Strange Question - Can I run with 2 different shoes? (Read 669 times)

I did a short trial yesterday (6 miles) and it actually felt great (besides feeling like a schmuck running down the road with unmatching shoes).

I think that's your answer, huh. In theory, it would drive me crazy like few other things, but I have this sort of OCD about things being symmetrical. Have to switch my keys from hand to hand each mile, need loops of shoelaces to be centered on each shoe, that sort of weird thing. But if your feet are really that different and wearing two different shoes feels right, well, how many times have you heard "listen to your body" on boards like this? If it were me, since I'm cautious as well as mildly OCD, I think I'd check in with a podiatrist and/or someone at a running shoe store who really knows his or her stuff about fitting shoes. Podiatrist could maybe craft an orthotic that would make a matched pair of shoes work for you. Running store person might set up a deal where they would use the shoe your don't wear as a display model - buying TWO pairs of shoes and only wearing one of each could run into some big bucks, right? Good luck! Eliz

Whatever works, right? As Eliz pointed out though, you are left with a mismatched pair that you'll never use, and that could get expensive over time. Some custom orthotics may be expensive, but in the long haul may end up saving you some $$$ by allowing you to run in a matched pair of shoes.

I definitely agree that the expense of having to buy 2 pairs of shoes will probably not work over the long haul. I should've been more specific, but I've got a marathon in 6 weeks and the longer my training runs, the more pronounced the "issues" become. I did a 20 miler last weekend that was very unpleasant on my left foot. I was thinking I could try this approach to get me through the marathon, then re-evaluate my options. I think I'm going to give it a go and see what happens.

I don't know if this applies here, and it would take some research, but I think I once heard about a service for people with two different sized feet; I'm kind of foggy on the details though. Maybe something similar exists for two different kinds of feet. In other news: my dad had knee surgery back in college, effectively changing one foot from requiring a neutral shoe to requiring a motion control shoe. I think he wears motion controls on both feet; maybe you just need to find the right pair of shoes.