less can be more

I was reading a blog question from Facebook.  A blogger wanted to know about the 'best running shoes'.  It's probably the hardest question to answer because you naturally think that a great shoe would set you back a few dollars.  Then when you see the price tag you start to rethink this 'running thing'.  Well have no fear.  I'm hear to tell you that since I became a gym rat at 19, I must have collected more fitness shoes than a bargain bin can hold.  Some expensive, some for court, but mostly cross-trainers.

You can't go wrong with a good cross-trainer.

Have nothing to dread, I'm here to tell you that I have spent a mint on what I thought was a great shoe and it wound up being a fashion statement.  No.  Seriously.  When I set out to run my first 5K, I knew I was headed for some intensive make-up training sessions because I only had 4.5 weeks of work from a 9 week Couch to 5K model.  So I needed a great shoe...really bad.  I couldn't afford to waste time testing a faux runner and wind up in casts, braces, or on crutches from injury.  I headed to my closet of over a dozen pairs and after trying each one on a session, some were utter disappointments.

You can't know a great shoe just by trying one on.  So my advice to you is to find the brand that you can trust, then a model that could be dependable (this is having to do with your wear pattern).  As time goes on, the brand will continue to build upon that model.  It's comparative to Chevrolet and it's Malibu.  Similarly, I had never run in an Nike Alvord before, since I've only had Shox and Air Max in my arsenal.  However, Nike was the trusted brand (like Chevrolet).  Since my 'cute' shoes didn't quite give me a satisfying running recovery, I went to Champs online and sought a good trail runner since I would ultimately require this shoe to get me through some fall terrain on the 5K path.

I'm sure I looked silly on the treadmill at Planet Fitness running in a trail shoe.  But the most important thing was transferring that training into the real show.  So I ran in the shoe that I could really hit the pavement in.  Seriously.  This 5K was going to be my very first outdoor run in over a year, due to my allergies.

Nonetheless, it turned out to be the best 60 dollars ever spent.  I purchased two pair coincidentally.  I'm backing off my running a bit, minimizing my training to more cross training to avoid injury.  Yes...it's true.  After running the 5K, I got a burst of adrenaline and kicked the treadmill up some points.  Don't worry!  I'm not retiring from my runs.  I'm simply strengthening up my supportive connective tissues so that I can sustain my speed increase.   Check out the shoes below.  They do have more colors for the fashion conscious, so don't worry if black isn't your color.  LOL.