Run Run Rosie: Dopey Challenge Training – Week 4: Shoes, Glorious Shoes

My injured wrist has not been healing very quickly and since I’m in denial that anything is seriously wrong, I have not gone to my Doctor. At the advice of a co-worker I purchased a wrist brace because functioning at my job has become a struggle. And to my surprise IT WORKED!

This week my obsession with running shoes hit an all time high. I have now accumulated 4 pairs of running shoes. All Hoka shoes of course, my tried-and-true Arahi’s have increased by two. And I’ve introduced a new shoe to my collection. It’s the Carbon X-SPE, it is a tongueless shoe. I loved my first pair so much I immediately bought another before they were discontinued.

Now is the time to start testing out shoes for marathon weekend. We are a month into the training plan, this gives you plenty of time to find the shoe that fits your feet the best and gives yourself enough time to break in not just one pair, but several. I usually take three pairs of running shoe to January’s marathon weekend. You don’t know what the weather will be like, and if it rains you want to have an alternate pair for the next day race. Also just like you, your shoes need time to recover, you should never wear the same shoe for all four races. You need to give your shoes time to “bounce” back for best cushion and support.

Why do you need to break in your shoes? Well, the material that makes up your shoe will most likely be stiff and inflexible. When the material hasn’t softened or doesn’t have a lot of give, it’s easy for friction to develop and this will cause blisters on your feet. Ouch, not fun, take if from someone who has experience in the area.

You can avoid problems by gradually breaking in running shoes, a process that shouldn’t take more than a month and typically takes me only in a few weeks.

Here are a few tips I use to break in my new running shoes.

Tip #1. Walk in you new shoes before taking them out for a run. Do this for a few days so your feet have time to adjust and allow the soles to loosen. Start out wearing them for half an hour around the house and gradually increase your wear time.

Tip #2: Alternate between wearing your new shoes and your old shoes. I usually wear my newer shoes for shorter distance training runs until they are broken in completely. Never wear brand new shoes on race day, that is a recipe for disaster and a whole lot of pain.

Tip #3: Once you’ve put some miles on your new shoes, pay attention to any unusual discomfort in the rest of your body. Remember running is a full-body workout and this will be a good indication if that shoe choice is not the right fit for you.

If you are thinking of switching it up and getting a totally different shoe or if you don’t know how to select the right shoe. I suggest going to a running store that has a 3D foot scanner or at the very least a treadmill. This way they can scan your foot and it will show if you have any pronation and the position of your arches. If they have a treadmill they will be able to look at your running form and give you suggests. It’s free and helps you select the perfect running shoe.

This week’s recipe is from the Disney Cookbook: The Grey Stuff

Ingredients are few and instructions very simple. I served it over Mickey shaped brownies. Make sure to have some milk handy because you can’t eat too much as it is super rich. How does Disney do it, well take a look.