No return to blogging would be complete for this Harold without talking about running shoes.
Nope, I’m not doing running shoe reviews for anyone, but I still love me some running shoes. Though I gotta admit that I’m not running in as many as I used to or as many miles either.
Though the old body, seems to be hitting a comfort level of 15-20 miles a week fairly consistently and when I attempt to do much more than that it reminds me that I need to proceed with caution. However it does mean for the first time in too long, I’ve actually started to put some miles on my running shoes lately.
Yes, I’m still looking for that mystical running shoe that lets me run without bothering my feet and has me believing that I run better in them than I should.
However, I have gotten so if I do get shoes, I look at store closeouts/hold-overs or last year models first. Paying $150 or so for a pair of running shoes just goes against the grain for me. Though from time-to-time I still have gone first run on a part that really intrigue me.
I’ve been running in:
Adidas Boston 11 – A shoe that severely blistered my left heel the first three times I ran in them – a few weeks apart. But I ran well in them despite the giving blood. So, I put them away for a couple of months and then tried them on the treadmill. No blisters that time and got them to over 100 miles while in my rotation. Sometimes a shoe does that and I felt good about how I ran in them until I couldn’t. Although I also tend to believe that they were the underlying cause of my foot problems (the dreaded Plantar and Posterior Tibialis issues).
With the carbon rods and all that foam they are a stiff shoe, which propels me along better than the others, but my feet tend to be sore the next day. I wanted to keep running in them, but…right now I’m looking for consistency and if they aren’t helping that then I need to move on.
Update – they were part of the problem with my plantar issues that I dealt with recently. I had pretty much gotten over it and then attempted a run in the Boston 11’s on the treadmill. Within a tenth of a mile I could feel my plantar pulling and stopped. They went into Planet Fitness’s give-away box on the way out that day
Craft Pro Endurance – I run well in them, but when I got them I read too many reviews saying they ran short. I ended up getting a pair of 9.0’s instead of 8.5 or based on how these fit even an 8.0. In the past when I’ve worn shoes too big, they’ve tended to bother both the plantar and Posterior Tibialis and I’ve been on the edge of the problem for a while and recently had to stop running for a while to let things calm down. While I have almost 130 miles on these, now that I am running outside it seems that the issues are becoming more evident with them. While I will continue to use the CPE, I can see them becoming walking shoes in the near term or save them for next winter’s treadmill season.
Craft Pure Trail – I need a pair of trail shoes for nasty weather, hiking and when I get in better shape for easy trails. I’ve given up running on technical stuff, having these trifocal glasses and being on a trail run hasn’t worked out with my running. I don’t have confidence in my lines like I used to and getting my glasses just right so things ain’t blurry takes work and I am at turtle speed too often. These Craft shoes did run short and while I got a pair of 8.0’s I would have been happier with 8.5 in these. That is the problem with mail order, you don’t know what you’re getting until you get them.
Topo Spectre – I just got rid of a pair because I was wearing through the heel counter fabric at just over 100 miles (which is something that I tend to do with Topo shoes) and when I do and don’t get rid of the shoes, it usually becomes a blister issue sooner than later. Yeah, my heels a such delicate things that they blister up much too easily. Plus the racing slick outsole, just doesn’t work outside in the winter up heah in Maine in the winter or on the dirt roads down-back.
Which means that I wasn’t thrilled with any of my current running shoes when I first drafted this post. Well, except for my 361 Flames from a couple of years ago. I am saving them for when I start racing or at least start training for races again. They are my make me smile shoes and the last time I wore them, when I got done I was smiling – again. Just a lot slower than I used to be.
What will I do for a training shoe as I recover from this most recent Plantar/Posterior Tibialis attack since I believed these shoes are part of the problem?
Karhu Ikoni 2.0 – I ordered a pair of gently worn Karhu Ikoni 2.0 size 8.5 from eBay (a seller I use often) and so far they haven’t bothered the plantar or tibialis. I got lucky, they were probably a store’s display model – the soles were pristine and zero dirt. I’ve worn Karhu’s several times before and had few issues with how I run in them or the way they fit my feet. So far, I’ve been happy with the Ikoni 2.0’s they are a lot softer than the old Karhu’s though my right foot is still not completely happy with the width, they work well enough that I can deal with them with the lesser mileage I’m doing now. I’m not sure how they would do for more than 5-6 miles, but I’m not doing that kind of mileage very often, so it isn’t a big deal.
That was a quick update at where I currently am with my running shoe rotation. Not quite where I want to be, but better than it has been. Am I still obsessed with running shoes? No, not really. Now it is more about what works for me and not worrying about writing too much about them like I used to.
Yeah, my perspective has changed a lot over the past few years. Instead of running to get miles on my shoes, I’m running to enjoy the running.
Harold Being Harold 