I've done a few 10K races - running part and walking part. Honestly, the running is kind of like torture. Unlike some of my friends who love to run, I'd just as soon skip that part. I'm like the Little Engine that Could - I just chug along.
A few months ago, I got an email from Parent Bloggers Network asking if I'd be interested in reviewing some fitness gear. Little did I know what little gem would be showing up on my doorstep - some awesome shoes from Ryka.
Behold, the mighty MC2 Walk. Ain't it purty?
Ryka makes all of their gear specifically for women. And while I've always been kind of a shoe snob - mostly due to design issues and my pesky achilles tendon that seems to rub on 99.9% of the shoes that I try - I was eager to try the MC2 Walk. I already had a few of their shirts that I loved, so why wouldn't I love the shoes too?
Well, I have to admit that at first I put them on...and I didn't like them so much. I believe the predominant thought running through my head was OUCH. So I wore them around the house a few hours and - well - I started to like them. Really like them. Like skipping around the house like them. Like finally having to take them off because athletic shoes don't really go with my pajamas. That's how much I liked them.
It does take a little getting used to if you're used to either running shoes or cross-trainers like I am - the fit is definitely snugger but it gives great support. The MC2 Walk fits your heel so you don't get that pesky slippage - which would probably help women with narrow heels that have such a hard time finding athletic shoes that fit. Ryka calls that "True Motion Control" - and they really deliver. It offers great stability, especially when walking outside where they handle rough sidewalks and uneven pavement like a champ.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my biggest problems with athletic shoes is that my achilles tendon tends to rub on most athetic shoes out there. The MC2 Walk's upper heel isn't cut down as low as my old shoes, but I found that as long as I wore good quality socks that weren't cut too low that I didn't have that problem. The only time I had an issue with the MC2 Walk rubbing my heel was when I stupidly put on a pair of extra-low cut socks - and it wasn't the shoe that left a teeny blister, it was the elastic on the sock. Color me happy! I had one pair of the "swoosh" shoes that I ended up giving away because no matter what I did, the stupid things rubbed my heels raw.
Overall, I was very pleased with my MC2 Walk shoes - inside on the treadmill, outside on the street, and running errands, they held up to the abuse that I regularly dish out to my footwear. I'm hoping that once I run these into the ground, I'll find a different model of Ryka shoes to try since they have a really good selection for walking and running.
Now through the end of October, register with Ryka's Good for Your Sole campaign and you have the chance of winning some awesome gear - Ryka is giving away 50 pairs of shoes and 50 performance tees every single day plus they are donating one pair of shoes for every pair given away to the Women's Sports Foundation for distribution across the country to women in health and wellness programs. How cool is that?
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