Who better to talk to about how to buy shoes for walking than the owner of a running and walking store? In this episode, I talk to George Roulett, a co-owner of FrontRunner. This local store was the first store in Central Ohio to understand the needs of walkers and treat us as athletes.

In a second segment with George, we talk about training with heart rate monitors. (Because of a scheduling conflict, there was a huge hole in this episode, and George was willing to help me out.)

The episode begins with me and my friend Deb Chenault talking about training for the Athens Half Marathon despite this extra cold and snowy winter.

In this episode:

• Size, shape and stability are the keys to finding the correct shoes.
• The speed of the walker and the number miles walked also affect the shoe choice.
• Wear good socks.
•  One of the new trends in shoes is thicker soles with lots of cushioning. They are quite a bit lighter than older versions (but are not flexible).

  

• The number of miles walked in a pair of shoes is more important than the length of time you own them.
• George does not recommend walking more than one marathon in the same pair of shoes.

Also in this episode:

• Every training day should have a purpose.
• Heart rate monitors can help athletes keep “easy” days easy.
• Be patient when beginning to train with a heart rate monitor.
• It is important to find your max heart rate to determine training zones.
• Age formulas to determine max heart rate are not accurate.
• Give yourself three weeks to start benefiting from the use of a heart rate monitor.

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