I saw this picture yesterday, and I had to post it on FB because it was very much ME the other day.
I have been struggling with shoes. Last summer I went to good ol' JC Penny and bought a cross trainer shoe...and I'm almost positive that's how I killed my toe to begin with. So when I decided to start running, in late December I went back to JC Penny and bought another pair shoes, this time a little more spendy and were "made" for running. They were Nike Dual Fusion, and to be honest, they are so darn cute, I wear them all the time (which tells you, I no longer run in them). The funny part of this is that I was supposed to go to a running store, but I chickened out. I didn't feel like I belonged there, so I stayed with what I knew. That was my first of many mistakes. But admit it, they are cute!
After about a month of running in my Nikes, my knees were just aching. I knew I couldn't keep it up, and my friend assured me that the problem was my shoes, which were fine for everyday wear, but not for running up to 12 miles a week like I had been at the time.
So mid February, I did it: I went to a running store. I came out with my first pair of REAL running shoes: Asics 2170s.
On my first run, I hated them. They felt very heavy compared to my Nikes, and my friend explained it was because it was a minimalist shoe and now I'm in a more stable shoe. OMGosh...there is so much to this! (Oh little did I know then...) But I kept at it and soon the knee pain subsided, and I was on my way. I did end up with a foot injury, and I had custom orthotics made. That's another story...
I wondered when I would need new shoes, and everyone said "You just know". So mid May, I felt my knees ache again, so I went back to the running store and bought the same style shoe, only in a different color. The running store has a 30 day policy that if you don't like the shoes, you can bring them back with the receipt and exchange them. But hey, I didn't need to keep that receipt right? These were the same shoes, so all should work out, no worries.
And I ran in them, and something didn't feel right. My ankles ached, my knees ached...I felt like I was back to square one. I even started to feel some shin splints--what the heck? And of course my friend said, "Well, you kept the receipt, take them back..." Ughhhhh....no I didn't. BIG MISTAKE! So I went to Wal Mart, bought some gel insoles, and put those in the 2nd pair of Asics. No bueno, so with the half marathon approaching and my custom orthotics lost in space, I put the gel inserts into my first Asics, and the knee pain subsided, ankles got better, and life was good again. I ran the half marathon in those purple asics with the Wal Mart gel insoles.
So finally, the following week my orthotics arrived and I took some time to break them in, and I knew the day was coming that I would need new shoes. The old shoes were ripped on the inside, and hole was forming on the top where my big toe would rub up against the material. And even with the orthotics, they were just done. I tried running in the newer white Asics again, and the knee pain came back. I have particular issues with the outside of my right knee.
So last weekend my family was on an outing, and my husband is getting ready to start running, so we wanted to get him some new running shoes. But you know where I'm going with this...I walked out with new shoes. I was hesitant on what to do because I loved the first pair of Asics but not the second pair. I put on another pair of the same Asics (in another color), but something wasn't quite right. Then I put my feet in some Sauconys--Guide 5.
I fell in love. They were softer and felt less bulky than the Ascis. So I walked out of the store with these, and Dan walked out with...nothing. All of his friends told him about the pressure point tests, treadmill tests, etc... and this particular running store didn't do these tests. I told him I didn't really care, but if he wanted to do them, I'd find a store.
A friend had told me about Road Runner, and I found one. When we walked in, we saw the treadmills, and that was what Dan wanted, and since I'd never done it before, I wanted to try it too. Then I was nervous...I just bought a pair of shoes one hour ago...and they are not cheap. What if they're the wrong ones?
So what did I learn? Well, I learned that I should buy shoes in the neutral plus category. The Asics were stability shoes, which probably were OK when I first started running because I was heavier. But the new ones were pushing my leg in, causing the outside knee pain. And guess what the new Sauconys I bought were? Yep, stability shoes. So I tried some neutral plus shoes on, and the heavens parted: Saucony Triumph 9.
But the only way to really know and really feel a difference was to try each shoe on opposite feet and feel the difference. These neutral plus sauconys were so much softer, where the yellow ones were more rigid. So I walked out of Road Runner with ANOTHER pair of shoes. :) Not cheap, for sure.
I went out in the new shoes last night for 6.7 miles. No knee pain! I did another 3.4 today (in 35 minutes I might add...10:18 min/mi pace--which for me is outstanding), and my knees and ankles feel great. So since I do run an average of 20 miles per week, I should be rotating my shoes anyway. My plan is to take the Guide 5 pair back and exchange it for another Triumph 9. I was told it takes about 24 hours for a shoe to reform, so by alternating shoes, you actually add to the life of the shoes. So that's what I'll do!
Now I'm having arch issues in my left foot, but I think that's because I've been wearing the orthotics a lot, and I didn't wear them this afternoon in the Nikes (that I still love to wear with jeans) and I pulled something--it's nothing ice and ibuprofen won't fix. I'm not running much, if at all, tomorrow anyway.
Anyway, finding the right shoe is not easy, and it's expensive. I can still use those white Asics for spin class and elliptical machines, so at least I still can use them. I cannot use the Nikes for anything except everyday wear, which is great because I'm not using my workout shoes for walking around. And my orthotics fit into every pair of shoes I own, so that's a great benefit. So hopefully I won't need to buy more shoes for another 6 months...let's hope! And then I'll probably love something else. But for now, these are it!
The long and short of it is this: I have learned that the right shoe can make or break your work out. My feet are pounding pavement, and I need to take care of them, and if I take care of my feet, I'm taking care of my knees, back, and everything else. They will keep me on the road...and that's where I want to be.
Keep running!
Jolene
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