Runnergrl wrote:
Yeah 10 miles is alot. Think about it. If you did that 4 or 5 times thats two weeks of training you got for free.
I dont think its the shoes. Its your running mechanics. What shoe are you wearing now?
My running mechanics are solid ( seriously, I get compliments all the time, and I will probably have worse issues than what I have if I didn't have good running mechanics), and I'm a supinator. Also, I have slight scoliosis in my spine, and I was in a car accident some time ago, causing an injury to my lumbar region. So any shoe that has more than an 8mm drop is going to give me problems, so I stay away from them. Also, shoes with shanks in them give me problems, so I stay from them as well.
New balance across the board used to work for me, but they changed their entire shoe line up, where a lot of shoes have been discontinued.
A shoe will market itself as being an 8mm drop, but feel like a 10mm drop on the road. And then there are 10mm drops shoes that feel like 6mm drop shoes. It all depends on the shoe, so a runner has to really test the shoe.
I'm the type that can't have a rotation of shoes. I do everything in one shoe, so I usually buy performance trainers because they are hybrids: race, vo2 max training, tempo, long runs, easy runs.
4mm-6mm drop seem to be a sweat spot for me, so I focus on those types of shoes. Also, shoes with more rubber than foam on the sole work for me. Rubber absorbs shock extremely well, way better than foam, so I think the rubber is picking up most of the shock, limiting how much shock my back picks up. There is a reason why the Tarahumara create running shoes out of tires.
Zantes were a go to shoe until they changed the entire shoe. Pure Flows would be perfect, but the pods on the soles create too much bounce that bothers my back . The kinvaras feel like straight plastic, because it lacks rubber, and I instantly feel discomfort in the calves, so they are not absorbing enough shock for me.
Right now, I'm wearing the Nike Zoom Elite 9, and they are doing the job so far. I did a 6:40 tempo with no problems as well as other training runs. I'm keeping them regardless because I have already put about 30 miles in them. I have a pair of Merrell Bare Access Flex that I just ordered, which will be used as a racing flat. Nice rubber sole, zero drop, and will be used for no more than 6 miles, and it does not have a shank.
The new balance zante version 2 breathe provided that perfect balance of being a low to the ground shoe ( so there is no push up effect with my spine) , but also adequate cushion for the knees to endure long miles. I ran some kick arse races in that shoe, but after 200 miles those puppies were dead.
If running shoe companies did not constantly discontinue shoes, I would be set. I owned close to 14 pairs of the zante version2 breathe, and I probably purchased the last one on the planet some months ago. Now the shoe is literally no more. I have searched every part of the world looking for that one store that might still have a few in a size 10 ( that's another problem ...that size is the average shoe size for men, and is usually the size that sells out.)