Shoes, shoes, and more shoes.

Last Friday was certainly a day to put on the calendar. After much postponing and, well denial, we bought Oliver his first REAL pair(s) of shoes. I guess it's just another milestone that I'll have to deal with of our baby growing up...

After our stroller class, we ventured into a children's shoe store that shall remain nameless for now.  I politely asked the salesperson if O could be measured for some shoes. After telling me that he is a size 4 1/2, she guided us towards the 'pre-walkers.' I assured her that we needed REAL shoes. I kid not, I had to take the child out of the stroller, coax him to walk across the store (thank you dinosaur slippers nearby) before she believed me. Anyway, we came home with two pairs of shoes, and are slowly, but surely, getting used to them. Plus, now I don't feel like I need to bathe his extremities in Purel after he walks around on the carpet at the mall.  At first he looked as if they were two bricks attached to his legs, now they're a bit easier to deal with. 

Mine, his, his, mine. [As if that was necessary]

It got me to thinking about the importance of shoes, as a child is learning to walk, learning to run, and even running later on in childhood. I was assured that Oliver's shoes would last 3 months until he needed a half size bigger, at which point we will get new ones. As a child, you get new shoes when the old ones don't fit. As an adult, it's the 6 month rule. Which I never follow, certainly not for running shoes. In fact, I wore a pair of shoes the other day (granted, not for exercising purposes) that I wore across the Spanish countryside in 2004.... six month rule, times about 16? oops.

I was an Asics girl for years, as far as I've been concerned since I 'started' running a few years ago. This August I was convinced to try a pair of New Balance shoes and I love them.  I have pretty flat arches, but somehow get water blisters on the soles of my feet during long runs. (There's a picture on Facebook from MCM '09 if you're really that curious....)

This New Year, I make a resolution to visit a proper running store, have my stride analyzed, and get a GOOD for me pair of running shoes. I can't promise I'll replace them after six months though. That'll be a resolution for next year.

O's first pair of 'running' shoes