I. Love. Shoes. I would buy them every day (with watches and sunglasses too, for that matter) if I could. Nothing beats the smell of a fresh pair of kicks. And as far as I'm concerned, the uglier the better!
If they made shoes out of "Joseph's Technicolor Dream Coat," you can safely bet I'd be the first kid on my block to have a pair. Especially if one of my favorite local shoe stores sold them.
I'm not what you'd call a runner, unless I was chasing my octopus armed 16-mo-old son through the house so he couldn't hide my wallet, keys, shoes, watches and phone.
So, again, not a runner, on purpose anyway. However that doesn't mean I don't go see Adam Kemist, C.Ped at "On Your Mark" (OYM) when I want to recharge my shoe supply. Adam's store is more of an experience than it is a brick and mortar location. It's also a great retailer to visit if you've got little ones in tow as you shop.
Case in point, one of his salespeople read to my kids on a shopping trip. How awesome is that? As a parent, it's not just something I appreciate, but it's how you make a customer for life.
Adam knows as much about the feet as the person who invented them. The staff, in one word...excellent. Plus, there's a Peet's Coffee about 20 yards outside his backdoor, which equates to coffee + new shoes = awesome.
Since I write about running related strength training, I feel it's important for runners to know about this performance enhancing resource. I sent some questions over to Adam to answer for the blog and he was awesome enough to send back the following.
What is your background?
I have been a board certified pedorthist for the past 20 years. I have owned and operated one of the Top 50 Best Running Stores in the country called The Runners High for 13 years. I went into private practice for a few years and then opened On Your Mark in 2011 to get back into the specialty market.
What is On Your Mark?
On Your Mark is a specialty store with an emphasis in feet and footwear. It is owned by certified Pedorthist Adam Kemist C.Ped who trains all shoe specialists. The customer’s detailed concerns about fit and function are never ignored. All staff are active in sports, and can personally assure you of the product’s honest quality and performance
How does OYM help people run better?
We individually analyze every foot and gait. We listen to our customers and assess their needs and wants as part of our process.
We take our customers outdoors to view their movements dynamically on the surface they will most often be using. This allows us to evaluate more effectively.
All our shoe specialists are trained by Adam, a certified Pedorthist, to watch the feet, legs and body work together in the running or walking process, and to explain what they see to the customer.
At On Your Mark, we pride ourselves on our customer service and on being able to listen to our customers’ needs.
What is the most common thing you see with runners that causes them to break?
Over doing the good feelings. People feel good when they work out and that causes some people to go too far or too hard.
Sometimes this is unavoidable when you are playing with your kids. They never slow down, and mom and dad have to keep up. This is all good stuff and so we work hard with our products and with the professionals at INTEGRATE Performance Fitness to keep people moving, or get them back to play as quickly as possible.
What is your favorite way to workout?
Running in the mountains- quiet and peaceful. The scenery and seeing the things that most people never get to experience.
If you are in the Los Altos area and you need a new pair of running shoes (even if you don't run like your prolific prose powerhouse; yep, totally wrote that), head over to On Your Mark. After you get your new pair, contact me and let's put together a running specific strength training program to help you get that much more out your new purchase every time you wear them.