It's All In The Shoes

One thing that running taught me pretty quickly: it's all about the shoes. That is not to say that the shoes do all the work for you - but they make a huge difference. I remember the first day I got my Brooks running shoes. It felt like I was running on padded carpet and it made all the difference in the world.

So how would I make such a fundamental mistake with my basketball shoes?

About 4 weeks ago I started cross training by playing basketball in an indoor gym downtown. I decided that I had to get some basketball shoes so I went to the Sports Authority and got some Nike shoes. After a couple of weeks my feet were hurting so bad that I was on the verge of going to a podiatrist. Then it dawned on me: did I shortchange myself by not getting the best possible shoes?

One theory I had was that the support was not good on the shoes I purchased. Another possible reason was that my feet were too cramped within the shoes. You see, my foot is a size 12.5. I usually fit perfectly in a 13, but sometimes I fall somewhere in the middle so my foot is cramped when a 12 is closer. So, I had to do a little self diagnosis.

What I decided to do was let my feet heal, and then change shoes. So I went to Foot Locker and got some Dwight Howard Adidas shoes. Today was my first day with them playing full court and my feet felt AWESOME. I should have known better, especially with my experience in the realm of running shoes. It's all in the shoes, dummy!

Here are the shoes: