Our Trip to the Nike Campus – Behind the Scenes

It’s been a little over a month since my daughter and I attended the Nike Young Athletes Innovation Summit at the Nike Campus in Oregon.  To give you an idea of what we experienced, here’s a little peek:

After taking some time to get back into the swing of things back home, I’ve had some time to think about what I learned from Nike. I’ve worn my Nike Frees for a month and have a completely different view of shoes now.

Think about it – How do you buy your running or workout shoes? Do you just choose the cutest pair in the store? Do you buy the same kind the other women in your gym class wear? Or maybe you just buy the shoes that are on sale when you’re out buying shoes?

I’ll admit I’ve done some of these things. I always want cute shoes and love a great deal as much as the next girl, so I’ve bought my fair share of shoes in the past that were super cute to look at, but uncomfortable and cheaply made. And when it comes to workout shoes, I’m guilty of simply buying the shoes that I saw other women wearing at the gym. The women were at the gym a lot so I assumed they must know which shoes were best. I went out and bought myself a pair of the same shoes they all had. I wore them and worked out in them and sometimes my feet hurt and sometimes they didn’t. I didn’t think much about it.

And I’ve bought a few other pairs of running shoes since then. They were all fine. I was thinking a shoe is a shoe is a shoe, right? Some are OK, some are a little better, but whatever…they’re all pretty much the same.

I was so wrong!

If you haven’t tried on a pair of Nike Free shoes, you should. I’ll tell you more about them in a minute, but this is what I want: Just for the fun of it, just to see what the fuss is about, try on some Nike Free shoes. And then you’ll understand. They aren’t like any other shoes you’ve ever worn.

Here’s a little bit more about why Nike Free shoes are so different. At the Nike Sports Research Lab, top secret research is done with high speed video cameras, lasers, pressure plates and scanners that capture precise measurements in foot shape, pressure, force and movement.

All of that knowledge, combined with dozens of pediatric research studies and hundreds of applied (product) research studies allowed Nike to create Nike Free, a truly amazing shoe that allows the natural movement of a bare foot with the protection of a shoe.

I could go on and on about the cool things we learned at Nike, but I really just want to express how much I love my Nike Free shoes. They feel almost like walking in non-skid slippers, bending easily with my feet as they move. It was a bit of a strange sensation when I first put them on, to tell the truth. They’re so different than every other shoe I’ve worn before, but now that I’ve worn them for a month I don’t ever want to go back to other shoes. It’s easier to walk and run in them, so I feel like I’m able to stay on my feet longer whether that means no pain after a long day on my feet or having a longer workout because my feet feel great.

I love my new shoes so much that all three of my children are wearing Nike Free shoes now. From what I’ve learned at Nike, something as simple as wearing flexible footwear like Nike Frees will increase their foot strength, flexibility, and foot/body awareness which will lead to improved muscle development and improved future development. All that from really comfortable and really cool looking shoes! The kids have no idea that their shoes are actually good for their feet. They just love the way their Nike Free shoes look and feel and don’t like to wear their other shoes. They actually wanted to wear their Nike Frees to the formal Daddy-Daughter dance last weekend! (Didn’t happen. 🙂  )

Our family of Nike Lovers!

Check out my Nike trip photo album on Google+.

Have you tried Nike Free shoes yet?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Kids Nike FREE Run: If your feet flex, shouldn’t your shoes flex too? Must-have flexibility for young feet. 

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike.