Oh sigh, it’s like every item of clothes must be a challenge to obtain. Hats, shoes clothes, everything. Every new hobby I choose to occupy myself with brings the problem of how to find stuff to fit me.
Because in my jaded mind I decided that running a marathon would be a good thing to do. I was faced with the problem of how to get my lazy bones into shape. I also wanted to learn how to drive, so I decided that I should get a bike as I could combine being confident on the road with general overall fitness. This was a good option for me as I hated the gym. I really did not want to step into one, running on the treadmill, looking at tv screen, puny little me exhausted after 10 minutes as I watched big strapping men glare at themseves in the mirror, sweating and gazing at their bulging muscles. You can smell the testosterone in their sweat. Then there were the women who would wear as little as was possible, to show off their perfectly toned abs, who would go for the machine you had just fallen off of, making you feel cheap and nasty in your what seemed at the time perfectly adequate clothes, but standing near to them , you felt more like the ugly fat sister. Not really motivation as I did not want to become them, if toned abs brought you this kind of attitude then I would rather stay fat.
However, if I wanted to run a marathon, fat would not cut it. So it was on the bike with me. I went to buy a second hand bike as I did not know what I was doing and didn't want to waste money while learning. I rode my bike home that day and it was the best cycle I had ever had. Not wanting to do things by half, I decided the best thing to do would be to cycle to work, this would save me money and exercise time. I could use my commuting time to get fit! So clever of me! However, I found it hard to cycle 5 miles let alone the 16 miles to work and after joining a cycle group and establishing that nothing was wrong with my bike, it was actually me, I decided to stick to cycling around my area only.
This however would not get me fit enough; I would still need to run at some point. I spoke to a few friends, joined a few running groups on facebook, stalked all the running websites I could find. I decided to buy a pair of trainers and get going. I really should have taken more time to find a pair of trainers but I was more concerned about finding a bra. Runnersworld.co.uk was a godsend because they not only gave you all the information but when they suggested a place, you could actually walk to the place and check it for yourself without having to worry about faffing around on the MTA journey planner, making elaborate maps, wondering how to fit it into your next trip.
I ran and I ran, never really got to the speed I wanted until one day after I had joined a running group to make sure I kept up my runs in the winter I ate a chocolate bar out of hunger and desperation. It kept me running the whole session. It was amazing; I could not believe the difference that one chocolate bar could make. I did it before every run and realised that yes, it did improve my performance and that infact, my love affair with chocolate was not because I was greedy and addicted to sugar but it was infact because I needed a source of energy. So now I no longer had to cut the foods I loved in order to stay healthy, I simply had to change the times I ate them. It was genius, sheer genius and to think that all the websites had been saying this all the time but I had simply glossed over it. Now was the time for action.
All this running started to have an impact on my feet, they hurt, they started to hurt, they started to flatten, like they didn't want to work anymore. My arched feet were changing. My trainers did not fit anymore, they started to get tight. I had plans of replacing them, probably with one size bigger in the same store. By chance I heard that Nike were letting people test trainers for free, so I went along to find out what it was all about. The lady gave me a pair of trainers and made me run on a treadmill while videoing me runnning. Turned out I had one lopsided leg, pronation I think it was called. She gave me a very expensive pair of trainers to put on, and videoed me running in those. There was a dramatic difference, no more lopsided running. It was amazing, I asked her if I could get the same inserts and put it in my other shoes, she said yes, try Boots, look for orthotics.
Orthotics, that word, it saved me. My life, and my knees, my ankles, my toes. I am certain had I not discovered this word I would have done myself a serious injury. I again spent fruitless hours on the internet looking for orthotics that would support my high arches and my overpronation. I searched for 3 days before thinking of Runnersworld.co.uk, I bought a pair of Birkenstocks while I searched, they were so comfortable, I did not want to take them off. I wore them to work, 3 days in a row.
Runnersworld, with the right search terms, insoles instead of orthotics produced an amazing list of stores which meant I did not have to figure out the stockists in London
Runnersneed, which some quipped, was their favourite store because they were a runner and also needy
London City Runner evoked images of men in suits trying on very expensive trainers
Sweatshop which reminded me why I had stayed away from designer shoes for so long.
Run and Become which made me wonder why they came up with that name, what were they thinking, why, and again, why
Then the marathon store, which I immediately remembered because I had walked past that store many years earlier and said to myself one day, one day I will have need shop in that store.
Not only did they have the insert that I wanted but they also had it at half the price I had seen quoted on all the other websites I had been checking.
I would get it tomorrow, right after I found a pink fluffy lamp.
