New Shoes!!!!

FINALLY! NEW SHOES!!!

I had planned a trip to “Mempho” (the armpit of Tennessee) this weekend for some new shoes since we don’t have a specialty running store in the area but decided to look one more place before making the trek. After my Monday easy run I decided I didn’t need to take another running step in my old shoes. They had 440 miles on them but I felt the cushioning was long gone and my lower legs ached even on the easy runs.

We have an awesome store in the area called “Trails and Treads” that is an outdoorsy type store that carries products similar to what you might find at REI. I have been in there several times looking at the road bikes (which I plan to purchase this weekend – WOO HOO!) but I have never paid much attention to the shoes they carry. Plus, I didn’t know if anyone there is knowledgeable about the different types of shoes (stability, motion-control, cushioning). As you all know, the folks in department stores or most of those chains like Foot Locker have NO clue whatsoever. You might as well be speaking French when you mention words like “stability shoe”. “uhhh, yesssir, all of our shoes are pretty stabile”.

I was fortunate that I caught the owner/manager of the store, Harris, who was, in fact, very knowledgeable about the type of shoe I needed. He didn’t watch me run because I told him the folks at Fleet Feet (which he knows pretty well) determined I have minimum motion and would do best in a stability shoe. He did measure my foot and look at my arch. I told him that the Brooks Axiom I had been using never seemed to have enough cushioning because I have experienced a lot of lower leg problems.

He confirmed what I thought – that the Axiom didn’t provide enough support for the mileage I am putting in. He said it doesn’t really make a good trainer because it is so light. (I have to confess that I may have moved the guy at Fleet Feet this direction because I loved the lighter shoes I tried.) But after trying several shoes at Trail and Treads, I picked a shoe that was in my budget at $95. I went with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6. I liked the Brooks Trance a bit better but $130 is just too much for a shoe I plan to replace in three months.

I went on my first run in the new shoes this morning. Off the bat the left shoe seemed hard and I felt I was slapping my foot on the pavement. Once I got going and the shoe was broken in a bit, I was fine and they felt comfortable. The BEST part is - I am feeling NO lower leg pain this morning at all! None of that normal soreness below my calves, at my ankle, or underneath my foot! And today I ran mile intervals so it wasn’t a real easy day.

So I am hoping that this continues to be the case and this weekend’s long run is doable. The temps are going to be GREAT so I hope my legs will cooperate. I am going to see if I can reach at least 14, maybe 15. But if I am struggling at all I will cut short at 13. (Hopefully, not less than that.) I need to get on track so I can do this marathon in December. I’ll let you know how it goes!