Several weeks ago, when I went trail running with Fireguy, he took one look at my shoes and said, “You gotta get some trail shoes”. I didn’t really get it at first. What’s the difference? Then I saw how he was bouncing off of rocks like I might if I was wearing a heavy pair of hiking boots, and I realized, there had to be a difference because I would be screaming in pain if I tried to do that in the shoes I was wearing. After our run, he told me to go to Auburn Running Company for the trail shoes. It made sense to go to a running shoe store that was about three blocks from the finish line of the Western States 100 to buy trail running shoes… but of course I didn’t listen.
About a week later I was driving downtown when I decided to stop by Fleet Feet to see what they had in the way of trail shoes. Hmmm…. four different shoes, none in my size. I guess maybe Fireguy was right.
So, after a great ten mile run this morning at a very slow pace, the family drove with me to the Auburn Running Company. It was Trail-Shoe-City! I told the shoe guy I had been directed to come there by a western states runner. He asked who it was. I told him Fireguys name. He said he didn’t know him. The shoe guy said he himself had run the western states this year. He looked believeable.
So I tried on a couple different pair and then the shoeguy brought out a pair of Montrail Continental Divides. I said, “Hey, that looks like the shoes fireguy wears…” I had already done a lot of internet research and had actually decided Montrail Continental Divide was the most likely trail shoe for me, but I didn’t realize it was the shoe Fireguy wears too. At that, the shoe guy walked over to a computer, typed his name in and pulled up slew of photos of Fireguy that were taken at the Western States. When the picts came up, the shoe guy said, “Oh yeah, I do know him afterall. And you are right, he wears these shoes.” The idea of being able to bound off rocks like I had seen him bound bounced in my head and compared with myself running down a trail in the shoes I have been wearing. I saw myself looking like a woman wearing high heels walking in the rain! It was a done deal: Montrail Continental Divides.
So then the shoe guy proceeded to explain too me that if I bought these shoes, I shouldn’t wear them on pavement very much, and that I might actually have to learn to run a little differently. Since they would allow me to put my feet in places my old shoes wouldn’t, he said I would need to absorb things with my thighs. Hmmm… I think I know what he means from all the backpacking we have done… you hafta keep your knees slightly bent in order to ensure you don’t put a shitload of force straight down on the joint. Anyway, here is what the shoes look like. They are super stiff.
As we were leaving, Erin noticed a flier for an organized trail race next Saturday morning right by our house. So I might try my new shoes out there, depending upon the forecasted temperature.
Chris
That is a funny story!!
Dan is a great guy, really sharp and his prices are very fair