Quick Running Tip Tuesday - Shoe Rotation (May 15, 2012)

Let me introduce you to some friends of mine. 

To the right, you'll see my current active running shoe fleet.  On the left is "Pair 1" with approximately 180 miles on them... in the middle is "Pair 2" with approximately 10 miles on them... and on the right is "Pair 3" who have yet to see mileage.  They are all Nike+ Pegasus edition shoes.  (Pair 1 is model 27 and Pairs 2 and 3 are model 28 if you care.)

Why show you my shoes? 

I wrote a couple of months ago about getting your shoes properly fitted (HERE).  A quick tip that most don't realize until they've discovered it for themselves... I didn't... is that your shoes last longer when you rotate them!

Totally floored me. 

An example will suffice.  I have a tendency to wear one pair of shoes and wear them until they wear out and then get a new pair.  My wife hates this.  But it's just easier to match.  Anyway!  I did the same thing with my running shoes.  I bought a new pair of running shoes.  Then I'd wear them every day, on every run, all the time.  Day after day, most days back to back and sometimes back to back to back on runs.  I'm a bigger guy (weighing in around 240... hopefully about 220 by Chicago time) and I can abuse a pair of shoes pretty quickly.  I would quickly rack up about 250 to 275 miles on a pair of shoes.  They would feel heavy and the tread would be wore out.  So, I'd declare them "retired" and move onto another pair. 

Then a friend challenged me to try rotating them.  Buy an extra pair and skip a day with one pair, while wearing the other and then vise versa.  I discovered that I could get about 400-500 miles out of a single pair of shoes if I rotated them!  That's huge!  That saves buying one new pair of shoes ($60-$75 where I buy my Nike's online). 

When you wear your shoes, you compress the cushioning and the insoles.  This happens a lot more with running because of the impact on the shoes.  When you wear them repeatedly back to back, it doesn't give the insoles and cushioning a chance to rebound (re-expand).  So when you wear them again and again and again, they don't have a chance to recover and they wear out faster. 

Take it from me, and I watch my shoe mileage very closely, if you rotate your shoes... they will last longer.  If they last longer, that saves money (that you can spend on race fees or other goodies).  Rotate your shoes.  This summer, because I am attacking the Chicago Marathon with a little more fierceness, I will be racking up about 800 miles between May and mid-October.  So I'm going to go ahead and rotate in a third pair just to make them last a little longer. 

Keep running friends!  I'll likely see you out there!
Jim


Disclaimer (if you're into that sort of thing): Jim is not a professional runner nor is this blog endorsed by any company.  These thoughts are merely the thoughts and experiences on one runner.  What works and what doesn't work from a practical level.  Jim hasn't set any records, but he's run a few races (Marathon: 4h 22m / Half-Marathon: 2h 3m / 5k: 22m 57s) and he's been around the block!

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Chicago Shoes - 825 miles for 26.2

"Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere..." so said Forrest Gump about his special shoes.

These shoes here are my Chicago shoes.  They are going to take me to Chicago marathon.

Looking over my Chicago training plan, which begins officially in 10 days, I will cover about 825 miles on these shoes.  The pair on the left, currently called #1's, have about 140 miles on them.  The pair in the middle, #2, have 2 miles on them... just activated last night.  The pair on the far right, #3, don't have any miles yet.

It dawned on me tonight as I begin to break in a new pair of #2s, that one of these pairs will cross the finish line in Chicago.  

I've got a lot of miles to spend with these guys.  I hope they look as good in a couple of months as they do now! By the way, they are Nike+ Pegasus 27's (on the left) and the two pairs on the right are Nike Pegasus 28's. 

Keep running friends!

Jim



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Quick Running Tip Tuesday - Properly Fitted Shoes! (2.14.12)

With today being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd write a short tip about love... namely loving shoes!

If there is anything that runners love, it's new shoes.  There is something special about the day they come out of the box for the first time.  For me, I often buy my shoes ahead of time (when they are on sale) and put them on the shelf for a couple of months until I am ready for them.  Breaking out a new pair of shoes is sometimes a split second decision based on the previous couple of runs... so I can't always (financially) head to the store to get some new ones.

But I love new shoes!

People who are starting into the running world ask me often, "Where should I get my shoes?"  This answer is easy! You should buy your first couple of pairs of shoes from an actual running store!  Find someone who works in a running store and have them help you find the right shoes for you. 

When it comes to shoes, one size does not fit all (obviously... our feet are all different).  But in the same vein, it's not easy to properly fit yourself.  Shoes are designed for different kinds of feet.  Not all running shoes will work for you.

The first pair of running shoes that I bought I bought at an outlet mall based on how they "felt" in the 30 seconds I had them on.  I didn't walk in them.  I didn't run in them.  Needless to say... they didn't last long.

The second pair of shoes that I bought, I bought from a running professional (this one to be exact).  They put me on a treadmill.  They watched me walk and run.  They photographed my foot (which is quite flat by the way).  They brought out every pair of shoes in the store that they thought would fit my style of foot and had me try them on.  After I put them on, they put me on the treadmill and watched me run and walk again.  Then we decided based on comfort, feel, style and price.  The second time that I bought shoes, it literally took me over an hour.  But they are the right ones for my feet.  They did all of this for free... because they love running... regardless of which pair of shoes I bought.

And since then... I've only worn that style and worn out 4 or 5 pairs in the last couple of years.  You cannot overestimate the importance of properly fitted shoes and someone who will help you fit them properly.

As for me... now I often shop at Road Runner Sports.  But you can shop anywhere.  Just so your first pair or two comes fitted from a running professional (unfortunately 19 year olds working at Champs do not count).  Find a running store and get fit properly!

After you get settled into a style, you can buy your shoes anywhere since you'll know exactly what you are looking for.

Keep running friends!
JC


Disclaimer (if you're into that sort of thing): Jim is not a professional runner nor is this blog endorsed by any company.  These thoughts are merely the thoughts and experiences on one runner.  What works and what doesn't work from a practical level.  Jim hasn't set any records, but he's run a few races (Marathon: 4h 22m / Half-Marathon: 2h 3m / 5k: 22m 57s) and he's been around the block!

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