Finish Line

For the average college distance runner, we go through shoes in much the same fashion that girls go through shoes. Most running shoes only last about 500 miles so every month or so we're forced to make the pilgrimage to one of the mecca's of footwear (Finishline, Footlooker, or Dick's). My personal preference is the Finishline at the mall in Bridgeport.


I've seriously been going there about every three months for the past four years. And every time I walk into the store the same thing happens. I walk in and find the pair that I want, but before I can pick them up and get the right size, the same worker everytime I'm there approaches me. He starts to talk about the shape of my foot and finding the right shoe for my pronation, supanation, inflamation, masturbation, population, and generation. Like that guy is some podiatrist trying to help me run a four minute. So before I can say anything he starts pulling shoes off the display and handing them to me in the following order:

• a trail running shoe
• Nike Shox (to work on my calves)
• a remake of the Nike Cortez from the 70's (I am not Steve Prefontaine)
  

I finally get in a word and get the pair that I want then the following conversation takes place:
Worker: So are you a runner?

Me: Yeah, I run for Wesleyan.

Worker: Hey do you know Grant?

Me: Yeah, I'm on the team with him.

Worker: Yeah, I went to high school with him.

Seriously, I've had this conversation verbatim about four times a year for the past four years. And i still can't figure out what my Finishline Winner's Circle points are for. But that's the struggle I go through for my sport.

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Another thought on running shoes: I switched to Nike because T-Bone trains in them and he's fast so if I train in them I'll be fast. The logic takes care of itself.