Drying out soggy shoes

CRASHING THROUGH puddles while enjoying a run through summer showers may be just what your soul needs, but you can bet your glutes that your shoes won't share in the fun.

BUT WHATEVER you do, don't throw them in the dryer when you get home, advises Craig Chambers, co-owner of Phidippides, a Los Angeles-area running store, and a veteran of more than 200 marathons. "Popping your shoes into the dyer will ruin them," he says. "The heat can delaminate the shoe and shrink the midsole."

TRY THESE soggy-shoe remedies:

* Walk around in the shoes for a little while, to help force the water out.

* Leave them exposed to the sun.

* Stuff each shoe with a dry rag or newspaper.

* If you need to clean off the shoes, don't put them in the washer--instead use a brush and soap.

* Spring for a Peet Shoe Dryer, which uses rising warm air to dry your footwear ($49.95; 800-222-7338; www.peetshoedryer.com).

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning