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  Finding a specialty running store that will properly fit you with the right running shoes is critical to your comfort, running performance, and injury prevention efforts. It's not always easy to find one in your local area, so you may have to travel a little and you may have to pay a little more for the superior customer service. But it's well worth your time, effort, and cost.
  Once you're fitted for the right shoe and you're happy with them, you could then order them through the store or online, without having to go through the trouble of doing another shoe fitting/gait analysis. These stores are also called technical running stores. Don't worry, they are meant for every level of runner, from beginners to seasoned marathoners. Here are some tips on how to find a specialty running store:
  Do a search for local running store and see what turns up. Try to find stores that cater specifically to runners, not general sporting goods stores. They'll usually have the words, "runner" or "running" in the name of the store, like New York Running Co. Call ahead and ask if they have salespeople who are training to do running gait analyses. Although sporting goods chain stores may have a wide selection of shoes, their staff most likely doesn't have the expertise to determine your running gait or detect any biomechanical issues that should be factored into your choice of running shoes.
  You can also check the Fleet Feet Sports website. They have locally-owned specialty running stores all over the U.S., so you can see if they have a location near you.
  Someone who's been running for a while will know where to find the closest specialty running store. Ask for one where you can get a gait analysis done in the store. If they offer that service, they'll usually have a treadmill in the store.
  Check out running clubs' websites—they often have recommended partners listed. Local running stores often are a sponsor for running clubs' races. You could also email the club organizer to ask for or post on their Facebook page asking for recommendations.
  Personal trainers and gym staff most likely will know of specialty running stores in the area. You can also ask the athletic department of local high schools and colleges.
  When you get a recommendation for a store, you may want to check a little further before paying them a visit. Call the store and ask if they do shoe fittings and gait analysis for runners. Ask if they have an in-store treadmill for this purpose. If the person answering the phone says the store doesn't provide these services, press further and ask if they know of other stores that do. Your feet deserve the best.
  If you're like many people, you've had cigarette quit attempts that you thought of as an event, a task that could be completed within a few weeks, or a month at most. Then, when the urge to smoke persisted beyond what you felt was reasonable, you despaired of ever feeling comfortable without cigarettes and started smoking again.
  The fact is that quitting smoking is a process, not an event. While the worst of nicotine withdrawal is over within a matter of weeks, release from the habitual/emotional side of smoking comes more slowly. Here are some common misconceptions about quitting tobacco that can hinder your chances for success.
  Bluntly put, the only time it's too late to quit smoking is when you're six feet under. When you stop smoking, the benefits begin within 20 minutes of your last cigarette and continue to grow for years. The human body is incredibly resilient, and while not all smoking-related damage can be undone, much healing can and will occur.
  Psychologically, you'll have a better outlook once you've healed from nicotine addiction. Most of us spend years tied to cigarettes. We desperately want to stop, but time goes by, making us feel weak, powerless, and beaten down. This causes a slow destruction of self-esteem, usually so gradual we don't realize what's happening. It's no wonder that so many long-term smokers suffer from anxiety and depression.
  Quitting tobacco will empower you much more than you can imagine. Once they grasp it, most people refuse to let go of the freedom that comes from taking back the control that addiction stole.
  For the vast majority of smokers, re-introducing nicotine after quitting leads back to full-time smoking. There is no such thing as just one cigarette for a nicotine addict. Smoking, even as little as a few puffs on a cigarette, is enough to awaken the beast within. And sadly, people who relapse often spend years trying to get a foothold with smoking cessation once again.
  The road to relapse always starts in our minds. Unhealthy thoughts of smoking are normal as we move through recovery from nicotine addiction, but left unchecked, they can spell trouble. It has been said that humans have upwards of 60,000 thoughts on a daily basis. You'd probably be surprised to know that much of what we tell ourselves is negative and self-defeating. We're often our own worst critics.
  Listen in on your thoughts and correct those that are counterproductive immediately. Don't give them a chance to fester and gain momentum. It doesn't matter whether you believe the correction—your mind is taking note, and that's all that matters. Correcting faulty thinking will help to keep you in the driver's seat with your quit program.
  We all have the ability to make changes in our thinking that will bring lasting release from nicotine addiction. People who miss smoking years later have not let go of the emotional associations they had with smoking and usually think of it in a fond, nostalgic, or romantic light. They might even tell themselves subconsciously (or consciously) that quitting was a sacrifice. They quit smoking because they had to, but they loved smoking.
  That kind of faulty thinking will keep the seeds of addiction alive, ready to take the root again when the opportunity presents itself. But make no mistake, it is your thoughts that hold you prisoner, not cigarettes.
  Have you ever had a relationship go sour because of a change in attitude on your part? A shift occurs in your perception, and once your mind turns that corner, there's no going back. It's similar to the mental side of addiction.
  Once we get clear of the physical need for cigarettes, what's left is an emotional relationship with smoking, much of which is based on ritual. The habit of smoking is powerful but reprogrammable. Add some education about nicotine addiction and support from people who are going through what you are to your quit program. It will make all the difference in helping you permanently free yourself from the desire to smoke.
  Keep yourself in the present moments of today, and be grateful for each and every smoke-free day you complete. Be patient with yourself and think of time as one of your quit buddies. The more of it you put between yourself and that last cigarette you smoked, the stronger you'll become.