Magic Shoes

You're know you're an athlete when your shoes look like this:


Even at very low mileage (the past few weeks I've only been running 1-2 times per week while I work on my swimming and biking), I've been having foot problems. Again. They started before Richmond in my right foot. The right foot stuff (mostly) resolved once I got into a stiffer shoe and insert. And then I started having arch pain in my left foot. That got better with a new shoe and insert. Now, I'm having pretty noticeable pain in both feet, during longer runs, and even on my days off. And that's no fun.

I'm due for a new pair of shoes anyway, so I headed to the shop, where Mark and his most experienced manager puzzled over my krazy-with-a-k foot issues. I spent about 45 minutes there, answering all kinds of questions about my shoe vs pain history. Apparently, my shoes, with 300 miles or so, look pretty battered, but my inserts, bought new at the same time as the shoes, look practically brand new. For the record, I've always been very easy on my shoes (street and athletic) and have never, ever come close to wearing a pair out. I despise shoes with a break-in period, because I can't even break them in properly.

The theory is that in trying to correct my issues, we've been going stiffer and stiffer, which really isn't helping things, despite my serious overpronation. So rather than go right for a stability or motion control shoe, we started trying flexible shoes. The first felt so weird I could hardly walk normally in it, let alone run. Then we moved on up the stiffness ladder, trying different brands. I finally tried on a pair of Asics that felt different than the rest - good different. Great!

But they were out of stock in my size, so I have to wait a few more days. In the meantime, the manager was nice enough to MacGyver my current shoes and inserts, building up the left arch and the right lateral edge with duct tape and cut up old shoe inserts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that schmancy new shoes and a little bit of duct tape can keep me running pain free.

I guess the old saying really is true: If it can't be fixed with duct tape, it can't be fixed.

And the tri update: Run: 12.2, Bike 42, Swim 1800. I had planned to do a big workout today, but, get this, I had two very small glasses of wine last night while at the Ellis Paul show, and woke up seriously dehydrated, and maybe a little bit hung over. I felt pretty unwell today, and just decided to write it off. I've got my gym bag packed for tomorrow at lunch - I can't wait to take my duct tape for a spin.