The Quest for Footwear Begins!

Having convinced myself that new footwear is crucial to my running, I am planning on heading over to the New Balance Toronto store this evening to see if I can find something with tonnes of cushioning for my 12.5 sized canoes. No idea if they stock them, can't bring myself to call and be disappointed, plus I've never seriously tried New Balance shoes before so maybe a 12 or 13 will be right for me... Here's the model I'm really keen on for its shock absorption and high-arch accommodation, the NB 1062:

The other model that they recommended, in a response to an email I sent to their "ask the expert" thingy, is the NB 862:
Anyone out there wearing either one of these? Thoughts & comments are always welcome. I suspect my quest is unlikely to end tonight, and I will be faced with the prospect of "shopping around", a task worse that having my teeth drilled as far as I'm concerned. I suppose going to a brand specific store is giving me the hope that they stock more that the normal sizes of other retailers, but I have no way of knowing if this is actually the case (can't bring myself to call comment above). After reading Running Injury-Free a bit last night I at least have a semblance of explanation for why my feet grew by half a size in the last year or so: my rigid high arches may actually be loosening up from the activity! This is good news in an otherwise disappointing shoe-finding endeavor, and I'll take it! Hopefully tomorrow I can report on how my Saturday morning run went in my new treads!

Update: I forgot to wish Lifestrides good luck on his 1 Mile Challenge tomorrow! All the best in your quest to break 5:00 - that time is unbelievably fast, but you are so close and I bet you'll do it!