“I Think You Have Too Many Shoes”

Posted on July 5, 2011. Filed under: Exercise, Food, Pets |

Shut up!

Tell ‘em, Kelly! (What an inspiration she has been for the blog recently) For reals, though. If you’re a runner, you can never have too many shoes. Or, rather, there is no such thing as buying new shoes too frequently (within reason, of course). The more you run, the more wear you put on the shoe. The more wear you put on the shoe, the less support it gives you. The less support it gives you, the more likely you are to become injured. So, be on top of the condition of your running shoes! There is also no overestimating a good running shoe that supports your feet and running gait.

When I had the worst run of my life last Saturday, partially due to leg pain, I thought it may be a result of worn shoes. I bought these running shoes in late December so it has only been a little over six months but since I’ve been training for the half, and therefore running more, they’ve worn down much quicker than usual.

So here was my dilemma:

The wonderful blog and twitter community all weighed in on what I should do:

Fleet Feet was closed on the Fourth of July so I went today.

And I am SO glad I did. I explained everything to the staff person and he said that, as long as I finish the little training I have left in them, I should be fine, though it was ultimately up to me (he was not pushy at all…something I loved about the store in general). He took a look at my feet and saw that I have somewhat low arches which means that my arch probably collapses inwards just after my foot strikes the ground during running.

The inversion, or overpronation, of my ankle is not good for me. It isn’t an efficient way to run (I’m pretty sure most of the “push off” after the foot strike lands on the big toe so I am putting my entire body weight on one toe!), so my body is working harder than it should have to to propel me forward. Most importantly, it increases my risk of injury to my feet, ankles, shin, knee, thigh and pelvis as well as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of my lower leg (source)—sheesh! See what I mean about the importance of getting a shoe suited to you? Well, the right shoe can give me the support I need so that I don’t overpronate and I run more safely and effectively.

The staff explained all of this to me very simply and clearly so that I could understand and chose four different shoes to try on that would be supportive for my foot type and running gait (he also explained how the shoes will support my feet). I “test ran” all of the options and immediately felt a difference. I can’t believe I’ve run so long in non-supportive shoes!!! If I love running now when I’m doing it wrong, think of how much I’m going to love it now that I have the right shoes!? I ended up choosing the ASICS GT-2160 (I’m going to pick them up tomorrow–I wanted to give myself a night to think about it) and I can’t wait to try them out next time I can get out for a run (it’s debatable whether I’ll have time tomorrow since I have class-work-class from 7:30 AM until 11 PM…less “hump day”, more “mount everest day” but I’ll get it done ).

Let’s be real — I don’t know what that guy just said (Fleet Feet man explained it much better) but moral of the story = this shoe is the bomb.

I’ve always loved ASICS (and Sof Sole inserts which you can read about here. At the time I wrote the post about Sof Sole, I thought I had a normal arch!) and, though I stayed open minded to other brands, ASICS still won out during the “run test”.

Another moral of the story = I LOVE Fleet Feet. This was the best running/athletic/shoe store experience I have ever had. All of the staff were exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable and they really seem like part of the community. There was a running group that is organized through Fleet Feet when I was there and they had great senses of humor. Maybe I’ll get involved with one soon! One of the staff immediately knew I was running the Mad Half when I came in and said I was running a half on Sunday. I was impressed as this is the first year for the marathon! They even had the Mad Marathon poster displayed.

Imperative Side Note: When was the last time you saw a skeletal foot chillin’ on the counter at an athletic store? These people know their stuff!

Cherry on top: It also helps that the staff puts on, laces up, unlaces, and takes off your shoes for you every time. I felt like a princess Winking smile .

And, PS, if you want to know your foot type, here is a simple test from Runner’s World. If you are a messy klutz like me have trouble with this, just go to your nearest Fleet Feet or running specialty store!

Phew! Now that that is all explained, let’s move on to what I ate today because it was a pretty good day in the foodie department.

I enjoyed organic cucumbers with Sabra roasted pine nut hummus and bananas with Once Again sunflower seed nut butter while babysitting (Thank you, god, for blessing me with babysitting “bosses” who appreciate good food. I’m lookin’ at you, Laura!).

The baby was totally showing Julie up with the peanut butter fingers.

“What beetch? What?! I’m so bad ass I leave mah sippy cup down.”

Babies + a gangsta ‘tude reminds me of the swagger wagon. “Now I’m cruisin’ to their play dates lookin’ all sick”

My second “job” of doing a direct practice/research project was cancelled today so I got back and had another snack/lunch (I eat all the time so I don’t know what to call any meal I have. H’whatever, moving on.)

My “lunch” (ate around 3 pm) involved Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers with melted mozzarella on top (Easy peasy. Step 1 = toast burgers, step 2 = sprinkle mozz on top, step 3 = toast more until melts, step 4 = devour) and a side of peas (reheated from last night).

His name is Smiley.

Smiley eyeball Burger + side of mouth stray pea

I also may have devoured a pint of Ben and Jerry’s…

From the sound of it, though, I am not alone in this situation:

It’s funny to me that people expect me to be a restrictive eater when they know I live a healthy lifestyle. HELL NAW. Healthy BALANCE = healthy life! Get it? Got it? Good!

For dinner I made a quick frittata with the last bit of the leftover peas and mixed greens from my CSA share. I’m trying to finish up all the veggies in the house instead of buying more because I have a new pickup on Thursday anyway!

Moving on to Rando Thoughts

I strength trained today and it was good. It’s been a while and I missed it. That’s it about that. Smile

And the ferrets are adorbs as per ushe (youuushhh. Like usual, but abbreviated).

“Mom, look how TALL I am!”

Ferret siesta

Baby boys, you make my heart overflow with luff. and love.

I’m pretty sure I’m done…I still have to organize the closets and go to bed before I steamroll hump day tomorrow. Whatevs, what Tim Gunn says, I do. “Make it work!”

Do you know your foot type? Do you pay attention to the type of shoes you work out in and how much wear they have? Why or why not?

Make a Comment