Running Shoes

My best friend and I ran to a nearby town and got my running shoes last night. Let me tell you, it was an experience. We walked in and I was slightly overwhelmed. We headed towards the shoes and a very nice salesman stopped us to ask if we needed assistance. I told him that I needed sized for running shoes and I had never ordered any before. He had me take a seat, remove my shoes, and roll up my pant legs. Then he had me stand up. He said that I have overpronation on both ankles. Here is a visual on that:

These are both right feet... A normal right foot looks like the one on the left... When walking or standing, the ankle is in a straight line. Now, since I'm flat-footed, when I walk my ankle rolls in. I walk like the foot on the right. This is not good while walking or running. The salesman (I can't remember his name) then measured my feet. He said that I had a normal width and was measuring at a size 9.5 in length. He grabbed a couple of shoes off the wall and showed me what type of shoes that I need. He said I needed one of two kinds and both of them have a prominent arch support. Basically, the plastic where the arch of a foot should be is harder and less able to move as the rest of the shoe.

Then he went into the back of the store and came back with four shoe boxes. He said that for running shoes, you usually go up an entire size from what you were measured. The first shoes I tried on were a size 10.5. They were too big and I immediately didn't like the way they felt. He then grabbed the next pair of shoes. As soon as I saw them, I loved the colors. I flat out turned to my friend and said "I'm not one for blue, but I really like those shoes!" She laughed at me because blue is her favorite color, but agreed. The salesman put them on my feet and laced them up and they felt like they were giving my feet a nice big hug. They were a size 10 and I loved them! The salesman told me to walk around the store or on the treadmill for a few minutes and then we'd try on a few more pairs. So I did. I went back and he took them off and put them in a pile for shoes I liked. I tried on another pair that were a size 10.5 and once again, they were too big and didn't feel like they supported my feet properly. The fourth pair were size 10 again and I liked them as well. The felt like they hugged my feet like the second pair did, but they didn't feel like they supported my arches very well... So, I decided to get the second pair. These are my shoes:

They're a size 10 from New Balance. I really like them. I'm wearing them today to try to break them in. The only downside is that since I used to walk on the insides of my feet and now walk on the outside like I'm supposed to... my feet, ankles, knees, thighs, and hips are feeling it. It's not like I need to take the shoes off. It's like I'm working muscles that I didn't used to. I guess it'll take some getting used to... But I can't wait to start my training!