RunningAHEAD - Topic: Help about choosing shoes for a race on Saturday

rururunner

posted: 4/2/2009 at 9:15 PM
modified: 4/2/2009 at 9:32 PM

I am running an 8k on Saturday and I have been having left lower leg pains when I was running. It has been happening on and off for a while. Ages ago my pedorthist said it was my shoes but I tried a couple and they didn't seem to help. I have two very different feet - ie one is very flat and the other not so much. Tonight our new run clinic instructor took a look at my current shoes (with about 400 miles on them) and showed me that I was wearing disproporionately on the left side of my ~~right~~ left shoe, which told her that my current shoe was over correcting my pronation, which would cause such a pain. So she fitted me in a pair of Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 4 and I ran for quite a while in them just outside the clinic and they felt wonderful! Little mattresses for my feet! Soooo.....do I wear my new shoes on Saturday - it's just an 8k - or do I wear my old tried and ouch true shoes? Thanks! modified to change right to left

Suffering Benefiting from mature onset exercise addiction and low aerobic endorphin release threshold. Hoping there is no cure.

erich

posted: 4/2/2009 at 9:24 PM

I am confused. If you have wear on the left side of a right shoe that would be on the inside and therefore it is under correcting for over pronation. Maybe I am wrong, but it is important to understand what your feet need.

rururunner

posted: 4/2/2009 at 9:29 PM

Oops! left side of left shoe - like I'm striking on the baby toe side and not in the middle.

Suffering Benefiting from mature onset exercise addiction and low aerobic endorphin release threshold. Hoping there is no cure.

JasonR

posted: 4/2/2009 at 10:14 PM
modified: 4/2/2009 at 10:15 PM

I don't like to race in shoes unless I have 30 miles (3 or 4 runs) in them (at least one long run) so I'd go with the old shoes. Will I see you at the race? I'll be heading over on the TTC. Should be there by 9:00 am.

rururunner

posted: 4/2/2009 at 10:40 PM

I plan on being there around 9:15 - get my chip then run the first leg from the start line, around the loop, then back to start because I need to warm up. I went out way too fast last year and got a stitch after the first major hill which killed my time. I'm hoping to break my PR (it was 59:00 so won't be hard!). Where could we meet up - anyone else going?

Suffering Benefiting from mature onset exercise addiction and low aerobic endorphin release threshold. Hoping there is no cure.

Tchuck

SMART Approach

posted: 4/2/2009 at 11:26 PM

Quote from rururunner on 4/2/2009 at 9:15 PM:

I am running an 8k on Saturday and I have been having left lower leg pains when I was running. It has been happening on and off for a while. Ages ago my pedorthist said it was my shoes but I tried a couple and they didn't seem to help. I have two very different feet - ie one is very flat and the other not so much. Tonight our new run clinic instructor took a look at my current shoes (with about 400 miles on them) and showed me that I was wearing disproporionately on the left side of my ~~right~~ left shoe, which told her that my current shoe was over correcting my pronation, which would cause such a pain. So she fitted me in a pair of Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 4 and I ran for quite a while in them just outside the clinic and they felt wonderful! Little mattresses for my feet! Soooo.....do I wear my new shoes on Saturday - it's just an 8k - or do I wear my old tried and ouch true shoes? Thanks! modified to change right to left

I say wear your new shoes. As you say, it is only an 8K. If a half marathon, I would tell you to run in them a bit. I have never ever had an issue with new shoes requiring a break in period if they are the right shoe for your foot. They either feel good or they don't.

Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

www.smartapproachtraining.com

wyerock

posted: 4/3/2009 at 12:12 AM

If you KNOW your old shoes are going to hurt your knees (especially if they've got 400 miles on them), then definitely go with the new shoes. Can you get in a short easy run Friday with the new shoes? If they are the right shoes, you should know by then. My wife had a pair of Brooks stability shoes that hurt her knees, so she went back to neutral shoes (Nike Vomero 3) and says how great her shoes are after all her runs. She called them pillows though, instead of mattresses. Smile

Purdey

Self anointed title

posted: 4/3/2009 at 6:24 AM

New shoes.

xenoplastic

posted: 4/3/2009 at 8:43 AM

The only danger with the new shoes is probably blisters. Otherwise, you should be taking the new shoes over the old ones absolutely. Blisters can be mitigated some by taping or using new-age socks. Even if you don't prepare for blisters before the race, odds are any you get won't be too serious, so I would pick the shoes that might not cause you pain over the ones that almost certainly will. The general rule for shoes being too old is 300 miles, so you need to dump that other pair anyway. One thing I will say, though, is that depending on the actual shape of the bottom of your shoe, you may be able to solve many of your problems by buying new inserts for the shoe. Especially if your two feet are actually different from one another, then buying different inserts for each foot might be a more precise way to address what each foot needs (I am no expert on that, though).

Phidippides

posted: 4/3/2009 at 9:01 AM
modified: 4/3/2009 at 9:02 AM

Quote from rururunner on 4/2/2009 at 9:15 PM:

Soooo.....do I wear my new shoes on Saturday - it's just an 8k - or do I wear my old tried and ouch true shoes?

If the old ones are causing you pain and the new ones feel good -- it seem an easy decision to me. I think the only thing you need to think about is that, in my case, sometimes I get new running shoes and they feel great from the very beginning and sometimes they need about 20 or so miles of break in........SO, I guess it depends on, if after a couple of miles that they feel OK to run in (meaning broken in a little) - then run in the new ones.. If they feel like they need more breaking in, then you probably ought to wear the old one this one last time.... My gut says the new ones should be fine..

Champions are made when no one is watching

alan fletcher

posted: 4/3/2009 at 10:49 AM

wear the ones that look the fastest! or, if looks are not critical to you, wear the new ones.

- the grisly details http://alansmiles.blogspot.com

dnephin

posted: 4/3/2009 at 11:13 AM

New shoes. Shoes really don't need to be broken in, I have found.

DWARP
Marathon Madness Mob

Help about choosing shoes for a race on Saturday (Read 521 times)