When it comes to running and goals many people set a reward for accomplishing them. I am one of those people. As most of you already know I celebrate through-out my long runs to keep my energy and mind on track (for those of you that don't, see my wins map on a previous blog, http://thetrisout.blogspot.ca/2013/10/taper-truths.html). My biggest goal for Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope was to Qualify for Boston and I accomplished this and that was a reward in itself. As great as that mental reward was, I still find a physical reward a good thing. When choosing a reward I think it's best to reward with something that keeps you motivated and on track for your next goal.
The physical reward I had in mind took a lot of research and time before the purchase was complete. My reward for my race was NEW SHOES! Not just any kind of shoes, RUNNING SHOES, 2 PAIRS (2 wasn't originally in my plan but needed to happen)!!!! Yes it was time to replace my shoes, as I had been running in them for far too many miles. Here are some of the highlights I learned about when to replace shoes:
- Lightweight shoes last 60% as long as heavier, more durable shoes (I wear lightweight shoes so this is an important point that I didn't know). For more info surrounding this point go to this link http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/ask-coaches-when-replace-shoes
- Running shoes should be retired on average between 300-500 miles. The variation on miles is dependent on the user (where you run, the way you run etc). http://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/common-shoe-questions
- Racing flats should only be worn for racing, not training!
Simple points but points I was reckless to. I wasn't tracking my mileage and I can tell you I've been running in the same shoes since April 2013, that's 7 months and well over 500 miles. To make matters worse my shoes that I so adore, are racing flats. Not really meant for training, another error on my part. Hopefully all this ignorance just means that my next marathon will be my fastest yet.
The shoes I adore and ran in for my race are the, New Balance 1400's . They are my favourite running shoes that I've EVER owned! Now that's a tall order since I've been in everything from Asics, Mizunos, Brooks, and Nike. I can tell you that since I've been in New Balance and logging more mileage than ever, I've been injury free! I can't say that about the rest of my shoes.
I knew I wanted to get a new pair of 1400's but that I would need to make them my race shoe and a shoe I'd wear only once in a while for some tempo runs and one LSD run. Here's the beauties I bought:
Now I still needed to purchase a training shoe that could take the long mileage while maintaining the integrity of the shoe. I decided to stay within the same brand since I saw success with the 1400's. After watching numerous videos on shoes, this video helped support my choice for the, New Balance 890 v4. This shoe won the 'BEST UPDATE' award at Runners World. It's light, minimal and can handle the distance.
This shoe comes in a special edition NY City marathon colour style but I preferred a version that the US New Balance Website had. Thankfully the next day they were on the Canadian website, just in time for an order. Here's the ones I chose...
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| You can buy at New Balance Canada |
Well I'm extremely happy with my shoe choices and after ordering them online, they arrived only a few days later. So stay tuned for tomorrows blog on my first experiences with them on!
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