New Shoes

It is amazing what a new pair of shoes can do for your feet.  As I stated in a previous post, I was in desperate need of a new pair of shoes.  With my heels hurting to the point that I was walking on my toes like I was wearing invisible high heels, it was definitely time for another pair of shoes.  So last Saturday, the kids and I loaded up and headed to Fleet Feet.

This time I remembered to bring my old pair of running shoes so that they were able to see how I wore the shoes when I ran.  I learned that I have a neutral stride and I scrape a little bit on my heel.  I always thought that I ran heel first.  Guess I was wrong.

Anyway, I tried on several different pairs of shoes to try and find the right fit for my plantar fasciitis. The first pair of shoes were close to the same pair of shoes that I have been running in and those were Aesics.  For some reason, these hurt when I walked and even worse when I ran. He tried putting in inserts and they still hurt but not quite as bad.  The next pair of shoes that I tried on was Brooks Ghost 6.  Those were awesome!!  They felt the same with and without inserts so I was tickled about that.  The last pair of shoes were New Balance.  As soon as I put those on and put my foot down, I was like no these are not going to work.  I had a sharp pain shoot up my heel and the back of my calf.  There was no way that I could wear something like that to run in.

So to make sure I got the right shoes for me, I tried on the Brooks again and ran in those.  They felt pretty good and had the same feel without the inserts.  So I walked out with a new pair shoes and they have made a huge difference. 

Normally when you get a new pair of shoes, you aren't suppose to break in a new pair of shoes with a long run.  I have never really been one to really listen to things like that so I ran my long Sunday in them.  It was amazing!!  The only thing is that I had to stop and stretch my feet out a couple of times.  I also did a short run of 3 miles in them a couple of days ago and they are slowly getting broke in.  I have to remember to stretch a little bit before I run since they are still a little stiff but other than that, I couldn't be happier.

I honestly never thought that a pair of shoes could make such a huge difference.  I am able to walk without much pain on my hardwood floors and with each run, my feet feel better than the last run.  I am definitely not steering away from this brand of shoes.  They seem to be doing me quite well.  So until next time.