After leaving the running store with a new pair of the same shoes I’ve been wearing, I had serious second thoughts. So, I set them aside for a few (okay, 10) days and thought about them some more. And then I put on my old shoes and went to a different running store.
The store was busier than any running store I’ve even been in, and it was the middle of the afternoon on a Friday. While waiting for a salesperson, I browsed the wall of shoes and the clothing sale rack. My number was called (yes, they use numbers, like a deli counter), and a friendly saleswoman sat me down and asked about my running. She checked the fit of my old shoes, then brought out a “tester” pair of shoes and watched me run up and down the sidewalk outside.
Eight pair of shoes later, I became the proud owner of a new pair of Brooks Addictions. I took them out for a 3-mile run this morning. Sadly, they did not magically make me faster. I guess I’ll just have to keep working on that.