Given the amount of trouble that I’ve had with my left hip, I decided to get properly fitted for a new pair of running shoes. To date, I’ve been wearing a pair of Nike shoes that I picked up for all around use awhile back. They’re comfortable enough for everyday use, but I suspect they’re the source of my hip problems.
Checking out the New Balance store
For starters, I hit our local New Balance store. This is the closest thing to a “real” running store that we have here in town. When I arrived, they had me stand on a fancy electronic foot scanner that estimated my size and showed a heat map of pressure points on my feet.
My gut reaction was that this piece of gadgetry was that it’s much ado about anything. Sure, it told us that I bear the majority of my weight on my heels when I’m standing perfectly still, but… Doesn’t everyone?
They next observed my gait as I walked back and forth across the store. According to the clerk, I have a “fairly neutral” stride, though my feet tend to supinate (roll outward) a bit. He then pointed me to several pairs of shoes, of which he thought the New Balance 1064 would be the best.
At that point, I couldn’t really tell if he was recommending the best shoe, or just the best shoe that they had on hand (since they only carry New Balance). Or perhaps it was just one of the most expensive…
The main problem was that he couldn’t give me much in the way of specifics about why this shoe was the best choice for me. I decided to consider my options, and perhaps drive to the nearest running store.
Heading to the specialty running store
Fast forward a week. My hip pain got worse despite ratcheting back on my exercise, so I decided that I really needed to get a second opinion on my footwear.
I took the morning off from work and drove nearly an hour to “the area’s premier specialty running store.” Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the owner, who wanted to see me walk. He first asked me to walk barefoot. He then asked me to walk in my old shoes (which I had brought with me).
He skipped the fancy-schmancy digital foot scanner, but confirmed what the New Balance rep has told me — that my feet were rolling a bit outward. He further stated that this sort of step is often associated with outer hip pain.
He then looked more closely at my current shoes and said that I need better heel stability, with less support on the inner mid-sole (I’m paraphrasing because I didn’t take notes). He confirmed that the New Balance 1064 was one possible shoe for me, but that there were others that I should consider.
He then brought out the New Balance shoes, as well as a pair of Asics GEL-Nimbus 11, and a pair of Brooks (I didn’t catch the name of the style). All three felt comfortable enough, but he was of the opinion that the New Balance wasn’t doing the job. Rather, he said I should consider either the Asics or Brooks, which worked equally well. Incidentally, both of these were also $30 less than the New Balance.
In the end, I settled on the Asics. And guess what? He threw in an extra 10% discount. Perhaps he was taking pity on me since I drove nearly an hour out of my way to find the right running shoes. Regardless, assuming that these shoes work for me, I’ll definitely be a repeat customer.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Good luck with the new shoes!
That’s definitely the sort of experience you should get at a specialty running shoe store. The folks that start those types of stores do it because they love the sport and it’s one way to stay involved even when you aren’t as competitive as you used to be.
Have you looked into barefoot running at all? From what I’ve read, running shoes are a significant contributing factor to running injuries. I’ve had a pair of Vibram Five Fingers for a few months now that I wear for work and for sport, and I love them. Some pain that I’d had in the bottoms of my feet for a year and a half went away within two weeks of changing shoes. At this point, my comfiest running shoes don’t feel very comfy (though certainly still better than dress shoes!). Might be something to look into, especially since you’re near the beginning end of being a runner (so reducing training and adapting to running differently would feel like less of a setback).
(I will be blogging about barefoot running, but I haven’t yet.)
I use two pairs of shoes. Newtons and the Nimbus. I love the Nimbus. On my 11th pair.
Hope the hip feels better. I was having ankle issues till I bought a new pair of running shoes. Can’t remember what they said my foot was doing, but that it was likely the cause of my discomfort. The pain only started when I began to run outside (as opposed to the treadmill indoors). The shoes I bought were Saucony, not sure the style. The ankle pain has finally gone away. Hope the foam roller helps you out.
I agree with H Lee D. I started running and training for a half marathon about a year ago. Got several running injuries (foam roller, ice packs, and all) and went to see several podiatrists and ended up having to walk more than run the half marathon because I was injured. 2 months rest and after that still no progress. I’ve ditched my motion control shoes and am changing up the way I run (I think I was running on my heel). Since I can’t see myself do Vibrams, I’ve started with the barefoot running concept in the Nike Free and am going through painful ART treatment to try to slowly reverse the effects of my injuries. In my running group of 5, 4 of us got injured while the last one didn’t and she happened to also run in barefoot running style with the Nike Free.
A few people also recommended the book Born To Run to me (haven’t read it yet). Check out this excerpt: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/hom.....money.html