yet another mother runner…

I was going to share this story on my last mother runner post but it was so late by the time i got to where i did with that post that i sacked it off and went to bed.

So….i needed running shoes. I bought some (all running pro’s look away now) about 3 years ago and i noticed recently that the webbing on the top of the shoe had not in fact changed colour but was actually my socks pocking through as i was running…yeh so quite bad then.

So i resolved to remedy the matter and give my ageing knees and hips a bit of  a break and visit a running shop for some more shoes. Predictably the only day i managed to get there was teeming it down with rain (which lets face it could have been any day recently!) and I had the delightful company of my two youngest daughters. joy.

Arriving in the shop i was greeted by a young person with zero body fat who bounced out from behind a counter wearing a flourescent top and skin tight trousers. Telling myself to not be intimidated i asked for some advice. In a proper running shop it seems that you are not allowed to browse and you must be assisted in all that you do by zero body fat girl. She agreed with me that holes in my running shoes was a bad idea ( i have no idea why i told her that at all) and suggested that i put on a pair of ‘padded running socks’ before i try anything on.

I beamed inwardly and said ‘ah i already put some trainer socks on’

she replied in a flat tone ‘but are they padded running socks?’

me: er…no…no they are not padded running socks.

So i obliged and put on the socks, then she told me she needed to do a ‘gait’ test. Being around horses when i was younger meant that i didn’t think this had anything to do with the entry and exist of a field, so in a confident manner i strode to the running machine and stepped on. ZBFG (zero body fat girl) then started the running machine up by leaning her index finger on the ‘up’ arrow of the speed-y-do-dar thing….and she kept pressing it….and pressing it…and pressing it..  until i said ”ohh thats a little too fast!”

She seemed to stumble and bit and said ‘TOO FAST?!” incredullously and if its possible to press a button in a disgusted manner then thats what she did as she slowed it down for me..

suddenly all my running efforts recently have been swiftly downgraded to slow jog by a few simple words by the ZBFG.

She disappeared for a few minutes and i regained my composure wondering if in fact what i needed was a good pair of walking shoes! .I caught sight of the screen in front of me which was showing my feet and ankles as i was running on the treadmill.

‘ooh my ankles look skinny’ i thought. yes im that shallow!

She informed me that i ‘pronate’ a little bit and then endeavored to show me on the screen with some arrows, numbers and other markings. I had zoned out a little bit staring at my skinny ankles and so missed a bit of what that actually meant.

But i get to have a shoe with a raised bit under my instep. Then she dragged out every single pair of shoes they had and i had to try them on one by one and then go and run on the machine wearing them. Sometimes even wearing a shoe from each pair to compare.

Anyway quite a few pairs of shoes later and getting a bit of a sweat on, cheered on by my daughter who kept saying ‘go faster mummy!” I decided on the first pair of shoes i wore! Ha!! being honest though im not sure if i really knew if there was actually a difference in any of them. I almost felt obliged to make up a ‘oooh that one feels a bit tight there’ to satisfy the expectant face on ZBFG after each style.

Getting back into my unsatisfactory trainer socks and my super unacceptable converse to pay. ZBFG obviously struggling with conversation says ‘so are you doing races yet?”

Having sort of reached the limit of being patronised by ZBFG i said ‘um..no..if i had to race there would be other people and i like to be by myself….my victory is in getting out of the bed, dressed and outside the house, that alone is a great thing, i dont really need to race too!

She didnt really reply but it sort of left a bit of an awkward silence between us….

So payment and a quick exist was in order and we strode out into this ….neverbloodyending rain. Now i love trying on shoes as much as then next girl but im thinking that is a bit too much of an ordeal for a pair of chuffin’ trainers!!..