New Running Shoes

I went out Friday night to Sports Authority for a new pair running shoes. I liked using that store and especially on a slow night, because there was room to run up and down the aisles with different pairs of shoes. I tried on a few models.

Here's my thing. Most shoes are made for heel strikers. I land on the balls of my feet. The last pair I purchased was the Nike Air Pegasus a couple years ago. They just came back out and they were the most comfortable shoes that I had when I ran competitively in high school. I even bought them repeatedly. When I bought the newer version, the store was packed (Foot Locker) and they felt comfortable when I tried them on and walked in them.

I ran in them, but my feet hurt sometimes. My foot would slide forward and put pressure on my toes, hence the blisters from relatively short mileage.

I hope some people that use the same running style learn from my past pain and gain from my new pleasure.

Back to the Sports Authority

The first pair of sneaks that I tried did the same thing as the Air Pegasus. They were Nike Dart IV's. I didn't have my epiphany yet. I thought the problem was the size of the shoe. I went up a half size. The new shoes did the same thing even with the extra room. On top of that, these shoes made me underpronate every step. That was annoying.

I start looking at the shoes on the wall all over again. I come across the Nike Air Tri-D Run II. Immediately, I feel more cushion under the balls of my feet leading to the base of my toes. That was nice. I then start running in the store and to my surprise, my feet aren't moving forward at foot strike!! These are the most comfortable shoes I have had since rediscovering running about 6 years ago with a pair of New Balance (don't remember the model number).

If you are a ball striker, you may want to check out these running shoes. Nike Air Tri-D Run II.

So to really test these things out, I went out for a run today. I took my mp3 player / radio and tuned into the local jazz station to make sure I didn't run too fast. I wanted to go slow and steady and try to log in an hour, which I haven't done in quite some time.

I ran almost exactly an hour and did 5 miles. That's really slow, but it's hot and humid still... plus I haven't run that far in months. The shoes... were exactly that same as when I ran in the store. My feet didn't move around and that extra cushion in the front of the shoe was perfect.

I am very pleased. I will definitely remember to come back to this post the next time I need to buy some running shoes.