I am loving my new running shoes! With all of the mileage I put on during my half marathon training, I actually wore out a pair of shoes! In the past, new shoes were purchased out of boredom. Color, not fit, was my main priority.
When my old shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) left me feeling shin splinty and achy, I knew it was time to start looking for a new solemate!
Because my husband is the king of finding online deals and tends to limit our large purchases to "sweet deals" I really had to do my research and comparison shopping.
First I went to one of the local running stores (Beyond Running) to browse their selections and try a few on. They were wonderful and helpful. They had me strip down to my naked feet and walk around the store while watching me walk. It's not as dirty as I made it sound. Running stores will evaluate what your foot does to determine what type of running shoe is best. More info here. Turns out I overpronate, which means I need a shoe that provides stability when I run.
I tried on two different pairs. The first I tried were this year's Brooks Adrenaline. They felt good, but I had the earlier version of them already and was kind of thinking I wanted to try a pair of Asics.
The second pair I tried were the Asics Gel Kayano 17 (something I never knew was the number at the end indicated the model of the shoe. A rookie such as myself didn't know that until I spent hours researching shoes!). They felt amazing! It was like wearing pillows on my feet. Pillows that provided stability. When I walked, jumped, and ran around the store in them (I probably looked ridiculous), I couldn't feel even a twinge of pain in my achy breaky legs (and feet and ankles and hip). SOLD!
Wait, not so fast....
Confession: I really had no intention on buying the shoes from the store. While I want to support local businesses, I also need to support myself and family. Remember that large purchases in our household must be cleared through the "was it a great deal?" test. At $140 retail, I couldn't afford them. I knew that Road Runner Sports, an online shoe store offered last years versions at reduced prices. I asked at the store if they had any of last year's Kayanos and they didn't (sometimes you have to ask if they have any in the back).
So, online I went! I scored a pair of Asics Gel Kayano 16 for $99.95. One thing I learned is that they change the shoes slightly from year to year, so even though I tried on the Kayano's in the store, I wouldn't know exactly how the shoes would feel, but from what I've read, this particular shoe didn't change much from last year to this year.
The great thing about Road Runner Sports is that you have 90 days to run in the shoe and if it's not a good fit, you can exchange it for another kind of shoe! This removed some of the stress I felt to find the right shoe on the first try.
I have had them for 2 months now and really love them! The only difference I noticed between the Kayano 16 and the 17 is that the 17 felt just a tiny bit more padded. Not a bad difference, just an observation.
The first run I had in the Kayano's was really discouraging. I had them built up in my mind to be some type of magical wondershoe, so I thought my first run would be wonderful and amazing. Not so. Why, you ask? My Brooks Adrenalines did not offer as much padding, and thus were lighter and had a thinner sole. Switching to a more padded shoe took some getting used to. Combine this with the fact that it was just one of those crappy running days when I couldn't mentally get into the run, and it was just a terrible run. And when I say terrible, I mean I felt all clunky and slow and just overall yuck.
Confession: I even shed a tear or two out of frustration while on my run. And I chose to cut my run short by cutting through the golf course near my house because I couldn't take it anymore.
But, my friends, don't let that first run determine your decision. I was given the advice to run in them a couple more times and sure enough, they felt better and better the more I wore them. I was afraid to take them out on a long run for the first time, but that went great too!
So they aren't magical shoes and they didn't take away my aches and pains completely. I have noticed though that my shin splints are less frequent and I hurt a little less. I wore them in the half marathon and finished without injury!
Hope your feet are as happy as mine! I have definitely found my solemate.
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