I ran last year’s Long Beach Marathon in a pair of Nikes that were not designed for long distance running. I even trained in those shoes for 3 months prior. The end result was a 7 hour marathon, which I’m proud to have finished, and severe soreness in my lower left leg. It wasn’t muscle or bone pain, but a pinched nerve type of soreness. I took a month off of running, and in the process purchased a REAL pair of running shoes:
Saucony ProGrid Omni 7 Ultimate
The new training cycle with my new shoes has been revolutionary. There is no more pain in my leg, and my minutes per mile have dropped from 13 to 8.5. From November to now, I’ve been burning rubber each time I run. Recently, however, my knees began to seriously ache after running; which worries me as my knees have never given me any issues while training. After an 8-mile run two weeks ago, I can still feel a bit of aching in my knees. My shoes may have reached the end of their life span. I wrote the company, and they said the shoes last anywhere from 300-350 miles. I’ve put on close to 250-275 miles.
I went ahead and bought a new pair, and today did a short 2.5 mile run. It’s too early to tell how my knees will react, but if the pain doesn’t get any worse, then I made the right choice in buying a new pair of Saucony’s. So what does this all mean for you who enjoy running or are training for a marathon?
1. Take your training seriously by investing in a shoe specifically designed for marathon running. You’ll want to visit a running store versus a generic sporting goods establishment. At a running specialty store, the sales associates will ask you to run a short distance in order for them to determine what type of running step you have (I’m a moderate overpronator). Then you’ll try on several pairs of shoes that support your step-type until you find the pair that feels naturally designed for your feet.
2. Find out the life span of your shoe so that you can budget ahead of time for future purchases. Good shoes cost around $100. So in my case, it looks like I’ll be buying a new pair every 3 to 4 months. Thus, my overall shoe budget would be $25-$30 per month.
3. Concerning the life span of your shoes; you need to consider your body weight. Companies promote the life span of their shoes based on a runner of average size. For men that’s 5’7″, 160-180lbs. Women; 5’2″, 115-130lbs. I’m 6′, 210lbs., so with each step i’m putting much more weight than the average-sized runner. This intensifies the amount of traction-grinding and shock absorption that my shoes are forced to endure; thus, lowering the life span of my shoes by a large percentage. Be sure to keep this in mind.
At my current pace, I hope to run a 4-hour marathon in San Francisco. I can do a 1hr50min half marathon thanks to running with the right shoes. Of course, it’s not just the shoes that have made me faster. I’ll try and write about other training tips in the near future.
Run safe!
