As most of you already know (if you read my blog regularly) - you know that I am on a quest when it comes to my athletics. I played LOTS of sports as a kid, but that didn't stop me from being overweight. But I want to continue 'getting better and better' (thanks Kyle for the tagline!). And today I put in an investment towards that.
One of the greatest lessons I learned in life (so far) is that any investment you make in bettering yourself, betters those around you as well. It can inspire people on their own journey, encourage those going the same direction you are, and build stronger relationships with other people who are interested in 'getting better and better' as well.
When I first bought my running shoes (Asics GT-2160), they ran me about $100. Yikes! That's more than I think I've ever spent on athletic shoes, but My Sailor helped to convince me that my lousy feet need a little TLC when it comes to running. I tend to beat them into a pulp since they'd been, well, lousy since I can remember.
Take a look and you'll see what I mean:
Let's take a look at the bottom of the shoes, shall we? If you look carefully, you'll see that only worn areas are the outside of shoe (from ball to heel) and just below the ball of the foot. That's where you can see the purple peeking out from the yellow-ish greenish sole. So obviously those areas take a lot of abuse. Now lets look at my feet on the left. Md's say I was probably born with high arches, but as I put on weight as a kid, and played sports (soccer), my arches fell. Now, we have technology that fixes this in children under 10. A tiny ball like thing is implanted into the weakening bones, which helps the body correct itself. Pretty cool, huh? Too bad it wasn't around in the 1980's (when I was 10 and under). Obviously, my heels take a lot of abuse - see all the callouses there? They don't hurt, and I never really worry about how my feet "look" so I rarely bother with them. On the lower right hand corner, you'll see my "good foot". This is one that has a tiny bit of arch left. Arches give your feet spring and helps them bounce back from daily stuff. Now, the 2nd photo from the right shows me standing. You'll notice my ankle of my "good foot" is pretty much lined up w/ my leg, despite the lack of arch in either foot. (Believe it or not, this is actually PROGRESS from where I was 10 years ago.) On the other side though, you'll notice that my ankle rolls in pretty severely. I am NOT leaning in this picture, but it looks like I am, huh? Crazy stuff! Anyway, over the course of my teen years, my ankles collapsed. (Which is why it's progress to have 1 nearly line up on it's own finally - but losing 50lbs will do that!) The left ankle joint, when not properly supported, actually pretty much touches the ground when I walk.
And you know when you're feet are off so are your knees, hips, back, etc. I'm so grateful not to struggle with any sort of chronic pain in those areas!
As for my feet - when I'm bare foot, my toes go numb on a regular basis. That's how I knew I couldn't keep these shoes one day longer. My lousy feet killed em.
In their defense, they were great shoes! Worth every penny! I wore them A LOT, and they lasted nearly a year. Since running shoes aren't known for their durability, and should be replaced every 6 months anyway, it's past time.
But that doesn't mean I am looking forward to the 2 hour commute to the mall and back to find a great Lady Footlocker and spend over $100 on new shoes, RIGHT before a vacation!
So here's where I get savy -
Yesterday, I got a reward card in the mail for $20 my next purchase at Famous Footwear. While I never have good luck at their physical stores, I have great luck with their online specials. Today, the exact same brand/model of shoe (different color) is on sale! Instead of $99, it's $69.99! How's that for a deal? I add on my coupon and I got it down to $56.01 after taxes. "But what about shipping and handling?" Since I'm a rewards member (which was free to sign up for), shipping is free. So I saved on gas by not even having to go to a store. Oh, and I have one more savy shopping goodie - I went through ebates.com to get them. So I also get 9% put back into my paypal account, which is a little over $5.
So I actually bought $99 shoes for $50.96.
And now, I just have to get a new swimsuit top and I have a feeling I'll be all ready for our vacation and well within budget.
Quote of the Blog - "It feels good to outsmart the feet." - Me.
One of the greatest lessons I learned in life (so far) is that any investment you make in bettering yourself, betters those around you as well. It can inspire people on their own journey, encourage those going the same direction you are, and build stronger relationships with other people who are interested in 'getting better and better' as well.
When I first bought my running shoes (Asics GT-2160), they ran me about $100. Yikes! That's more than I think I've ever spent on athletic shoes, but My Sailor helped to convince me that my lousy feet need a little TLC when it comes to running. I tend to beat them into a pulp since they'd been, well, lousy since I can remember.
Take a look and you'll see what I mean:
Let's take a look at the bottom of the shoes, shall we? If you look carefully, you'll see that only worn areas are the outside of shoe (from ball to heel) and just below the ball of the foot. That's where you can see the purple peeking out from the yellow-ish greenish sole. So obviously those areas take a lot of abuse. Now lets look at my feet on the left. Md's say I was probably born with high arches, but as I put on weight as a kid, and played sports (soccer), my arches fell. Now, we have technology that fixes this in children under 10. A tiny ball like thing is implanted into the weakening bones, which helps the body correct itself. Pretty cool, huh? Too bad it wasn't around in the 1980's (when I was 10 and under). Obviously, my heels take a lot of abuse - see all the callouses there? They don't hurt, and I never really worry about how my feet "look" so I rarely bother with them. On the lower right hand corner, you'll see my "good foot". This is one that has a tiny bit of arch left. Arches give your feet spring and helps them bounce back from daily stuff. Now, the 2nd photo from the right shows me standing. You'll notice my ankle of my "good foot" is pretty much lined up w/ my leg, despite the lack of arch in either foot. (Believe it or not, this is actually PROGRESS from where I was 10 years ago.) On the other side though, you'll notice that my ankle rolls in pretty severely. I am NOT leaning in this picture, but it looks like I am, huh? Crazy stuff! Anyway, over the course of my teen years, my ankles collapsed. (Which is why it's progress to have 1 nearly line up on it's own finally - but losing 50lbs will do that!) The left ankle joint, when not properly supported, actually pretty much touches the ground when I walk.
And you know when you're feet are off so are your knees, hips, back, etc. I'm so grateful not to struggle with any sort of chronic pain in those areas!
As for my feet - when I'm bare foot, my toes go numb on a regular basis. That's how I knew I couldn't keep these shoes one day longer. My lousy feet killed em.
In their defense, they were great shoes! Worth every penny! I wore them A LOT, and they lasted nearly a year. Since running shoes aren't known for their durability, and should be replaced every 6 months anyway, it's past time.
But that doesn't mean I am looking forward to the 2 hour commute to the mall and back to find a great Lady Footlocker and spend over $100 on new shoes, RIGHT before a vacation!
So here's where I get savy -
Yesterday, I got a reward card in the mail for $20 my next purchase at Famous Footwear. While I never have good luck at their physical stores, I have great luck with their online specials. Today, the exact same brand/model of shoe (different color) is on sale! Instead of $99, it's $69.99! How's that for a deal? I add on my coupon and I got it down to $56.01 after taxes. "But what about shipping and handling?" Since I'm a rewards member (which was free to sign up for), shipping is free. So I saved on gas by not even having to go to a store. Oh, and I have one more savy shopping goodie - I went through ebates.com to get them. So I also get 9% put back into my paypal account, which is a little over $5.
So I actually bought $99 shoes for $50.96.
And now, I just have to get a new swimsuit top and I have a feeling I'll be all ready for our vacation and well within budget.
Quote of the Blog - "It feels good to outsmart the feet." - Me.
Posts
I do hope you've had a proper shoe fitting at a running store...with problems like yours there are shoes that will help your feet feel better and allow you to run better. They test your arches, put you on a treadmill and record your running form to determine if you supinate or pronate, size your feet, etc...I didn't think I needed that when I first started, but after I did it I knew I was wearing the correct shoes for my form in the right size.
ReplyDeleteI usually wear my shoes for 300 - 350 miles. Any more than that and I can totally feel the breakdown of the support of the shoe.
You did get a good deal on the shoes and I hope they work well for you!
Amanda - Thanks! I keep meaning to try that out! I think that'll be my next shoe buying excursion. There are supposed to be some great running stores in Seattle I should check out next time I get across the sound.
ReplyDelete