back from cali! let's talk about feet.

hello all! i'm back! i had a WONDERFUL trip to california, which i will tell you all about soon, since as is standard for me i did not download any of my pictures when i arrived home last night, choosing pizza and cuddling (and/or passing out) over unpacking.


i did, however, manage to stop into the running store near my house, because my sneakers are in a horrifically embarassing state. (they actually HURT ME to use. not, like, "gee, i feel like it will be time for new shoes soon!".. no, actual pain upon use. am procrastinator.) i'd heard that this particular store, road runner shoes, had some sort of fancy treadmill doohickey that measured how you ran, to fit you for sneakers better. SOLD! sign me up!


and OH MY GOSH, it is so neat. i went with The Boy, since he needed sneakers as well, and we both did the full evaluation of our feetal areas. it starts with you walking over a special pad that records the pressure each area of your foot exerts, leaving you with a little map, like this:

The Boy went first, and according to our helpful lady, Lesley, he produced the typical pressure-map - almost identical to the picture above, which shows a nice arch. not flat footed, not a freakishly high arch, and slight tendancy to over-pronate, suggesting he should get sneakers with some added stability to compensate for that. lesley then had him run for a short time on a treadmill, while a small camera recorded his gait from the knees down. she showed us the playback in slow motion, where right before his foot came down, his achilles' tendon was nice and straight, then as his foot hit the surface, the tendon curved in toward his other foot a bit - further proof of a small amount of pronating. neat!

then it was my turn. she asked how much i ran (me: uh... not very much?) and if i had any injuries or special circumstances around my feet.

me: well.. um.. i'm starting physical therapy for my right ankle in two days, i've had bunion surgery on my left foot, i still have a bunion on my right foot, and i wear arch inserts as directed by my orthopedic surgeon.

lesley: ....oh. ooookaaay. *lots of writing on a clipboard*

so! i walked on the little pressure mat to get my foot-map, and lo, i hardly even registered on the outer edge of my foot at all because my arches are SO HIGH. (i once went to the doctor in college because my lower legs around my ankles were hurting when i ran. he told me i had tendonitis and had to stop playing frisbee. two years later, i found out that NO, i just needed better arch support. GEE, THANKS DOC.)

lesley: oh WOW! those are some HIGH ARCHES! well ok, let's get you on the treadmill.

so on i hop, running barefoot for a bit while she tapes it. i don't think i've really ever run barefoot (i mean, aside from on the sand, or around my yard for a bit - not purposeful running, i guess i mean) and it felt very uncomfortable. mostly in the back of my ankles. like... where my achilles' tendon is. lesley watched the playback and then called us over.

lesley: ok, i expected a little bit of pronating from you as well, but... well... take a look at this.

and she showed us a picture of the back of my leg, which looked BROKEN IN HALF as my foot came down on the treadmill. no joke, like this:

no wonder the backs of my ankles hurt when i run barefoot. and why my doctor wanted me to wear arch supports. dayum.

so obviously lesley suggested A LOT of stability in my shoes, and shortly thereafter i found myself outfitted in deliciously comfortable shoes that hug my deformed little feet like happy clouds. i doubt this will actually make me ENJOY running, but at least now it won't suck quite so hard. that's what i'm telling myself, anyway.