Potomac River Running

Since today is a "rest" day in terms of exercise, I decided it would be a good time to do some sneaker shopping. Team in Training has partnerships with some specialty shops, and Erin recommended a store called Potomac River Running. They have a few locations, and I set out for the one in Arlington this morning.

The store is absolutely amazing! It's connected to a Bike store that is also a TNT-suggested shop. When I walked in, I explained to the sales associate that I was going to be training for a half marathon in January. He immediately had me get on a treadmill in the store, which had a video camera on the floor behind it. As I started to jog, my heels - which were being recorded by the video camera - showed up on the TV screen in front of me! It was a little bizarre watching the backs of my own feet as I ran, but this gave the associate a chance to see what kind of foot placement I had. He said it allows him to determine if my feet lean in or out when I run. Fortunately my feet don't do either, which most likely explains why I haven't suffered from shin-splints. Since I didn't need any corrective shoes, he had me get off the treadmill and take off the sneakers so he could inspect my arch. He then went off to collect a bunch of low-arch, non-corrective sneakers for me to try on.

He stayed with me for over a half hour while I tried on different pairs of running shoes, having me trying them out both on the treadmill and while running around the store (apparently this is a pretty common practice, so nobody even looked in my direction as I was weaving around the bicycles). He also showed me a different way to tie laces that reduces heel slippage without affecting circulation. I finally settled on a Pair of Nike Air Pegasus sneakers in a 7 1/2, which felt super comfortable and seem to have the support that my old running shoes have lost over the past year. My heel stayed in perfectly, so I didn't even need to use the alternative shoe-tying method. Since I'm trying to make these sneakers last throughout the training period, he suggested that I only wear them when running, and stick to my old sneakers for doing errands and just walking around.

After picking out my shoes, I wandered around the store a bit more, checking out the other merchandise. I resisted the urge to by a Virginia is for Runners t-shirt or any half-marathon paraphernalia, and stuck to a pair of running socks, a new sportsbra, and an inexpensive pedometer. Fortunately, being a Team in Training participant meant that I got a 10% discount on everything, which made me very happy. They even plugged my history into the computer so that it would be easier to help me pick out sneakers in the future. Overall, the store and the service were awesome, and I would recommend this place to anyone. I'm excited to try out my new gear tomorrow!