It was the nicest surprise ever!

Crossing the finish line of my first marathon!

I hung out with my friends and watched people come in from the marathon. I eventually went home and showered and came back to watch everyone else. I went to Lands End and volunteered there as the 50 milers and 100 milers continued their journey. I ate a lot of food. Evnetually, I was walking like an old woman. My knees were in pain as the impact finally caught up to my body. I put on my Oofos and elevated my legs and runners came in slowly throughout the night. Hours later my knees felt better. I only got about two hours of sleep that night, before helping the Lands End Crew tear down the aid station. It was wonderful to see people accomplish their goals.

I just finished my race photo!

My goal was just to finish. If you have read my previous posts, you would know that I did not grow up as a runner. Here I was years later and I had just done the hardest thing ever, but I had so much fun doing it. It was thanks to my family, my new running friends and the Lawrence Trail Hawks that made it such a special day! I couldn't have done it without them!

Chasing the Skyline Shuffle

It’s been months since I ran the Skyline Shuffle 5K hosted by the Lawrence Trail Hawks and now it’s time to relive it.

Photo by Gary Henry.

My dad and I signed up for the Skyline Shuffle together in April. This would be our second trail race together but certainly not our last. It was an exciting time for me since I was meeting so many new people that love trail running as much as I and making so many new friends that I constantly run with now.

This race is at Clinton Lake near campground 3.  We start on West Park Road and run up Bunker Hill from one end of the hill to the other, deep into the woods where Frisbee golf holes are, then back up Bunker Hill and to the finish line. The course is mostly on cross-country ski trails. It’s grassy and hilly, but not very technical, unless you count the hills. There are three major hills throughout the course, or one for every mile. The first is Bunker Hill, where we run up a path that has been mowed down so you know where to go. You run up to the top of the hill then run straight south until you get to the other end. The second hill is a short by really steep hill in the second mile of the race. Running up it fast can really take the wind out of you.  The third and final hill is Bunker Hill again. This time, you go up other side make it to the top and head directly down to the other side and back to the finish.

It is definitely not one of those races that you can just look at a map and know where you are going unless you are very familiar with Clinton Lake. My dad and I did a preview run of the race with one of the race directors, Matt. Even by the end of the run, my dad and I still didn’t think we could remember the race route without markers. The night before the race, we went and walked the route to make sure we got it down. During our walk we encountered a lot of seed ticks, so we knew we needed bug spray the next morning.

After carbing up and a good night’s sleep, it was race day. It was a very sunny day and temperatures in the 70s’. We got there early to make sure we were ready and we got to chat with lots of friends who were also running. Then it was time to run.

We made our way to the starting line and for some reason we ended up near the front of the pack. As soon as I realized our position, I thought it was a mistake. There was no way we were going to finish even close to first, but then the sound of Viking horn went off and we our legs started moving with the rest of the runners.

I felt a little panic as everyone rushed around as we made our way to Bunker Hill. I knew that my dad and I had started too fast. We quickly made it to the bottom of our first hill. It was a beautiful sight watching all the really fast runners running along the hill with the sun behind them. I powered up Bunker Hill with my dad right behind me. I finally felt like I could catch my breath after making it to the top. We continued down the hill and made our way into the wooded area near the Frisbee golf course.

Making our way up Bunker Hill. Photo by Gary Henry.

At that point my dad had taken the lead between the two of us. However, there was several runners right behind us. We reached a creek that we had to make our way across creating a long conga line of runners. The man in front of the line just kept going straight instead of following the markers and since we were right behind my dad followed after him. Luckily, I noticed that we need to switch directions and yelled after my dad to go the right way, everyone began following me.

We were half way through the race and quickly closing in the second steep hill. I steadied my breath and my strides to make it up the hill. After that point I could tell I was getting tired. I was still fairly new to racing. We moved through the rest of the golf course and my dad had passed me along with other runners. I stayed behind him for a while. My dad continued to lead us as we reached the bottom of Bunker Hill and scurried up it and back down the other side.

My dad took off during the downhill and I followed behind him and he made back to the road and close to the finish. I cheered him on so that he would finish strong. During that time a little girl passed me and went running to the finish line, however, I didn’t know at the time that she wasn’t participating in the race. At the time it gave me a wakeup call. How is this little girl passing me? Turns out she wasn’t actually participating in the race and was just running back to her dad. Another man was gaining ground on my dad so I cheered louder screaming at him to go so that he wouldn’t get passed before reaching the finish. It worked. My dad finished before the other man and I was getting close to the finish line. I could feel someone getting close to me as well, so I pushed myself with all of the kick I had and made it to the line one second before the man behind me.

My dad running to the finish line. Photo by Gary Henry.

One of the neat things about this race was that we could make a prediction on what our finishing time would be in order to win an award. So you had no idea what time you had because you weren’t allowed to wear a watch and you couldn’t see the time as you ran in. My prediction was 29 minutes and 30 seconds. However, I completed it in 28 minutes and 46 seconds. After my finish one of my friends, Shari, told me that I might have gotten third place. I was in complete disbelief. I guess I didn’t take the time to notice how many women were in front of me. Was that true?

We waited until everyone finished shuffling through the Skyline. I had fun cheering everyone else as they made their way across the finish line. Then Matt gathered everyone around and then announced the winners. Shari got first! She kicked ass and PR’ed at 23 minutes. Matt announced the second place winner. Then he pronounced me as the third place finisher. It was a nice surprise! This was only my third trail race and it was nice to place. I got an awesome award made by Matt himself! Overall, I had tons of fun running with my dad and hanging out with the Trail Hawks.

Matt presenting me with my third place award. Photo by Gary Henry.

Gearing up for the Hawk

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to just sit down and write. Mostly, because I work, run and then catch some zzzzz’s.  Today, I’m making a hard effort since tomorrow is my first marathon!

Back in May when I was first contemplating whether or not to sign up for the Hawk Marathon, I struggled for weeks. At first I wasn’t sure if I was truly capable of completing it. Then once I convinced myself that it was possible, my next thought was to make sure that I was doing it for the right reasons. I wanted to make sure that if I committed myself to all the training for 26.2 miles, that I was doing it for me. Not to impress anyone else and not because other’s thought I should do it. In the end I knew that I needed to do this for me and had to ignore what others thought about the decision.

So for the past 16 weeks, I’ve been training. I’ve managed to get every long run in, but have been inconsistent on my weekly short runs. I’ve run with some great people along the way, who have pushed me and made me really enjoy spending time with them out on the trails. It’s made training so much easier, especially those who are also competing in the Hawk. I’ve also fallen in love with running out at Clinton Lake. It’s become a favorite spot to run and it makes tomorrow’s adventure even more electrifying!

 

Race day is Saturday. The 100 and 50 milers begin at 6 a.m. at Clinton Lake. I will begin my race at 7 a.m. I’ve got all my clothes picked out. I need to go stock up on nutrition today.  I need to get my carbo loading on! I might also have to break out my “Rain, rain go away” dance. I am ready.

I honestly can’t wait for this weekend! It will be the farthest distance I have ever run. I’m looking forward to the trails, running with friends and much laughter. I can’t wait to cheer my friends and others after I finish my race and hangout with all my Trail Hawks! I can already tell that this is going to be one of the best weekends of my life and it hasn’t even started yet.

Thanks so much to everyone who is helped me get to this moment. I couldn’t have done it without my Trail Hawks, my Dirt Divas and my family. Let’s do this!

Running God’s Country

No, I’m not religious. In fact, running the trails might be my form of “church.” What my title is referring to is running a duathlon called God’s Country Fat Tire Festival with an old friend. My friend, Gerald, reached out to me when he saw I was training for my half marathon. He needed a partner to run, so that he could focus on just the biking portion. I happily agreed to it because it would be a new adventure!

For this duathlon, I would start off running four miles and tag Gerald, who would then bike 20 miles. The week before God’s Country, I started training for it. Luckily, the race was on home field advantage—the River Trail. I had missed the River Trail. It’s where I had completed my first half marathon. During the time I had been away, the trail had really greened up. It was so beautiful as I flew down the trail to prepare for the race. I wasn’t sure how serious Gerald was about this, so I didn’t want to disappoint.  I spent the week preparing by running the first loop of the trail as fast as I could.

Finally, it was race day. I made it out to the River Trail and found bikers everywhere. I made my way to the registration table where Gerald was working to help make sure participants received their packets. He gave me my shirt and my bib. Our team was called the Red Riders and so I found the only shirt I had that was red to wear, but I wasn’t happy about it. Thankfully, our race shirt was red, so I changed out shirts. It was made of cotton, which I would regret later, but I’ll get to that. Shortly after that I ran into two of my Trail Hawks, Mary Ann and Trudi. Both were doing both the running and biking portion. It was nice to see friends when I didn’t know anyone else besides Gerald.

Trudi, Mary Ann and I looking good before the race.

 

The clock finally reached 8 a.m., so we gathered at the finish line and then we were off. There were only six teams competing in the duathlon. I was determined to do my best for my partner. I told Gerald that it would probably take me 40 minutes to complete the four miles. I wasn’t sure who all was competing, but I knew one person that I was up against. She was blonde and I could see her ahead of me for the first mile and a half. I caught up to her as we got to the turnaround point and I passed her. Then I ran back to the finish. There weren’t a lot of people in front of me, because there were two different races going on at the same time and many chose to do the shorter distance. I took off and it began to get hot in my cotton shirt, but I kept pushing through.

Almost finish running God's Country.

 

I could see the end of the race coming up. I just had to make it a little further and slap Gerald’s hand. I came up the tiny hill and could see him there. I could tell I surprised him. I reached my hand out and he took off. My part was over. It was all up to him now. I waited for Mary Ann and Trudi to finishing the run and watched them get on their bikes and go. I hung out and watched as the other racers came in from the other race and then 40 minutes past and I could see Gerald Biking up the hill. He had completed half of the 20 miles and was going back out for another loop. I cheered him on and took some pictures.  Then I saw Mary Ann and Trudi come biking up the hill as they finished the first 10 miles. I’m glad I got to see them and cheer them on.

Gerald finishing the first 10 miles.

The clouds started to come out and it began to get cold since my body was no longer active. I decided to stick it out and wait for Gerald to finish before I could try and find some sort of a jacket. I didn’t have to wait too much longer before he came pulling into the finish line! I was very proud of my partner. Gerald was a long time biker, so this was very typical biking event for him, but I can’t remember the last time I rode a bike. However, I was ready to get on one after seeing all the racers that day. (My bike is currently being fixed as we speak.)

We got fourth out of the six teams, but that was okay. Gerald wanted to do it for fun and I’m happy we did. The biggest surprise was that I ran the four miles in 31 minutes according to Gerald. I’m not sure if I believe him, but that did explain why he was surprised to see me. Mary Ann got first in her age group and Trudi got second in her age group as well!

Way to go Trail Hawks!

The atmosphere was quite similar to running races. It was nice to witness the biking community and see a new perspective on a sport that I hardly knew anything about except that we shared the same trails. Needless to say, I’m ready for next year’s competition!

Team Red Riders

My Dad's First 5K

After my half marathon, my race schedule got filled up pretty quick. I was hooked on trail running. Not only did it hook me, but it hooked my dad. My dad had never run a race before and I was excited when he wanted to sign up for a trail 5K race with me. The 5K was called the Hilltop Hustle and the title says it all. The route has hills everywhere to give you several options to run around. When I say hills, I mean it has long hills, short hills and steep hills. These trails were pathed with tiny asphalt, which was a huge disappointment for me because I had fallen in love with my nice dirt trail by the river. I decided it would be my new challenge and gave me the chance to spend more time with my dad.

 The week before the race, my dad and I started running the route for practice. The first day we had to navigate the race route since there are many forks along the trail. It took us 35 minutes because we had to keep stopping to figure out which way we were going. However, once we figured out the route, we began to run it faster. After my half I wasn’t really planning on doing this 5K for time, but it seemed important to my dad. We did our final run that Thursday night before the race and then carbo loaded the next night.

My dad and I before the race.

 

Saturday morning came and it was a cold one for an April. Temperatures were in the low 30’s and there was some wind. I knew that once we started running it wasn’t going to be an issue. We got there and saw a lot of people ready to run. There were people with strollers. I for the life of me did not understand how they we’re going to make it up all the hills, half of them which were really steep and long. My dad and I quickly agreed we we’re not letting a stroller pass us. With our last practice time in the 28 minute mark, we lined up near the beginning of the starting line. Then they sounded the horn and we we’re off.

My dad and I stayed together for the first minute of the race. We went down the first steep hill and then started the trek to the next hill. My dad soon was in front of me. I let him go. I would never consider myself a fast runner, but this was pretty fast pace for me. So I stayed behind my dad and never let him out of my sight. Eventually he got further ahead, but he never got too far away that I couldn’t see him. We went up and down the hills and whenever I saw him look back to see where I was I would cheer him on to keep going because this race was for him. I wanted him to do the best that he could.

Eventually we made it to the last steep hill. It’s a long hill that zig zags and then levels off. It wasn’t what we had practiced running because we had gotten the route confused. I remember my dad making it almost to the top of the hill and then looked to see where I was. I scream at him on to keep going and finish strong. Then I steadied my breathing and equalized my strides for this steep hill that I hadn’t encountered before. I had to push my body to make it up there, but once I did, I was about a quarter mile to the finish. It was all smooth running from there. I ran to the finish line and saw my dad and my mom waiting for me. I finished it in 27:53. My dad was awesome and finished it 27:17!

We cheered the rest of the finishers on as we waited for the results of the race. I thought my dad had placed so we needed to stick around. It turns out my dad got first place in his age group, which was 50 and over and I got first in my age group! I was proud to finish under 28 minutes and swore this would be my fastest 5K, but now I’m thinking that might change. I was so happy for my dad for working so hard. Overall, I was just happy to share the running experience with my dad. I’m looking forward to sharing many more miles with my dad.

First place finishers in our age groups!