I’ve been walking almost daily for over a year and recently got to thinking about running, which I have never done. As a kid, I was always too chunky. As an adult, I have neither been in good enough shape nor have I had the motivation to get in shape. For the first time, I am close enough to give it a try. I think, more than anything else, I am intrigued by the thought of being able to do something that I could never do before.
On advice of a friend (and several books and web sites), I realized that I needed good shoes and headed over to Fleet Street Sports, the local athletic cobbler. (I suppose that “cobbler” is not quite right, since they do not actually make any shoes, but this is probably the only chance that I will have to use “cobbler” in a sentence.) Jason fitted me out with a pair of ASICS GT-2150 shoes, a pair of inserts with modest arch support, and some truly weird socks. I took the socks because my friend said that I should and I had read the same thing in a few other places. I figured they could not possibly be worth the big bucks but was willing to suspend disbelief for one run and give them a try.
The verdict: The shoes are possibly the most comfortable things I have ever worn on my feet. And my socks and feet were dry after a “test run/walk” of 35 minutes, which was quite the contrast from the rest of me which was clad in drenched cotton.
Thoroughly convinced of the value of “technical” clothing, I visited the local athletic haberdashery for new duds. My son laughed out loud when I told him that I had bought Spandex clothes!
As for the run, I managed 2.2 miles. Not bad for my first go at running and my second workout of the day.
