I think I have a shoe problem.....

My new running shoes arrived this week. My neighbors were laughing - "why are their boxes arriving when you're leaving so soon!". If only they knew.....

I couldn't find my running shoes around the island (except in one store that wanted $20 over internet price), so I ordered online. Here's what I ended up getting....

A new pair of Nike Structure Triax (left), the shoe that ended my shin splints so i'm sticking to like glue. While Road Runner Sports had free shipping I decided it was more economic to buy the trail running version of the same shoe (right - 'aint they pretty!) at the same time  to get me psyched up for running in Maine - can I hear a woot woot? The difference I hear you ask - the trail running version is water-resistant (gore-tex), has a grippier sole, slightly more cushion and nifty things like a sewn in tongue to stop water getting in there. And they are purple. Why oh why don't they make the road running version in purple? Why oh why don't my feet and legs like running shoes that are actually purple? Since the rest of my life is purple, there is a mystery....

clockwise from left: My first marathon shoes (structure triax 12, 500+ miles), my current running shoes (100 miles), my new trail shoes (0 miles) and my new road running shoes (0 miles)

My kingdom of shoes. I should put all these outside the door then my neighbors would really think i'm hiding dead bodies in my 300 sq ft house! Kidding aside, this shot actually makes me feel better about this purchase I really could have done without right now. Look at the difference between my current running shoes and the new ones. I can't believe how worn they look already at 100 miles in (the blue ones were also originally white mesh, not grey!), and there is another 189 miles to go before the marathon!

By the time the marathon comes along, I could have risked injury just having the one pair of shoes. Last year I got a stress fracture in my foot from the marathon, probably because i'd worn the same shoes throughout the training as I did in the race, now at least i'll have a pair i'll gently break-in, and i'm more likely to get to Maine still being able to walk (a bonus!).

I really thought when I first started running you could throw on any shoes and just go. Shin splints taught me I needed to have the right shoe that supports in the right places. Now returning shin and knee pain have taught me you need to keep track of how many miles your shoes have - running shoes average between 300 - 500 miles a pair before they need to be replaced, and I learnt that the hard way! In normal running that would probably last me a year, in marathon training those miles add up fast. The program i'm on sees around 450 miles in training over 12 weeks to get you ready - and that's the novice level!

The other thing in my parcel? Easy Laces! These bungee laces were really an awesome find (my friend Laura bought me a pair for xmas!) - not only are they super easy for the on and off (great after a hard workout, and awesome for plane security lines!), but they also support my foot so much better during running than normal laces - not too tight, even so no hard spots and just enough flex. I stopped having foot aches and pinches, and stopped having to re-tie laces a dozen times on runs when I discovered these. I've tried another companies bungee laces too - Easy Laces are my favorite - and I needed another pair to put on my trail runners - don't they look good!

The only problem.....

Nike laces are NICE! Anyone need laces for stocking stuffers??

This week saw me run 34 miles (18 miles today!) - my third longest week (Marathon week is number 2 at 36.2 miles and in 3 weeks I have a 40 miler) - so i'm off to have some ice cream! Hope you all have a good weekend and Happy Halloween!