Shoes: If they ain't broke, don't fix 'em

Ah, shoes... mmmmm... More specifically, running shoes...

Yes, as a runner, I have a very close relationship to my running shoes. While some people can get away with running barefoot, I prefer to wear running shoes to protect my feet. When I first started running, I didn't know anything about running shoes, and the first pair of shoes I used for running were actually Reebok tennis court shoes. When I figured I was actually serious about running, I went online and read that people should use shoes specifically made for running. Who'da thunk it? I never realized there was such a specific animal.

So when I went down to ye olde chaine sports emporium, the high school kid working there told me, "New Balance and Brooks make good running shoes." I didn't know anything, so I just picked some NB shoes that were $65 figuring they were expensive enough but not too expensive, and they seemed to fit good, just snug enough to be good for running. Little did I know that shoes too small could lead to the dreaded "black toenails" worn as a mark of pride by some runners. But those shoes withstood more than 1500 miles of running. By the end of their tenure, a huge amount of the black rubber on the outsole of the shoe had worn away to expose the white cushiony foam midsole. I never once got injured wearing those shoes, and I still have them sitting around in a box for old times sake.

Since then, I've been indoctrinated into the standard runners' thinking about running shoes. They should match your feet and the way you run. They lose a lot of their cushioning properties after 250 to 500 miles, and if you run too long in them you risk getting injured. I dunno if it's psychological or not, but when my shoes get to around 425 to 500 miles old, I do usually end up starting to feel dinged up. When I notice that I'm a little banged up it always correlates to the shoes having that many miles on them. It's weird considering that I used to run everyday in those cheaper New Balances which lasted 3 times as many miles.

For the last 4 years or so I've stuck with running trainers that I've been most comfortable with, mainly the Nike Air Pegasus and the Mizuno Wave Rider. Each company tends to release a new model of the shoe every year, with the Air Pegs changing more radically between years while the Wave Riders stay pretty close to the established formula. I must not be particularly picky as I've worn all these models without much complaint and have also run races in some lighter weight Nike trainers (Air Skylon and Air Zoom Miler trainer) without problems. I like to alternate days between the Air Pegs and Wave Riders to put slightly different stresses on my feet and legs to avoid any repetitive motion injuries. The shoes are slightly different as the Pegs are heavier and stiffer whereas the Riders are much lighter and flexible. They make a nice complementary pair.

Three or four weeks out from a goal marathon, I like to buy the shoes I plan to wear for the race so I can get a couple of long runs in them and then set them aside as "almost new" until race day. This year, I got a pair of the Wave Rider 11 which felt absolutely terrific on the two training runs I took them on, both runs being 23 milers. No problem there. However, this year I needed to replace some old Air Pegs at exactly the same time, but Lloyd Clarke Sports was out of my size in the Pegs! While they are fairly common shoes that I could've gotten somewhere else, I like to support the local sports store so they continue to carry running oriented merchandise (plus they give our running club, the Florida Track Club, a 15% discount). So even though it was only three weeks until race day, I tried out some new shoe models.

Now if you're not a runner, you might not think this is a big deal. But it is a big deal to many runners, especially when their particular shoe model is discontinued. We get used to certain shoes and are convinced when we change shoes they will never be good enough or they will cause us to become injured. This can be especially disturbing as a big race is looming since we don't want to get injured right before the race and end up not being able to run or hobbling through the race, thus wasting months of preparation.

While I didn't like it, I decided to try on some different shoes, since I am convinced that it is better not to be locked into any one particular shoe. I don't want to be too dependent on one factor, and I want my feet and legs to be strong enough to adapt to any kind of shoes I decide to run in. After trying on three different shoes, I settled on a pair of Saucony Trigon Ride 5. So far after 2 or 3 runs in them, I can say they are okay even though the first time out in them felt very weird. Race day is less than a week away, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these shoes don't do anything bad to me between now and then.

I know this post probably doesn't fully express how panicky changing shoes makes me feel, but I felt a mixture of excitement and dread when I picked out these new shoes. As a runner, running shoes are the most important gear I can obssess over, and while it's cool to read about and look at the new and upcoming models, I actually prefer to stick to the ol' reliable no matter how sexy the new models look. I will give the new kid a chance for now, but I'll probably revert back to the same ol' same ol' once these new kids are worn down.