When a Running Shoe is More Than a Running Shoe

I’ve been running for about 7 years now. I started running with Charm City Run in a 5K training group. I was immediately hooked and have run a bunch of pretty amazing races, including the Boston Marathon. I consider myself an educated runner. I read a lot on the subject. I know about different running gaits, and I understand about the need for different runners to perform their best in different running shoes.

I am also the mother of a special needs young man. My son, Mike, has a genetic syndrome and is missing an elastin gene. This results in some pretty tight muscles. He is 22 years old now and we have all gotten used to his “little old man” gait. He has really tight hips, heel cords, and everything else. He used to often be seen walking with his hand supporting his lower back. He was uncomfortable and looked it.

Then one day, watching him get around, it finally hit me. Just like many a runner are in the wrong shoes for their gait, maybe my son was too. So I took him to the best running store that I know of, Charm City Run. While in CCR, for the first time in Mike’s life, he had a gait analysis and was fitted for a pair of shoes that matched his gait. He started walking in the Brooks Transcend. This was a little less than a year ago.

Almost immediately, his gait changed. I cannot remember the last time he put his hand on his lower back for support. He still has muscle tightness, but he walks taller. He is more balanced and has come down off of his toes for a good majority of the time.

I am so very grateful to Charm City Run for changing my life yet again. Seven years ago, I laced up my first pair of running shoes. And now, the very same Charm City Run has changed my son’s life. For us, the Brooks Transcend, is so much more than a running shoe.