Did you know that 18 months of research goes into each pair of athletic shoes with a swoosh? I had no idea about the science behind sneakers until I visited Nike Corporate HQ in Beaverton, OR, just outside of Portland. Nike hosted a Women's Media Summit event to introduce its new cutting-edge (and when I say cutting, I literally mean "cutting" like what one does on the basketball court to quickly change directions) shoe, the Sister One.

This event, where Nike treated a bunch of fitness and design writers to a two-day seminar (workouts included), will be the closest I get to feeling like a Nike-sponsored athlete. I did get meet of few inspirational Nike-sponsored female athletes that I have seen tear it up on the field and court. The six athletes we met were all beautiful; they radiated health and fitness as they were interviewed. Learn from my mistake and know that you never ask a woman in soccer about the health of her knees. Olympian soccer forward Carli Lloyd, who scored the gold-winning goal at Bejing, and Olympic goalie Hope Solo schooled me on that gaffe. I guess it is superstition.

I also learned that hoops player and two-time gold medalist Sue Bird doesn't want to play ball in a "whack looking shoe." If this point guard doesn't like the look of her kicks, she has trouble playing ball. Kinda like a sporty spin on "your are what you eat," but more "you play what you wear."

To see more about deep shoe research, .

Nike takes every stitch on its sneakers seriously and they research, research, research its products. From the opinions of athletes, which it inclusively defines as anyone with a body (yay me, yay you!) to the infrared stress reading of the sole, Nike shoes are designed to perform. It was cool to see the research equipment used regularly at the Nike Sports Research Lab in progress and to see Carli and Hope demonstrate the different high-tech devices that translate movement and muscle power into computer programs for analysis.

I learned a workout move or two and many fitness tips during the trip that I will share with you soon. Stay tuned for a review of the Sister One training shoe.

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