newbie needs advice, oh wise ones...
i've been told that i am in the market for new shoes. yes, been told. phrased in this manner because i dont actually know that i'm in the market, because i've never been one to replace what seem to me to be perfectly good shoes just because i've been wearing them a lot. thats the point of buying them?! however, what do i know about shoes and running? nothing.
so, like i said... apparently, i'm in the market for new shoes. i will just accept it as yet another thing i dont understand but will abide by on good faith.
so, here's the dilemma...
i love my shoes. they are my first offical pair of running shoes...ever. (and yes, i get rather attached to inanimate objects. i'm an only child. what can i say?!) they have been very very good to me in a i've-never-experienced-anything-else-they-are-all-i-know kind of naive way. however, that being said, i'm kind of wanting to try something new!! (i know. i'm such a dare-devil)
so... what are your thoughts on this. do i buy the same shoe, and just keep on truckin OR do i try a new shoe and cross my fingers/say a prayer they're either as good or better than current shoes?
ALSO... what are your thoughts on buying said shoe a half size larger? i've heard mumblings that some runners (not that i'm saying i am one... ya know, cuz i'm not... but just go with me on this....) that some runners buy their shoes a half-to-whole size larger so that when thier feet swell there's not as much friction going on down there, hence less blisters.
currently i only sometimes have a problem with blisters. so i dont know if this even necessarily applies to me... but i thought now would be a good time to ask.
OOOH. aaaaaand.... i read somewhere, on one of y'alls blogs i can only assume.. that if you wear nylons under your socks, you wont get blisters. is this true? because in my mind i cant see this as being comfortable but again... i must reiterate, what do i know of running and/or shoes?! nothing.
so RBFamily... i come to you, like a little kid to her big brother/sister (or how i would assume a little kid would go to her big brother/sister... like i said. only child. what do i know?!) and i ask... what should i do?!
Comments
DATE: 7:35 AM
My take is that you should wear the shoes (or take them) to the store. Your approach should be "I really liked them, so if you don't see anything that indicates I may have a problem, I'd like another pair just like them."Regarding the nylons under socks, it's one of several systems. The first question is "any cotton in the socks you're wearing now?" If so, buy a couple of pair of socks when you buy your shoes. The store will sterr you to something good. Cool-max or another synthetic made by a good maker like Thor-Lo, Wigwam, Wright or another.Finally, regarding marathon day - DON"T DO ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVEN'T DONE IN TRAINING! I can't stress that enough.PS - If you really only have 250 on your shoes (and from pix, I get the feeling you're small), then you don't really need new. I'm of the 500-750 mile school, but you'll likely need new ones near marathon time, so you might as well get them now and get comfortable with them.
Posted by: Scooter | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 7:06 AM
ok. decision has been made... same shoe, same size, might buy some new socks (yes i've been wearing the super not cotton running socks... but the thick kind. maybe i'll try thin? dunno.)thank you THANK YOU for all your advice. much appreciated...y'all rock!
Posted by: a.maria | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 6:28 AM
Lots of good advice here already. Sounds like everyone has the basics covered.If you love what you already have, don't fix what ain't broken. And, as a rule of thumb, a good pair of running shoes shouldn't feel like they have to be 'broken in.' They'll fit right from the get-go (no disrespect meant to ali by that.).
Posted by: Running Chick | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 7:44 PM
As for the specific model you buy, drew nailed it dead on. If you aren't having any major issues with shin splints, knee pain, etc. keep the shoe you have. Especially now. You can't get much better than "really working well." I have bought three pairs of shoes in the past couple months. All identical. Okay, one of them was a different color of the same model. They work, so I keep buying them.Shoes are good for about 350-450 miles depending on you. Lighter people can go longer. Us heavyweights smush them quicker.An elite runner I know buys her shoes three pair at a time. Two for training, one for marathons. I have two pair at a time. One for training, one for long runs and marathons.Oxy Sox are a great sock to wear running. They fit snugly and minimize rubbing, and therefore prevent blisters.If possible, you should have a pair of shoes that are new with the exception of two (maybe three) long runs. That ensures your feet are good with them, and that they have maximum spring and support.This, of course, is the extreme running geek method. A guy I ran with in my last marathon was wearing shoes with more than 1000 miles on them. I told him he may as well run barefoot.
Posted by: Tom | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 7:00 PM
umm... somewhere around 200-250miles (holy crap!) .. i'll have to check my (totally dorky) spreadsheet at work tomorrow... but i think somewhere in there sounds right.
Posted by: a.maria | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 6:19 PM
i need to ask a very similar question too, i will wait to read all of your answers because maybe i won't even need to ask! there is a certain # of miles you are supposed to be able to run in your shoes before you replace them. do you know how many miles you have on them?
Posted by: brent | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 5:44 PM
This may be common knowledge, but: the first time I bought shoes in a real runners' store, I walked out with a larger size shoe than I usually wear. Why? Not to allow for swelling, but to make sure that the base of my toes (i.e. where my foot bends) matched up to the point on the shoe where it wanted to bend. Seems obvious now, but until then I had focused only on overall foot length.
Posted by: sarah irene | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 3:59 PM
I still have my first pair of running shoes, I don't wear them anymore but I just can't through them away, so I relate completely.Okay here's my advice, actually more my own personal experience. My first pair of shoes were Brooks, then when I had to get new ones, there were so many kinds, I decided to go with Mizunos. There was nothing wrong with my Brooks, but I wanted to give something else a try. They were okay shoes, felt a little different, took a while to break in, no blisters just to get a feel for them. So when they went to shoe heaven, I returned to Brooks. My fourth pair, I got sucked in by all the money Nike spend on advertising, plus the colour of the shoes matched my running top ... like I said this is not advice! Nike and me were not happy together, since then I have gone back to my Brooks. A lot of runners I know never change, they buy the same shoe over and over again. So if you don't have any complaints and no foot problems then ... maybe stick to the make and model you are wearing. If you haven't already been to a specialty running store you should go, you can try different types of shoes and they should have a treadmill for you to test them out on.The size bigger thing ... I think shoes should fit, I've never heard of buying them bigger unless you wear orthodics. If you have a blister issue, then here's a couple tips1. bodyglide or vaseline your feet2. invest in some really good socks designed for runners, they make a difference3. pamper your feet with mosturizer every night.
Posted by: ali | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 3:38 PM
You're 9 weeks away from your marathon. First things first - CONGRATULATIONS! You've already done some amazing stuff and whatever you've been doing is working! If you are not injured right now, and like the shoes you're running in, there is no reason to change. Period. More expensive shoes don't necessarily mean they are better for YOU. If you have pronation PROBLEMS (ie never-ending pain), plantar fasciitis, never-ending knee pain, etc. this may be caused by your current shoe and you want to move away from them. Otherwise, dance with who brung yuh. If your feet don't feel cramped in your current size, and you don't have any type of black toe thingy going, you're probably all right size-wise as well. The consensus of opinion is that feet do swell while running, and they also spread out over years of running. I tend to lace my shoes so that I skip every other hole, and I never pull them too tight. I leave room for swellage (new word!). Also, you can always put on an extra layer of socks if your shoes are too big. So, buying a half size larger probably won't be disastrous, even if you don't need to. But again, if things are good now, why change?As for the nylons, there might be a point there. When it comes to combining socks and sweat, cotton sucks. Synthetics stink, but rock. Nylons are thin and synthetic. Probably a good combo. So, bottom line, same shoes unless you have lingering painful problems, same size, unless you have black toes and wear synthetic socks, preferably thin, and possible dual layer. That's my $.02
Posted by: DREW | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 10:08 AM
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Posted by: ncmunchkin | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 7:58 PM
Hey! Congrats on being so close to your marathon! I've only been running a little over a year so I've only had to buy new shoes a couple of times. My best advice is to go to your local running store. We have a Fleet Feet store here, and they are SO knowledgable. She put me on a treadmill to analyze my stride and examined and measured my feet checking my arches and so forth. I had so nasty callouses from the Nikes I had been running in for a while. From her analysis it turns out the Nikes were the problem. She put me in some Mizunos (which were about half the price, too!) and my callouses have all but gone away. It's crazy what a difference shoes make! Good luck!
Posted by: Rae | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 5:20 PM
Nike: Boo!Brookes: Yahhhh!I've been told I should expect to get about 400 miles out of a pair of shoes. I think I'll buy another pair when these get up to 200 miles and then alternate them. Take into account that I'm still on my first pair of "I - got - serious - and - started - keeping - track" running shoes.Congrats on beig 9 weeks way. Exciting stuff!
Posted by: SD | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 4:49 PM
Hmmm, tough to add anything new here, but I think that I agree most with don't fix what ain't broken. If you get blisters sometimes, figure out why - certain socks? Laces too tight, swollen feet? And Body Glide for sure, vaseline just seems to feel too smooshy (at least for me, and NO I don't use a ton of it, thank you very much!). Beyond that, whatever you do, don't be a dork like me and try to break in shoes with 15 miles on them on a 20-miler - that's the kind of lesson you only need once!!!! LOL!
Posted by: Wil | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 1:05 PM
i just found your blog, and just wanted to add that i enjoy it, and have bookmarked it. I also added chariots of fire to my netflix queue.
Posted by: Running from my House | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 11:18 AM
Shoes??? Who needs stinkin shoes?!
Posted by: Anonymous | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM