While traveling through Pittsburgh, PA on my way toward West Virginia, I decided to take a short detour to Fleet Feet Sports, a shoe store in Mt. Lebanon Upper Saint Clair, just south of the city proper. Nationally, this franchise chain has nothing but the best reputation. They claim to have expert staff that exhibit an attention to detail and the unique, personal needs of each customer. To help accomplish their individualized recommendations, they conduct gait analysis in-store. It’s this analysis that I was seeking.
Still recovering from injury, I’ve yet to really touch foot to road, save for one little test run last week. Everything is looking good, though a minor tingling remains, but I continue to be plagued by this incessant questioning in my head despite the reassurances of my doctor. What if I really do pronate more than I realize? What if my arches do need extra support? What if we missed something in analyzing my biomechanics, and I’m really not cut out for running minimalist, or running in general? What if, what if, what if? I do, after all, have 18 years of failed attempts at running to build up my negative thinking. Sure, I’ve seen extraordinary progress in every conceivable measurable benchmark, and I’ve quite fallen in love with running, but… what if?
So before I resume running in my Vibram FiveFingers, I wanted to get the opinion of another runner trained in gait analysis and footwear selection, just to see what they would say. If I were to consider shoes (I had to at least humor myself), what sort of recommendation would I receive from a professional?
GETTING THERE
I’ll admit it, the thought of putting on bulky, cushy running shoes at this point in my adventure makes me feel like a failure. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that maybe I just can’t cut it. As a result, the journey through suburbia to find the store found me getting more and more depressed and anxious with every passing mile. I was headed to a shoe store. Combine that with the fact that the GPS couldn’t even find the place and I had to resort to Google Maps on my BlackBerry to find it, then mix in some wrong turns, and you have 17 miles of growing irritability and negative thinking. It’s extraordinary how the mind can torment you. By the time I pulled in I was cranky, and my first thought upon seeing the store was “oh great, it’s super small, this is going to suck, and they are going to tell me that I need some big clunkers, plus orthotics and maybe some wacky brace of some sort – they are salesmen after all.”
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
TURNING MY MIND AROUND
I entered the store and, finding that it wasn’t as small as I first thought, though it was super busy (a good sign?), I ventured up to the counter to wait for an available salesperson. Within seconds I was greeted by Dustin, who asked what he could help me with.
I explained my situation:
1.) running + flesh would + blister = funny running, yields posterior tibial trouble
2.) recovery + half-marathon training + pushing it hard = recurrence of injury
3.) 6+ weeks recovery, only now just starting to resume activity
Regular readers know the whole story, but I did downplay the fact that I’d been running exclusively in Vibram FiveFingers. I mentioned it, but almost in passing, and didn’t dwell on it.
I figured that being a shoe store, and minimalist running being already controversial, I’d be laughed out of the building. Moreover, I wanted to see what they would recommend for me without being influenced by my own desires. I was surprised when Dustin didn’t bat an eyelash when hearing the word “Vibram”, didn’t get an “oh yeah, here’s another nutter” look on his face, or otherwise show any sign of disapproval.
Instead, we chatted some more – wherein he demonstrated his obvious knowledge while asking some great questions about me and my injury – then he had me take off my shoes, roll up my pant legs, and walk and run while he watched attentively.
Then came the most surprising words of all – he told me that my form looks perfect, my ankles and feet look fine, and I should have no problems recovering in the FiveFingers. He had all the usual advice of taking it slow, finding grass for a while, listening to my body, and so forth. But he essentially told me that, frankly, I don’t need shoes.
Thus ensued a wonderfully detailed conversation about running, injuries and injury thresholds, minimalist running, shoe types and surfaces. I was truly impressed with both the depth and breadth of his knowledge. He wasn’t spouting memorized sales jargon, nor was he giving recommendations based upon a formulaic prescriptive technique. He was considering my own history, my biomechanics, my goals and running style and my health, and he was combining it with his own detailed knowledge and experience to generate a real, honest assessment and recommendation. Not only did he not laugh me out of the store, he was encouraging me and the way in which I run!
Once I realized that I was among friends, I opened up a bit more and we chatted about minimalist running in some detail. It was enjoyable and, best of all, I got the reassurance I needed, from a runner and professional. My biomechanics are good. I don’t over pronate. I’m suited to barefoot and minimalist running. I’m not doing anything obviously wrong by running the way that I do. In short, I’m not crazy, and I should keep on doing what I’m doing – but be sure to heal fully first.
BUT WHAT IF I WANT A SHOE?
Dustin analyzed my form and gave me some extraordinary feedback, but I couldn’t help but wonder, if he were to recommend a shoe, what one would it be, and why? In the end, I did venture back into the store the next day and picked up a pair of shoes. I’ll discuss what shoe that was, and why, in another update.
OVERALL
My experience at Fleet Feet in Pittsburgh, PA was stellar and incomparable. I dealt with Dustin, and I would highly recommend him. Knowledgeable, passionate and thoroughly professional, if the other employees there and at other stores are anything like him – and I have no reason to believe that they are not – then the Fleet Feet reputation is well-deserved.
No matter how you run or where you run, it’s worth stopping in to chat with them and get their expert advice regarding footwear selection.
While I don’t get to Pittsburgh often enough, I will always go out of my way to stop into this store and give them my business, and my appreciation for small, locally owned (even if franchised) running stores has skyrocketed.
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Find Fleet Feet Sports in Pittsburgh online at: www.fleetfeetpittsburgh.com
Or visit their brick and mortar store at:
1751 N. Highland Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15241
(412) 851-9100
Excellent post! I hope many athelets read your post and get themselves down to Fleet Feet Sports. Changing the demands placed on the body is often the cause of injury. Changing demands can involve simply changing the surface you run on, or changing the shoes that you run in. Large changes to activity can often lead to problematic episodes of injury.
Here at ProGait we advocate having your gait analysed before you embark upon any of these changes, so that you can get some sound professional advice to reduce the risk of injury.
[...] I’m recovering from injury and I wanted another third-party opinion regarding my biomechanics, and these are the guys to do it. But I remained fearful that they were going to tell me the worst news ever – that my biomechanics are so poor that I’ll have to put on big, clunky, corrective, padded shoes. This, of course, was an unfounded fear, as I learned very quickly and reported a day and a half ago here. [...]
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