This is an instruction that quite clearly involved new shoes. Actually, it's phenomenal how many things in my life this applies to. The difficulty was, however, when I was going to get the running shoes, but I thought I could probably nip round the corner, buy shoes (on credit card) and still get the pace training in. I remembered Babs had said there was a sale on in Blacks, who sell New Balance 1064s, and since I had to pass by cheapy mccheap sports and JJB sports, I thought I might as well check out the other footwear of (Sal's) choice, Nike Pegasus, as well.
I shouldn't have bothered with Cheapy McCheap. Their shoe arrangement is impossible to fathom, and their service marginal. Eventually some youf approached me, and we established that they had Nike pegasus trainers in a style for the visually impaired. I wondered if spray-painting them would affect their performance, but not out loud (see, Nige, it is possible). I called in at JJB Sport, who didn't even have a rack of shoes for women runners. If they had had anything approaching "service", I would have asked them why they felt it was OK to have 3 stacks of running shoes for men, and one stack of shoes labelled "Women's leisure". But we didn't get that far. After 5 minutes, I got bored and left. Blacks was having a sale, and it did include New Balance trainers (to the saleswoman's obvious surprise). However, only one pair, size 10. "Don't go shopping for something specific in a Sale" is my new motto. There was nothing for it, I was going to have to go to John Lewis. I knew about their sale, I'd already checked out the running shoes, they didn't have what I needed. It was going to be expensive, AND I was going to miss my pace training. But surely that merited lunch from M&S on the way, no?
John Lewis purported not to have the trainers I wanted, although they did have a ruthlessly efficient salesman, who did what people are supposed to when they see a customer - stop what they are doing and help them. But this is John Lewis, of course! (Get what you pay for?) "I'd like a pair of Nike Pegasus trainers" I told him. "For a man or woman?" he asked. I decided to let him off, as this was clearly just being thorough. "Myself" (He can work it out, surely?). "Certainly, madam". He turns round to the shelves behind him and deduces what I had already worked out - they don't have any. He recommends "Nike Zoom Air" instead, which clearly say "Running shoes" on them, and I think they have a rather catchy red trim that I like, so I tell him I'll try on a size 6. Now, bizarrely, he comes back with a pair of Nike Pegasus trainers in a size 6, telling me that he just found them while he was looking for the ones I'd asked for, of which, he discovers, they don't have my size.
I don't like the Nike Pegasus. They are white with a blue tick, and blue lining. But they are Nike Pegasus, which means I have got the right shoe. What about the Air Zoom, which is so much prettier? Is there wiggle room? I don't know. "Do you have the red one in a size 7 at all?" I ask him, remembering that I'm supposed to be buying a size bigger than my actual size. He brings them out. I share Sal's theory about getting a size bigger because of hot feet, and he says "Yes, but the manufactures sometimes take that into account. But other times they don't. So you just have to try them". They are massive. I will certainly fall over my feet wearing them. The Pegasus, however, are roomier than my New Balance "trail shoes", which Sal did OK on size on Tuesday (even with hot feet). I decide I can live without red. Blue is good. They'll probably go with the smurf outfit as well. I ask if they are in the Sale, as they weren't on the new shoes board, but sadly not.
I'm still internally fuming about the possibility that they could be a massive waste of money, because they might rub or hurt or be wrong in some unforeseen running way. Here is the definition of a good salesman, and good service, all rolled into one. "And if they are in any way uncomfortable, at any time, we have a no-quibble return policy" he says, as if reading my mind. "What, at any time?" I challenge him, "even if I've been running in them?" "Absolutely", he says. "We recognise that you cannot assess a pair of shoes in the few minutes you have in the shop. If they start to rub after you've started running in them, or anything at all is unsatisfactory, simply come back in for a refund or exchange". Wow. Love John Lewis.
Back in the office, I resign myself to having missed the opportunity to train at lunchtime, but decide, notwithstanding the any-time refund, that I will see if they rub just around the office. They are VERY white. Even people who never notice clothing or fashion, notice them. "New trainers!" It's not even a question. They scream new-ness.
But I am really "in" with all the Natural Runners! They love that I have proper shoes! I can definitely be in their gang now, I can feel it! Paul says "if you get on with Nike Pegasus, you're sorted in the future - you can just order them online!" He clearly thinks I've made a good choice. Moustachioed Chris is very pleased, and other Chris says, "Did you have a good smell of them?" Nige twitched slightly. "Sorry?" "New running shoes, I always smell them in the box, I love that smell of new shoes." "Right. Do you?" I glance at Nige "Do you like the smell of new shoes?" "Er. No. Can't say I do." This is a weight off my mind. I thought it was a runners' "thing", but apparently just Chris. I email Sal immediately, she shares our collective joy.
This reminds me that I saw Dave last night, who I realise I need to differentiate from Dave-at-work, (who might also be dubbed "running Dave"), so this is, perhaps, Thespian Dave - he who made the inappropriate comment concerning the nougat. (I've gone to a lot of trouble not to name anyone in my blog, mainly because I don't want to be sued accidentally.) Oh, and thanks to EVERYONE who complimented me on my blog yesterday! Why yesterday, I don't know, but several people, using several different media, sent me compliments, which was lovely! Thanks! So, I was talking to thespian Dave last night (we were at Drama on Tap) and he (also) complimented me on my blog, but said he'd observed very little work got done in my office. This is untrue, so I apologise for any way misleading portrayal I may have given there. It's only in the GI team that very little work gets done. I'm fairly sure I'm not going to survive my next run...
I'm kidding: as I explained to Dave, entertaining as my work is, I felt that anecdotes about mad ladies calling up about trees... well, OK, my work IS equally entertaining, but I'd be much more likely to be sued if I started telling stories about it.
Anyway, you all want to know how the new trainers were, right? Well, I'd like to say they are the panacea, what has been missing from my life up to now, and the answer to why I've never enjoyed running. They're not. What they are is comfortable, and yes, they are giving more protection. And that's it. My perennial problem was still intermittently hurting, my hip flexor still hurt, and I was still unable to keep a steady pace. In fairness, at least I recognised I wasn't being steady, so I kind of worked around it, I knew I couldn't keep up at 9 m/m, so I started at 8:30 and did that as long as I could, and then sort of tailed off and then try and speed up again. They do bounce quite nicely. But they need to lose whiteness... I'm pretty sure this will happen reasonably soon though.
I've never heard anyone BEG for some off-roading quite as blatantly. Yeah, cos what they need is DIRT baby. Ha!
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