
These Babies Should Make Me Fly
As noted in a previous post, a priority shopping stop on my recent trip to the United Arab Emirates was to buy some new running shoes. Thought I was going buy some Adidas wheels, but after trying on several pairs, in several models, I was of the opinion that the Adidas shoes were not sturdy enough for the rigors of the Nigerian roads. Even their trail shoes.
Bummer, as I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find my long time running shoe standard – Asics.
Asics fit my long and skinny feet well (inherited from my dear Mother), wear well and suit my running style. But where would I find them in the UAE?
Thought I got lucky when I found a place in the Abu Dhabi Marina Mall that carried a some Asics shoes. But they didn’t have anything in my size.
Now, in a slight panic, I find a shop which carries a full line of Nike running shoes. Tried on a couple of pairs and viola! As soon as I got back to the hotel I strapped on the size 46 Nike Equalon 4’s and went out for a 8 mile run.
I used to be a dedicated Nike runner until the late 1990’s. When I started running marathons, it seems that the last few pairs of Nike’s (Pegasus) never seemed to fit my feet correctly. They were difficult to break in too. Out of frustration I tried Asics and have been a sworn Asics guy ever since.
After running in these new Nike’s I’m still not convinced that I like them. Can’t put my finger on the problem. Wilhelm says the model I bought have extra support for pronating runners. Maybe…..
The last night in UAE someone told me about the Abu Dhabi City Mall. Located in the center of the older part of town, it has about 200 mid-to-high-end shops. One of which was the Mega Sports Shop.Mega turns out to be the running shoe oasis, with a full line of Asics, in every color/size imaginable. I quickly grabbed a pair of my old stand by Asics (2160’s) and headed to the airport.
But the most satisfyig purchase was the last minute, spur of the moment purchase of some flip flops at the Dubai Airport sports shop. These babies (Rider) are really soft and comfortable. They make for great casual wear. Even wore them to the office one day…….

Ignore the legs and admire the very cool new Rider flip flops - a fashion 'must have' in Nigeria!