I started jogging/running last year when I got burned out on biking. Before I started running a couple times a week, I used to view this type of exercise as boring — well, I should say as an adult I thought it was boring. When I was in junior high, I ran track for maybe half a year…and that was about it for any kind of organized running for me. Well, that all changed and now I rather enjoy it as an alternative to walking, biking, swimming, or even yoga. Running has its own meditative qualities, and since I love music, it’s a better activity to do with headphones on than biking — which can sometimes be more about plotting possible escape routes from road hazards than just kind of zoning out an enjoying the ride.
Lately, I’ve learned some helpful things about running that have reduced the aches and pains I used to have after a jog. Things like making sure I’m coming down on the balls of my feet instead of the heels, keeping my arms swinging parallel to my body instead of my arms crossing across my torso, and having a slight forward lean. But even with these adjustments, I was still experiencing pain in one foot. I looked at my shoes, and yes, they were starting to get worn out. So, I went to DSW to see if there were some good, but affordable, running shoes that might be good replacements for the New Balance ones I was using. I tried on a few New Balance models, and none felt right. Then I saw a shoe for a brand I have never heard of. It’s a Swiss-designed shoe called On, and the model is the Cloud — most people just call them On Cloud because I’m guessing just saying “On” would be kind of confusing.
Well, like Blythe Danner’s acting in “Butterflies Are Free,” the On Cloud shoes are a revelation! (Say that sentence in Harvey Fierstein’s voice) I tried them out today and I gotta say, zero, zero pain in my “troubled” foot. The heel-toe offset is 6mm, the shoes weigh in around eight ounces (if you’re wearing an 8 ½ shoe — U.S. size), and they have laces I’ve never seen before. They are called speed-laces and they are designed to keep the shoes on securely, but not super tight. I thought the shoes were going to slip off while running because it didn’t feel like they were tight enough, but they never did. And then there are the soles. The shoes have a trademarked CloudTec® sole that has good gripping abilities on the paved roads — and they really do cushion the impact while running. In short, it’s really comfortable. On Cloud’s are kind of pricey — well pricey for me. They retail for $129.00 (U.S.), but I got them at a $25.00 discount owing to the fact that my wife Julie had a couple of coupons I could use at DSW/Designer Shoe Warehouse. Oh, and maybe it’s just people have a shoe fetish, but I couldn’t help but notice how many people were looking at my shoes this morning while taking a run. What can I say, they seemed to be the star of the show today.
So, while my maiden voyage with the On Cloud shoes was really great, I’m hoping these kicks last longer than the pairs of New Balance I’ve gone through in the last couple of years. From a couple of online reviews I’ve seen, it seems like they will. Time will tell, though.