The Great Shoe Debate

So - Half Marathon #3 is approaching. Yeah, first mention of it here on my blog. Had it on my radar for awhile but actually signed up for real this week.

I thought I was sure about what shoes I would wear. Turns out I'm not ...

These are my Merrell Bare Access Arc's. I got them in January and proceeded to rack up training miles on them, the longest being 11 miles. They got me through the Hot Chocolate 15k. And they've been pretty good shoes.

Bare Access Arc's (plus my cat's toy duckie on a stick, she drags it around everywhere)

However...

In February I started my job at a running store and learned all kinds of new things about gait and shoes. My gait analysis revealed I *should* be in a stability shoe. I overpronate a little bit, mainly on the right side. Fairly flexible ankles and medium arches. Heh, I've been running in neutral shoes this whole time. 2.5 years ago I started running, and my first pair of shoes were some New Balance Minimus from the outlet. I learned how to run in minimally cushioned shoes, with a low heel to toe drop, and I do not heel strike. So I'm trying to do the right thing and use stability shoes. Problem is, most of them tend to be more traditional - higher heel to toe drop, lots of heel cushioning, the medial post which is a piece of plastic in the shoe to help control over pronation. Well shit. I don't like traditional running shoes. So I tried on a few of my store's "performance" stability shoes, and some of them are contenders, but I felt like I was still missing the roomier fit and wide toe box that I love. 

Behold, my Newton Kismets.

Kismet! They're dirty

These shoes have more cushion yet with a low drop (4mm) and have "lugs" on the bottom to promote a mid/forefoot strike and help get your feet off the ground faster.I love these shoes so far. Haven't taken them on any long runs yet but they do feel very comfortable and natural. The only thing is, the lugs seem to make running up and down hills a bit tricky. But they have definitely warmed me up to the idea of wearing stability shoes.

So this morning I went out for 5 miles - I've been super lazy and sleepy in the mornings and haven't gotten my ass out of bed to run as much as I should. Today I took my Merrell's - noticed a huge difference, and not in a good way! Everything kind of hurt. My feet felt really wobbly too. I dunno, it wasn't good. Maybe after the past month of running in something with a little more cushion and stability I'm just feeling all the impact and overpronation much more? My mind wandered to the Kismets - maybe I should just wear those for the half! But I've never run more than 4 miles in them! They do feel so much better though. 

Hmmm.... I am thinking the Kismet will be the one for the half. I guess the only thing I'm worried about is the fact that I haven't put in any long runs in them, and what if something changes halfway through and the lugs start hurting my feet or something? But the Merrell's are hurting me now that I am used to the Newtons...

Ahhh what the hell. I am the one who signed up for a Spartan Beast at a ski resort, 2 weeks ahead of time with no formal training. 

Screw it! :)