This Running Life

Reading a TON of stuff on the web about ITBS has convinced me that one of my major problems with the IT pain was shoes. I’ve had my shoes since last July/August (two pairs bought roughly at the same time), but in MY mind they weren’t that old, because I was in achilles recovery for awhile and didn’t do HEAVY running on them. Plus, shoe wear tests conclude that good shoes should last 300-500 miles. But deconstructing the recent ITBS, my coach and I realized that I do not share the same characteristics of most wear testers, namely, I am not 165 pounds. I am still overweight and that extra weight squeezes the life out of a shoe quicker than industry shoe life standards predict.

Plus, any good shoe guide will say to change shoes every three months, regardless. I realized that I used both pair of shoes to walk, then run-walk, then run all during my recovery last fall, and I kept up with few of those miles. I am a doofus and didn’t realize that all this might have been the shoes.

So what did I do? I got new shoes. I had worn Brooks Trance 7s, a good stability shoe, but since I am a heavier runner with low/flat arches, I really needed a motion control shoe. So why not go for the industry standard in motion control: the Brooks Beast. Here is a pic:

Just got them today, the Beasts. The shoe is next to my other new piece of equipment, a foam roller. Man, if you haven’t done the foam roller, you haven’t lived. This one was at Target, for about 20 bucks.

I am in the middle of week 2 of my 3-4 week recovery from ITBS and my attitude this time is better than the last recovery (for the achilles). I am aware now that 3-4 weeks off now, prevents 3-4 months later on. Disney is the goal. I am, to quote a former prez, focused like a laser beam on Disney.

Whatever it takes.