Best Running Shoes
phidippides sport center
If you're runing more than a few miles a week in shoes you bought at Payless, you are bound to get shin splints and heel spurs. And expecting to glean road-shoe information from a chain-store salesman is like expecting a puppy to meow. Phidippides has been selling nothing but running shoes since 1980. The employees have run more than 200,000 cumulative miles and will even watch you run around the parking lot until you're in a shoe that's right for you. And when those wear out -- running shoes should be replaced after about 500 miles or as soon as your knees start to hurt -- the guys who work there, most of whom clock sub 2:45 marathons, could just sell you the same Nikes but may well determine that your needs in running shoes have changed. The store is also a great resource for the other things that populate a runner's world: race schedules and socks, GU packets and Nipguards. 16545 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818-986-8686)
