Multiple Shoes!

As I've talked about previously, I started making the transition to front foot striking some time back to reduce the stress on parts of my legs, particularly my ITBs. While I have made great improvements in my running thanks to the shift, (and I give a lot of credit to the Inov-8 Road-X 255s as they helped keep me from getting lazy), I do not believe that my legs will be ready to run a marathon in them by July, let alone one off the bike. So my plan here is to do the long runs with cushioned shoes and continue with the Inov-8s for the shorter sessions. What I hope to achieve from this is to continue to work the technique & muscles hard on the short sessions, so that it becomes more and more natural even on longer sessions, but allow myself that extra support on the long runs, so that as I tire I won't suffer if my technique gets sloppy.

So off to Run-4-It in the sales I went.

First up, I was going to see if there were any Inov-8s in the sale, and I picked up a SWEEEEET pair of Mudclaw 272s in my size for 45 quid, so now I must find some muddy, messy tracks to go get durty on.

Next, onto the cushioned shoes.

What I love about buying from a shop, even where I could buy them for less on t'interweb, is the advice & proper fitting you get. The woman who helped me today is studying podiatry and a runner herself, so knows plenty about whats going on in feet. We talked about what I'm training for and how my gait has changed, history of footwear, all that kind of stuff then I got the gait analysis with the camera on the treadmill running in a neutral shoe, and it was very heartening to see big improvements in my biomechanics since I was last checked, prior to buying my first Inov-8's. My feet are sliding about way less and I'm crossing less. Then tried a couple of different pairs of shoes with limited pronating support (I've needed to go for lots of support previously, but I'm confident that my ever improving technique is limiting the need for the support, and I ran well in them on the treadmill), so I've gone for a pair of Adidas Supernovas. I'll take them to the gym, hit the treadmill & see how they hold up. And if they suck, I can take them back (as long as they've only been used indoors and are clean).

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