Shoes

For the longest time I crossfitted in running sneakers. You know the kind, with the big foamy heel that's supposed to protect me from shin splits. They were comfortable and I never had any problems with them. I think my uncle recommended the Brooks brand so that's what I bought and I never really thought about it. I mean, I gushed over Crystal M and Annie's awesome kicks but I thought that represented more their Sic Style rather than something to work out in.

Then I went to a free CrossFit endurance workout and Eric had me run barefoot. And it was crazy, different, painful, awesome, scary, super cool! I was really sore the next day after that endurance wod and started reading articles about barefoot running. I found out that the Brooks sneakers that I thought were so comfortable and useful were actually hindering my leg muscles from getting stronger. I'm never (I shouldn't say never) going to go out and buy Vibrams because I think they look funny but I definitely have switched up my shoewear ever since that track workout. The only time I have pulled out the Brooks since then was when we did the "Filthy Fifteen" because I thought I would be running 15 miles... only to do 4, ha ha :)

I started wearing my Pumas that I used to wear in high school. I'm not sure what style they are but they're flat and let my foot take it's natural shape without any padding. In the beginning I worried about running in them. Yet slowly my leg muscles adapted to the different shoe and running has been fine. I even wore them to lift in when I was taking classes at Sicfit.

I saw Crystal Nelson's post about many of her clients wearing Converses to class. Web talks about his love for all-black Chucks too and I've seen a ton of people wearing them at the gym. Before I left for my England trip, I bought a pair on sale at the Nordstrom Rack. I know most people go through their stages with Chucks in high school or just throughout their life but I had never owned a pair! I did my first workout in my (hot pink) Chucks last night and I thought they worked pretty well. Bonita had posted a wod that was "Grace" plus 45 burpees after you finish 30 reps so I figured those were two movements that would test out the shoewear. I wanted a wod with lifts so I could test out the sturdiness of having a flat base, which was what the Pumas were lacking. The Pumas are flat but they're more like a sock, super flexible, rather than a solid sole to keep my foot flat.

Zach will tell me that I still need a pair of Oly Lifting shoes but I thought the Chucks worked well! I don't know if they'd be comfortable for overall crossfitting because running in them might be a little hard but I definitely liked them for the clean and jerks last night. I might just need to break mine in a little more before I can run in them!