I got new running shoes yesterday – Brooks Ghost 3 – after doing the free Shoe Dog running analysis at Road Runner Sports.
I stood on a sensor pad that read how much pressure I put on each foot (almost equal!) and showed me that I have really high arches (did not know that!). Then I ran barefoot on a treadmill and a camera recorded my lower legs and feet from behind. We watched the playback and the employee determined that I needed neutral shoes with arch support inserts.
The inserts I put in my other new shoes are complete crap. I went to a non-running shoe store (for some reason) to get them, and that was a mistake. Maybe that’s why I’ve been having all that shin pain?
The employee made custom inserts for me by molding them to my feet on these squishy pad thingies (technical term).
They felt amazing when I tried them in my shoes. Amazing!! They’re a bit pricy, but I came in prepared to spend a little money.
I also came in wanting to try a lighter pair of Brooks because my Defyance 4s have felt heavy on my feet lately. The employee brought out the Ghost 3, and I tried ‘em out with the custom inserts.
I was running too fast for Aaron to get a clear shot. Obviously.
I love these shoes. They feel so light and completely natural. I’ll still wear the Defyance 4, but I’ll go back and forth between the two and make them both last longer.
BONUS: The employee said he screwed up the first set of custom inserts he made (something about denting the toe area a bit), so he insisted on making another set. Aaron asked if we could also keep the first set if they were just going to throw them away. He was cool and said OK – so now I have custom inserts in each pair of running shoes and only paid for one set. I can’t even feel a difference in the area where he said he dented them. Score!
Off to go test out my new shoes!
Dev on Running 