Stupidly awesome pair of minimalist running shoes for a begi

So I had been going back and forth on what kind of shoes to buy. We don't have any "running" shoe stores around where I live...just regular old shoe stores, and most of the employees know very little about the actual shoes. I know this because when I ask for minimalist running shoes, they turn their head like my dog did that one time I asked it to tell me all it's thoughts on God. So I had to leave it up to research, opinion, and luck. Yesterday though, one of the employees at the least expected shoe store of all said, "Man, if you're looking to strike more with the rest of your foot, try these, they're amazing!" He handed me a pair of Skecher's GoRuns. Now, after the whole "Skecher Shape-Ups do a whole lotta what none of the research says they do." nonsense, I haven't really had a high opinion of them. (In fairness, my wife says they are the most comfortable shoes that she's ever worn...if only Skecher had gone with that angle instead of a lot of dubious science that might have gone differently.)

So without a second glance, I made a passing comment, (Look there's a bear!) to distract the employee and told him that I thought I'd settled on some marked down Nike LunarSwift+ 2's that felt a bit tight on the sides of my feet, but were only 40 bucks. So we go to the counter and boom! Skecher GoRuns on a display, and like a curious kid, I stick my fingers into them and push on the heel and feel a slope, like the kind going from the deep end of the pool to the shallow end. Dog-cocked head aside, I asked for one in my size so I could try it on. It felt stinking awesome! All of my weight was coming down on the front and middle of the shoe...not the rear. It was forcing me to walk with a mid-strike, and wouldn't let my bad ankle turn to the outside at all. I was dominated by this shoe. No, that's not right. It was too soft for domination. This shoe was a shepherd to the sheep of my foot. That's better. Gentle where it needed to be, firm where it needed to be. So I bought some fire-engine red GoRuns and slept all giddy like a kid at Christmas just waiting to get up for my first a.m. run in over a month.

I was trying out a lot of things this morning...my Sportline watch and chest strap HRM from Wal-Mart for one (Fellow fatties, how do you keep that stupid thing from rolling down your torso? Hairy men...am I really gonna hafta man-scape my torso to get this thing to work right?) and also the glorious shoes. Not a single time during the run, did my feet feel tired, pained, strained, or unstable. Oh sure, after a month and half off the rest of me did, even though I dropped all the way back to week 2, day 1 of C25K, but not my feet. After the first run I can say with absolutely confidence that these are my favorite shoes ever...so far. Time will tell if they stand the durability test.

If you're looking to transition from regular running to minimalist or barefoot...give some thought to trying these out, but as always...do the research yourself, whenever possible get fitted by someone with some knowledge about running, and make sure they feel right before you buy them!

PS I completely forgot to mention that these are sockless running shoes! (Which feels awesome btw!) So if you try them on at the store with socks on, the right pair might feel a little snug wrapping around your foot, or a bit difficult to get on. Once it is on, though, you'll feel how well it fits your foot, and then when you put them on later without socks they will feel just like Baby Bear's porridge.