Oh man, I goofed up. And I’m not talking about the two pieces one piece of pie I had at Thanksgiving.
For all the talking I do about the importance of footwear for running/hiking/walking, I am now eating my own words (had to – it’s an eating kind of weekend).
I have let my running shoes get so worn down that I’m getting holes in them! I thought I could hold out until Christmas and justify a new pair as a present to myself…… The last couple runs I have been on have been rough. My knees ache after about 2 miles, my feet are angry – and my left foot is fused so I have to be wary of that, and all my leg muscle are WAY more sore than normal.
I bought my last pair of running shoes in May and have since trained for, and run, several 5ks, a few 10ks and 1 half marathon. It is recommended (but not necessary) that you swap out to a new pair of shoes every 400-600 miles – the depleted cushioning and deterioration of the shoe has the possibility of changing your running mechanics, which can be cause for injury. However, this is not always the case. The best way to tell: Listen to your body.
Because I have orthotics, I am normally extra mindful of listening to my body and changing out running shoes regularly (normally once/year), however, I did not take into consideration all of the running I did this year that takes its toll. And I’m paying for it now.
In addition to changing out shoes, it’s also important to ensure the best shoe for your stride and strike. You can do this by going to almost any specialty running store and asking for assistance – normally the employee will fit you with shoes and then have you jog on a treadmill while they record your foot position as you land and take off from each stride. There are also online outfitters, but you may be sacrificing accuracy.
I have moderate pronation as a result from my foot surgeries and am religiously fitted with Brooks Adrenaline GTS. They’ve definitely served me well.
Even though it’s less than one month away, I’m going to have to cave and snag some new running kicks – Christmas is coming early this year.
How often do you change out running shoes? Do you have a specific brand/model that works well for you?
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