advice needed.
i know. yes, yes.. i do know. and tomorrow i'll do my best to re-cap this week in training. but for now just know a lot of it has to do with the mental aspect of this marathon. the 5 hour goal i've set up for myself, and a lot of not quite complete thoughts i have that i'm in the process of working out.
granted i normally do that on here... but like i said, april = busy... my mind = even more chaotic than normal (i know, right? a near impossibility) and in hopes of not droning on and on ad nauseum about the whole thing, i'm just trying to sort it all out off screen, so that when i'm finally able to sit down and spell it all out, i'll maybe not ramble as much as usual.
HA! yeah RIGHT. so not gunna happen. rambling is like my thing. but regardless, just know i'm trying to work it all out and that this IS still a running blog and that i DO realize the world doesnt revolve around the length of my hair but that for now...
i'm pretended it does. cuz... i've got only-child syndrome, and its my blog, i'll whine about hair if i want to!
okay. disclaimer finished, on to the advice.
i need new shoes.
pretty much here's the story. i had amazing wonderful yellow Asics GT 2100's and i loved them. they were my look at me i'm a real runner first ever pair of official running shoes and i adored them.
i still adore them.
but then they started wearing out... so i bought another pair, same everything, but in blue.
they were alright.
i ran the marathon in the blue's and i started training this year in the blues. then they started to go so i thought HA! i can go get another pair... in YELLOW! because i become easily attached to such things like shoe color. whatever.
anyway, it was heartbreak city at the store, for i found out 2100's are no more. they're now 2110's. after attempting to go another route (Mizuno's... every "real" runner i know has Mizuno's. i thought maybe i could join their super cool club.
turns out after a few test runs on the treadmill... the club does not want me, and i do not want them. they were... NO GOOD!) i went ahead, and against my better judgement, went with the 2110's. light blue.
and they... just...
not so much.
something was off from the get-go. we didn't mesh well. i thought maybe they just needed to be broken in, but, after many miles and a few months of just general unpleasantness...
2110's have just gotta go.
as of late, my shins kill. when i run my fingers along my shin bone.. they feel bruised.. that is super not cool. the first 3ish miles of any run just out-right BLOWS, my shin muscle... thing... burns. i can barely lift the toe of my left foot off the ground, and after todays run i can officially say, my calf muscles are tightening up.
and this is all a new thing for me.
i had zero of these problems while training last summer.
so?!?! no more Asics for me. bastardo 2110's with the ugly colors. i'm thru with you!
but so now...
what do i do?
i'm guessing.. crossing my fingers... that its my shoes. we don't get a long and my legs are revolting.. but besides that, what do i do!??! and for those of you with super-non-existent arches... do you have any shoe advice for ones i might try?! cuz i'm uber-frustrated at the moment.
i've been stretching. and icing. although... i could up the ice. and... stretching some more. but really, i'm just not sure what the problem is?!
so i come to you my all knowing dear and wonderful RBFamily.
shoes?
shins?
shin...muscle...things?
calves?
any advice you might be able to pass my way would be greatly appreciated! i await your all knowing genius with bated breath and many thanks!
Comments
DATE: 5:44 PM
Well, just to let you know you're not going crazy, I (and about 4 other women I know!) have had the SAME problem with the 2110s. I loved the 2100s (esp the purple!), but they changed the arch support on the 2110s to "mimic a woman's monthly cycle." Barf. Apparently a woman's foot geometry changes as she goes through a menstral cycle, adn they *tried* to make it *better.* IMHO, they failed miserably. For me, what happened is that the stiffer arch support (or whatever) caused more tension in my foot, and caused my instep to ACHE from the bottom of my toes all the way to my ankle. I seriously went from tying them as loose as possible, to skipping the middle two and last lace loops to basically just letting them flop on my feet. I got to 200 miles and then chucked them. Went to my shoe guy. He suggested either Brooks Adrenaline or Saucony Grid Omnis. Got the Omnis, and have been pain free ever since. I hope that helps a bit. You're not going crazy. I've heard this a LOT!Good luck to you!
Posted by: Jen | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 5:39 PM
hey a, like runnergirl said, there are quite a few online stores that should still carry the old model. give them a shot. www.roadrunnersports.com might have them, too.when i get weird niggles i look not only at my running as the possible source, but at everything else in my life. am i stressed? uber busy? i find my muscles will tighten considerably when i'm under preasure (stress = reduced oxygen intake = tight muscles). keep up the icing and stretching, as those will both help the symptoms. for the cause, though, i say get a massage. it'll help loosen up the muscles AND help you relax.best wishes, and see you in JUNE! woohoo!
Posted by: jeff | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 5:31 PM
Are these the shoes? (I hope the link works! If not just go to onlineshoes.com and do a search)http://www.onlineshoes.com/search_results.asp?gen=w&searchstring=asics+gt+2100&adtrack=gaw&term=asics+gt+2100I found lots of sites listing them, but this was the only one that showed them in yellow. As for the shins/calves I hope it is just the shoes! I had the same problem and thought it was my shoes. Turned out it was too much training on the concrete streets of my neighborhood. I backed off from that and ran on softer surfaces for two weeks and it drastically helped. Now is it a once in a while problem instead of every run. Good Luck!
Posted by: runnergirl | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 6:28 PM
Hello there! ran across your blog recently and you are quite an inspiration. Just letting you know i am having the EXACT same problem. I am aching all over, and am absolutely stumped as to what shoes to buy now since my others have been retired. sucks. horribly. I don't like the asics 2110 one bit either. Do the 2100 have good arch support and stability? Keep me updated on what you decide on! good luck!
Posted by: N2FITNESS | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 5:53 PM
hells YEAH thats the right link. y'all are awesome. i love you i love you i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: a.maria | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 5:53 PM
First, forget about what anyone else is wearing. For real. Plus, I'd be wary about buying online. Your feet may have changed since you first started running, so again, if I were you, I would start over. (In fact, this very same scenario happened to me. Only it was with Nike's pegasus.) I spent TWO hours in the running store trying every shoe on in the place. You need a VERY knowledgeable runner/salesperson. PLUS, IF I were you, I would DEFINITELY go see a podiatrist, and see if you need orthotics. It sounds like you might. This is one place you don't want to skimp, especially if you are having problems. And I echo the other advice about running on soft services as much as possible, and of course, you are stretching, right? RIGHT?Get thee to a shoe store!
Posted by: jeanne | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 6:43 PM
i hear ya, my shoe saga has been endless!! (plus I now wear prescrption orthotics for arch support, which kinda throws another wrench into the mix.) i started out with neutral shoes, then went to stability + my orthotics when i started running again after my injury(i wore the 2100s for awhile, then Brooks Adrenalines)-now I'm actually back in neutral shoes (Asics Cumulus 7) since my orthotics give me the stability I need. 3 runs in them and so far so good.I agree with what everyone says about going to a good shoe store, one where they will really watch you run. Be prepared to spend as much time trying on shoes as you have to. (and for whatever reason, I'm a little wary of salespeople who will immediately try and push the high-end shoes, like the Asics Kayanos.)Good luck!
Posted by: nyflygirl | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 7:47 AM
Antoher thing you can do for your calves is get the stickwww.thestick.comIt works.
Posted by: Joe B | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 11:16 PM
Shoes are vital. Pain and strain have stopped me pumping up my running very much.I got orthotics a while ago and they have helped the knee pain, the shin splints and then I bought some brooks Trail Addiction. (I usually run on dirt road)They are a little wider than the asics and therefore I'm not so keen.But I needed motion control according to my podiatrist and therfore no more just getting a good brand that fit and feel nice...Got to the podiatrist, they can tell from your gait what shoes you need and if you need orthotics. Its worth it, in the long run, so to speak :)
Posted by: Amiel | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 9:25 PM
Sorry to hear about the shoes and the shins. I haven't been able to find any line of shoes besides the Asics 2000 series that work for me. As for the shins, last year when I was trying to adjust to orthotics, I probably went through the same thing you are going through now. There's like one point on the inside of your lower leg behind the bone that is super sensitive especially to the touch right? Generically speaking, and in my humble unqualified opinion, I'd say shin splints. But "shin splints" can be a whole lot of different things too. Not sure what types of stretching you are doing, but what will help out is using a resistance band and flexing your ankle up/down/sideways. That should work that calf muscle area. Oh and get in the pool and on the bike too!!! Hope you feel better soon!!!
Posted by: qcmier | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 8:18 PM
Oh no! This isn't good. I had a 30% off coupon at our local Fleet Feet (because of a party they were having) so I bought some 2110s even though I still had several miles left on my old 2100s. I haven't run in them but I have used them on walks to start breaking them in and I thought they felt awkward. Now I'm waaaaaay past my 14 day return period. I guess I'll find out for sure when I start running in them in 3 weeks... keep us informed on what you new shoes you find!
Posted by: brent d. | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 4:53 PM
Hey, I wear Mizunos, yeah!!! Anyway, does your local running store fit you for shoes? Ours looks at our foot, our stride on the treadmill, tons of analysis. It really helped to know what kind of pronator I was. I'm sure there are also tons of websites where you can buy the old shoes from, too.
Posted by: Rae | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 9:04 AM
If you don't have the stick as my better half is recommending, slather some lotion onto your shins and take your knuckles up and down your shins on both sides. You also need to massage.
Posted by: J | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 8:44 AM
Love the stick. Greatest thing ever.
Posted by: Kevin | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 7:48 AM
Shin splints remedies: pick up marbles with your toes. To massage: make a fist with your thumb off to the side (fonze style-so the thumb is out of the way of the fingers)and starting by your ankle, rub your fingers up your "anterior tibialis" to massage. You can check out this link to find out where the anterior tibialis muscle runs up your lower leg: http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/TibialisAnterior.html The fist will allow you to 'dig in' a little better with added pressure.You could be overpronating so it sounds like you need a good stability/motion control shoe. I recommend the Kayanos. I had othodics for a short time but corrected my overpronating with the help of yoga and being conscious with my foot strike until muscle memory kicked in and it became my new natural strike. I couldn't stand the orthodics so I was thrilled when I corrected the problem on my own after about a month of yoga (mainly balancing poses).
Posted by: stronger | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM
DATE: 12:44 PM
ok, i am way late catching up on your blog here. i have had wicked shin splints for months now. actually, they now htink i have a stress fracture and are going to review my bone scan AGAIN to see if they missed it.alright, you can tape your legs. the way they taped me up at PT was that they taped about 3/4 of the way around my leg, going from the back of the calf over the shin. the idea is to mash you calf muscle up against you tibia/shin in order to support those muscles but to also prevent further tearing of the connective tissue 9what shin splints actually are). stretch and ice like there is no tomorrow, take anti inflamatories, get your shoes fitted and if necessary, start checking into some orthotics. plus, take you mileage down a bit if you can (i know you are just around the corner to the marathon).just be careful with shin splints. i have now been ordered no running for a MONTH because of all of this stuff that's been going on since January.good luck A.
Posted by: mipper | July 4, 2006 8:02 PM