Shoes

It seems like any somewhat serious long distance runner has some sort of inherent affliction with shoes. A simple google search on the lifespan of a pair of running shoes will bring up a wide variety of opinions. From reading through quite a few articles, I figure on getting 300 - 500 miles out of any one pair of shoes. Certain factors appear to play into the life of the shoe such as weight and frequency of runs. An article written by a runner here discusses rotating shoes. Basically, he says, rotating 2 pairs of shoes will last longer then 3 new pairs worn consecutively. Finally, some would encourage you to run barefooted or with minimalist shoes. I'll provide my take on barefoot running at the end of this article, so skip to the end if you don't care to read about my progression of shoes.

Being over (or around) the 200 lb threshold brings some other considerations to the table. I'm a neutral style runner. I have seen the term biomechanically efficient, and biomechanically correct. Basically, I have a normal gait. I also have a fairly normal arch and the width of my feet are standard. I tend to favor heavier cushion shoes that are geared towards the heavier runner. In 2008, I bought a pair of Asics Cumulus 10's for my marathon training and for the marathon itself. I bought a pair of Saucony Ride to replace those Asics. My thought at the time was a little lighter shoe. They were sold to me as cushion shoes for the neutral runner. However, after I bought them, I found a review that classified them as performance trainers. Despite that, they still were fine to wear on runs under 8-10 miles. At the time I was wearing them, I was in the 205-212 range for weight.

My next pair of shoes was the Mizuno Wave Rider 11's. I liked these shoes a lot, and they became my staple shoe for training for the 2009 marathon. I put around 200 miles in these shoes and they were the shoe I ran in for the CRIM in Flint. However, I started getting a pain in my knee that I attributed to a slight stumble in a training run. It got worse, and I ultimately had to stop training for a while and rest the knee, thus missing my 2009 marathon attempt. My shoes felt flat, and reading around on some running forums, I found some runners who wore the same shoe were also having the same type of knee problem. A friend who happened to be a runner and had the same size feet put my shoes on and said they felt very "flat" to him. No response, and no cushion. I had just picked up a pair of Nike Air Pegasus 25's for under 25 bucks, so I thought I'd give those a try. I do no like these shoes very much at all. They feel narrow and stiff with almost a plastic like feeling to them. I still wear them for short treadmill runs at home, but that is about all I'll wear them for in the future.

This past Spring, the 5/3rd River Bank run had a runner's expo before the race. I stopped in and found a pair of New Balance 1063 on clearance. The 1064's were out, so that is why they were getting rid of them. I bought them, and I have not been disappointed. The fit is great, and as silly as it sounds, I love the laces. I have just over 300 miles on those shoes and they are still in good shape. I've considered buying another pair of these as the clearance prices are still slowly dropping.

Around the 100 mile point of the New Balance 1063, I wanted to pick up another pair to start a rotation. Mileage is piling up fast, and I wanted to extend the life of them. It was at that point I watched a video on Barefoot running. That video can be seen here.

I have started to change my viewpoint on running in the bare foot. Personally, I am looking at minimalist shoes. I just can't bring myself to run in the bare. But one key takeaway from that video is that it takes time to switch over. The major step for me is changing my running style. And I figured I could do this with my super cushion shoes. I'm running less upright with shorter strides, making sure to strike on the forefoot. The cushion shoes make that a difficult task, so instead of buying another pair of 1063's, I started looking at lighter shoes to wear. I figure it will be important for me to continue to lose weight as well, so I should follow a natural progression in lighter shoes anyways. I decided to buy the New Balance 758 shoes. For the barefoot runners and minimalist people, these are still shoes that are way too built up in the heel. I know that. I'm not pretending to be part of their culture ... at least not yet ;)

The New Balance 758's are 4 oz lighter then my 1063. I've put 50 miles on those shoes and I do like them a lot. I do notice less cushion in them, but they feel better on a longer run than my Saucony Ride's did. I also do find it easier to strike the forefoot as well. I'm also still shopping around for true minimalist shoes. When I switch between the 1063 and the 758, I still find myself liking the 1063 model shoe. So, I'm at a crossroads with the minimal shoe decision. I haven't committed to it yet, and I want to get through this training cycle and race before I recommit myself to it. I may even buy one more pair of 1063's to finish this cycle out.