No, I’m not in love with shoes, but I do love to run. And to keeping running, I rotate my shoes. I read several years ago that one way to prevent or avoid injuries is to avoid running in the same shoe everyday. There is a little science behind this tip. First, the shoe padding becomes compressed over the course of a run and it takes time to decompress. I take roughly 800 steps per mile. So a 20-mile run is absorbing 16,000 impacts. To run in those shoes the following day would be unwise.
Additionally, every model of shoe is different. As is every foot. Finding the “perfect” shoe is essentially impossible. One model may have a subtle spot in the shoe that does not provide enough padding, or a bad angle, or a tight spot, or a spot that rubs, etc… For that reason, my rotation does not include two pairs of the same model. The theory behind that is each imperfection among the rotation is given a break while running in a different shoe and therefore does not bother the foot repeatedly.
Does this mean my shoe budget is overwhelming? In a way, it is, but shoe rotation is not the cause. The sheer mileage I put in is really the “problem”. I make it a point to get 400-500 miles out of each pair before “retiring” it to a life as a walking shoe and maybe later as a yard-work/fishing shoe. The miles would pile up regardless of whether I used one pair at a time or four pairs at a time. So, I’m going to go through my 6, 7, or 8 pairs of shoes a year anyhow. I just have to do a better job of keeping track of their mileage, so I keep a list of my shoes and their mileage in my cell phone.
Generally, I can feel when a shoe is at the end of its useful life. If it does not make it to the higher mileage, or if I just could not stand it, I don’t get that model again. If it was a shoe I really liked, I sometimes order three pairs at once. The most frustrating thing about shoes is when a shoe company discontinues a model that I really liked. So, having a few extra pairs in the closet can usually hold me over until I find a replacement.
Here is my training for the past week.
Sunday was New Years’ Day and the weather had changed dramatically. The air temperature dropped to the low 30s, which is actually really good for Iowa in January. The drop was accompanied, however, with a sustained 30 mph wind with gusts up to 50 mph (see chart below). Anyhow, the indoor facility I use was closed, so I had to run outside. I begrudgingly agreed to do the long run of the week with my training partner. I ran the first 4 miles straight into the wind to meet in Gilbert, managing to run 6:58/mi pace. It honestly, felt like climbing a mountain and it shredded my hamstrings. Then, we turned around, and ran the remaining 13 miles with the wind mostly pushing us to SE Ames where I had dropped off my car earlier in the day. The miles were nice to get in, but this run affected the rest of my week. Total: 17 miles – 2:06:07 (7:25 pace).
Monday was a recovery day and temps had dropped into the teens while still being windy. So, we ran our recovery workout at the Lied Rec Center. The plan was an easy 7 miles, but we stopped after 4 miles. She was shot and we knew there was little to gain from the extra miles, but there was potential to lose a lot. I have no regrets in shorting the miles either. Total: 4 miles – 33:56 (8:29 pace).
Tuesday was a fast tempo day. Again, I ran at the indoor facility. The plan was a 10-mile run with the middle four miles at 5:40/mi pace and the rest around 7:00-7:30 pace. I had a lot of anxiety over this run, but partway through the warm-up I told myself that I can race 5 miles faster, then I should be able to do a shorter workout at the slower pace. At the time, it worked. Reflecting now, I fooled myself. There was no competition. I had done no race preparation. I was not experiencing adrenaline and excitement. In the end, I ran the four miles in 22:22 (5:35.5/mile pace). It was actually just 6 seconds short of my 4-mile PR. That PR is a little outdated by my current fitness level, but still pretty cool to have been so close during a workout. Total: 10 miles – 1:05:23 (6:32 pace).
Wednesday I scheduled myself for a 14-mile semi-long run and my partner was up for a fartlek workout. We did her workout first. We did loops on the hills at Moore Park with a plan of 8 miles and a total of 12 hard surges of 25-50 seconds each tossed in throughout the run. Generally, 10 surges is my personal limit and I ended up paying for it. For whatever reason, my stomach ends up in knots during this workout and today was no exception. By the final surge, she ran away from me. Then, I still had 6 miles to go. I was giving it all I had and could only manage 7:15/mile during this stretch. I only went 4 additional miles and had to stop 3 times to settle my stomach down. I flipped my Friday 12-miler for today’s 14-miler. Total: 12 miles – 1:29:19 (7:26 pace).
Thursday was a very welcomed recovery run. My joints were hurting, so we ran through Nutty Woods and out to the gravel on Stagecoach Road. The pace was sluggish at times and I felt like going faster. Yet, that night, I fell asleep on the floor playing with the kids and my wife sent me to bed. I slept 11 straight hours. Total: 7 miles – 55:44 (7:58 pace).
Friday was my makeup 14-miler and Courtney was up for a 10-miler. We ran the Stagecoach loop for the gravel and hills. The first 10 miles took 75 minutes. I ramped it up a bit for the last 4 miles while running the DQ loop from the high school. It took 26 minutes. It felt pretty good overall. Total: 14 miles – 1:41:03 (7:13 pace).
Saturday was another recovery run. We aimed for a mostly flat route, which took us down Bloomington/Duff. I enjoyed the recovery again. At times, the recovery runs feel like a guilty pleasure because they are vastly easier than the workout days, but they keep me going. Total: 7 miles – 54:42 (7:49 pace).
For the week (Sun-Sat), I hit 71 miles in 8:46:14 or 7:24/mile.
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