Compressed heels

So, they say (whoever “they” are) that running shoes should last someone about 500 km. Going off of that number, I was expecting to replace my shoes early next year. I knew that I would probably get less mileage on my shoes because I’m a bit heavier. I only bought them in mid-May, so four months into wearing them getting a new pair was far from the forefront of my mind. Just a run or two ago though, I started getting pains mid-sole. Because the pain was in both feet, and the onset was sudden I thought: “Man…it might be the shoe.” This was during that run after the long one. I guess I was sort of blaming the shoe on why I was having a hard time on Wednesday, to which another runner sarcastically replied, “The shoe? Or…it’s probably the fact that it’s like 30 degrees today.” Well yeah, that was one reason but she didn’t get that I was feeling pain where I shouldn’t have. I easily blamed it on the fact that we did a hard run the day before. So, it was only during this morning’s run when I felt the same pain that I made the connection.

After the run, I spoke with the manager of the Running Room and got her opinion. She and the other clerk took a look at my stance and saw that my left heel was looking awkward. They had me walk around and examined my gait. They recognized that the shoe material had already compressing too much and was worn down. They had me take off my shoes, and pointed to the heel. Indeed, the material was cracked and wrinkly, showing signs of too much compression. The sneakers were no longer giving me the support I needed, which was causing the mid-sole pains, and led to me having some discomfort in the hip. Go figure. Apparently, the fact that I’m pretty heavy and land hard on my heels when I run has drastically shortened the lifespan of the shoe. It sucks, but it’s time to get a new pair.

The clerk had me try on about 6 or 7 different pairs of shoes to see which ones were helping my stance. She wanted to get me a pair with more stability in the heels because of the way I land on them. After half an hour of testing pairs, we settled on another pair of New Balance shoes (they really do seem to work the best for my feet). They’re not perfect, but I think they’ll help tremendously. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever find a “perfect” pair for my troublesome feet. All I can do is come close, but I guess slight discomfort is just part of my burden. Anyway, I’ll buy them on Tuesday.

It kind of irks me that I’m having to buy another pair so soon. Running is unexpectedly starting to turn into an expensive sport. I suppose I don’t mind though. I don’t mind spending money on an activity that I actually enjoy. It’s just that this is sort of a surprise expense. If I was expecting it, it wouldn’t be so bad, know what I mean? Well, that’s the way it goes, I guess.

Possibly related posts:

1. Another pair…or not
2. Wiiiide
3. Running log: 2008/11/09