Hey Next Steppers!
It’s been awhile! The first half of second semester has been pretty hectic so it’s flying by. This past week I was on spring break so I headed to Florida for the week. Again, I packed all of my running gear, but this time I promised myself I would not fall into the trap that I did last break. Plus I’ve been going strong with my workouts since I came back from winter break. Unfortunately I never started Insanity – it sounded much too insane for me, so maybe another time!
All the working out wore out my Asics, so it was time for a new pair of sneakers. As an athlete I have tried many different brands and styles, but all you athletes out there know if you find a perfect fit you refuse buying anything else. The perfect fit running sneaker or cleat is crucial for top performance. When I was in high school I found the perfect fit cleat for me: the original Nike f.50’s. They were part of a series, and each new cleat changed pretty drastically from the original. Therefore when the next cleat in the series came out I rushed to the local soccer shop and purchased all the original f.50’s they had in my size and every color. I wish I was kidding. I had my parents convinced that they were the only cleat I could wear, so that was an interesting bill! When I had to throw away the last pair the process began all over again, which was pretty devastating, but no worries I’ve found a new perfect fit since then!
So it’s quite out of character for me to purchase a new running shoe, but they were too pretty to pass up. Right before leaving for break I purchased shiny white and silver Nike Frees. I’m sure you’ve seen them on numerous people at your local gym in a plethora of neon colors and said to yourself, “wow those are cool, I need to get a pair” as I did. I obviously had to bring the new sneaks with me on vacation, so I left the old Asics behind.
Worst mistake of my entire life! Okay maybe not my entire life, but close to it. On the first day of vacation I laced up my beautiful new Frees and set out on the open sunny roads of Florida with Rihanna blaring through my headphones; I was off to a great start! 30 minutes later I was back at the condo cursing about the bones in my right foot. Turns out the Nike Frees do not have the support that I need running and I walked around with a limp for the next few days. What an absolute fail! I vowed right then to never stray from my supportive Asics again. Luckily, being in Florida allowed me to get a lot of pool workouts in, as running clearly was not going to happen in those Frees. A few days later we went to the Orlando outlets and I was more than excited to see an Asics store! I bought a new pair, and as soon as I put them on the ache in my right foot was put to rest. They are my perfect fit!
So, I may have had a break from school last week, but I certainly learned a lesson. If something works, like a running sneaker, keep that brand loyalty in mind whenever you need a new pair. As an athlete you would think I would have this down by now, but I let the shiny white Frees cloud my vision! That surely won’t happen again.
Are you an athlete with a perfect fit? Let me hear what yours are too!
Krista is the writing intern at NextStepU Magazine. She currently plays Division III soccer at Saint John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.
I every time spent my half an hour to read this blog’s articles or reviews all the time along with a cup of coffee.