It's Gotta Be the Shoes

I am sure that all seasoned runners know the importance of the right pair of shoes when it comes to running.  In fact I am sure most people period know this.  I knew that it mattered but I didn’t realize just how much until just recently.

When I began running last March I was running in a pair of New Balance.  After only a few weeks I knew I needed a new pair so I went to a local shoes store, Hanlon’s.  There the running-savvy staff would measure my feet and get me into a pair of shoes specifically for running.  The funny thing was once I got measured I found out that I had been wearing the wrong sized shoes for a long time.  I had thought I was a size 10 ½, but no I was measured out to be a 9 ½.  So there was a potential problem taken care of.  I was put into a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11, I was told they were perfect for beginners.

I ran in those shoes for 5 months, ran 4 races in them, had a few nagging injuries, but they were a good shoe.  However, as it came time for my first half marathon I decided that it might be time to try something else.  I thought there might be another shoe that would give me stability combined with pain-free running.  I was pointed to the Mizuno Wave Rider 14. 

I was deep into my training for the Harwich Half in October when I changed shoes, a big no-no.  Now, I had upped my longest runs to 15 miles right after I changed to the Mizuno.  I ended up with a pulled hip flexor in my right leg which I assumed was only a side effect of my increased training.  I injured that hip and my right groin during the race itself.  It was a terrible pain, the burn in my groin led me to believe it was torn, though not bad enough to require surgery.  I finished the half in 1:55, collapsing in pain at the end. 

Still, I believed that the injuries were from the training and nothing else.  I continued on, having to seriously cut back my running and training because of lingering pain in my hip and groin.  I thought rest would cure it, I’m sure normally it would have if I had been in the right shoes.  I ended up getting another pair of Mizuno and the pain of running did not cease.  I was getting blisters all the time and just could not shake the injuries to my hip and groin.

By the time January rolled around I had run another 5K and an indoor half on a track in New Hampshire.  The half was cut short due to pulling both calves 11 miles in.  Reducing my electrolyte intake in the weeks before that race hurt me, but I still was avoiding the obvious solution.  After that debacle I forced myself to take 3 weeks off from running to heal my injuries.  For the most part it worked, until I began running again and it all came back.

I was getting discouraged, putting back on weight that I had lost, and thinking there had to be something wrong.  Like I said, sometimes the most obvious answer is the hardest to find.  Suddenly it clicked, I had been running injured for 6 months.  What had I been doing differently?  Nothing, except for the brand of shoes which I changed.  I felt hopeful when I went back into Hanlon’s and bought a brand new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. 

That was the answer!  Sure enough, now about a month after that realization I just finished my 5^th run of the week.  This week was the first time since right before Christmas that I ran 3 straight days, and 5 days in a week.  Sure I am being cautious, running with a brace on my left knee after dealing with some bad tendonitis, but with each successful pain-free run I am closer to taking that off as well.

So I learned the long and hard way how important the right shoes are.  I left Brooks for Mizuno and ended up injured for 6 months.  I am sure that plenty of runners have done the opposite, or with 2 totally different brands.  My story is not unique, except possibly for how long it took me to realize what I was doing wrong.  I am back with Brooks and plan to stay with them for a long time.  Have any of you experienced the same thing?  Have you switched shoes only to get injured?  On average how many different pairs of shoes did you go through before you found the right ones for you?

My new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12