Sunday, 31 July 2011

Shoe fetish

L to R: Asics (X 2), Saucony Fastwitch 2, Newton Gravity, VVibram KSO and Hoka One One Bondi.B

Over the last year I have been testing out strange shoes and enjoying each pair more than the last. When I started running several years ago, I had a simple fit and was told that I pronate, so supportive shoes are my best option. Unfortunately, in a running store, it is usually difficult to get more than ~10 strides in, so I never really noticed that I was in the wrong shoes. While supportive shoes may be the answer for a heel striker, I have a natural tendency to run mid to forefoot. Until about a year ago, I've suffered lots of pain and discomfort after either long or challenging runs, even leading to injury with lots of downtime on more than one occasion. 

Enter Newtons. The lugs under the ball of the foot are supposed to encourage forefoot running and often increase the cadence of the wearer. As someone that selects forefoot as my natural stride, these were immediately comfy and I found that the lugs were actually causing my cadence to become too high, so I had to focus on dialing it back a little. My current pair of Newtons still have some life left in them, and I'd certainly buy another pair.

Next up, Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. Marsha and I bought these for our trip to Hawaii as shoes that we could use for running, snorkeling and just generally exploring the islands. These were amazing for day to day use and even for a few shorter runs. I never really got over the blisters caused by the seams inside the shoes, so a little bodyglide and avoiding humid conditions are both important when I want to run in my Vibrams. I'll try a pair of Injinji socks with these someday. An awesome pair of shoes that are fun for short runs and exploring. Not sure if I could manage these for the bulk of my training though.

Finally, my brand new Hoka One One Bondi.Bs. If you laughed at my Vibrams, wait until you see me in these! Hilarious looking? Yes. Hopefully the ride is worth it, because I laugh at myself every time that I have put these on. Tomorrow will be the first run in these shoes, which have become popular among ultra distance runners and long course triathletes. Supposedly they reduce the amount of stress transmitted to your leg and make the suffering easier. Also, they are deceivingly light - about the same weight as my Newtons. I'll follow up after a few long runs with a review of these shoes. For now, just have a good laugh at them.

HAHAHAHAHA - Keep in mind that these are a Men's size 11. Yes, the soles are THAT thick.

Running plan for the next week: 20-40-20-40-20-60

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