It was the best of runs, it was the worst of runs…
Okay, that is a bit melodramatic. I wouldn’t call last night’s run the “best” or the “worst”, but it definitely had some moments for each classification. Thus it was like 2 separate runs all rolled into one.
“Best” Qualities:
- It was actually still a wee bit light out when we started the run at 7:00. Just a wee little bit… but still, I’m enjoying the daylight into the evening hours.
- I felt pretty good, no (really bad) pain in the glute. I didn’t feel dizzy or overly fatigued when I went out either. (That can of Tab a couple hours earlier must have been the trick!)
- I have good friends, even if some of my normal crew wasn’t there… the ones that were there made a difference. My pals just brighten my day when I get to see or talk to them.
“Worst” Qualities:
- Um… this can all be wittled down to one thing – new shoes.
I got a pair of New Balance 769’s over the weekend and this was my first run with them. I hated them. I just felt awkward and clumsy, like I had Frankenstein feet. Every step felt heavy and for some reason I seemed to land harder on my left foot with them. I have no idea why that might be, so if you have any ideas let me know.
I’ve slipped out for a couple quick 1 mile loops around my neighborhood in them as well and am just not feeling the love.
So after putting 5.5 miles total on the shoes, I don’t want to run in them anymore. I’ll take them back to the store and see if we can figure out something different.
I want shoes that provide stability, but don’t feel like blocks on my feet. I want to feel light and swift as I cruise the roads, not awkward and stiff.
Jill Will Run 
What were you running in before Jill? Sounds awful. I hope things work out at the store.
Joe: I have been switching back and forth between New Balance 768s and Brooks Adrenaline 8s.
Yep, kick those shoes to the curb, literally. Tell the store you won’t review any more items for them on your blog!! 🙂
Terri: Oooh… the power I hold with my site! 😉
hope your store is good about lightly-used returns! i know my local running store is which is really awesome in cases like these. glad the run went well otherwise – shoes are huge part of it though!
Lindsay: Yeah, my store is really good with returns, especially since I don’t have a ton of miles on these things. That’s a sign of a “true” running store!
I love the fact that you can return lightly used shoes at my store as well- I hope you have the same luck!
I like New Balance and use them for my everyday sneaker, but for running I have always had good luck with Brooks Adrenaline running shoe. Of course, I have weird feet too, so maybe I am not the one to take advice from.
Good luck- nothing worse than bad shoes!!
onelittlejill: Yeah, I love the benefit of getting shoes from a running store that values the health of the runner more than purely padding their bottom line! I’ve been running in Brooks Adrenalines and NB 768s…. I may have to go back to Brooks, but that’s okay with me!
My store will return lightly used shoes too. They used to give me flack about not allowing it if I’ve run in them outside (only on the “dread”mill) but they aren’t so bad anymore. Although, I’ve stopped branching out and just stick my my favorite shoe, Asics 2130, and leave it be.
Hope you get it all ironed out!
I’m a big fan of Saucony shoes, myself. Unless of course you have wide feet (which I would never accuse a delicate woman of having, that is). Maybe try out some of those? Light and bouncy, but not as durable as a lot of the NB shoes.
Mike: My feet are beautiful and delicate (aside from a couple black toenails). Don’t you ever go suggesting otherwise again, got it? 😉
Finding new shoes is always rough!
After years of being an Asics girl (2xxx series), I switched to the Nike Elite 4 after trying a pair out at Nike Night at my local running shop. I had always hated Nikes previously, and was pleasantly surprised after our run. They’re light stability, not sure how much you’re looking for. They have a shoe (or two) that offer more support, but they didn’t fit my feet as well!
merrymishaps: Thanks for sharing your experience with the Nike shoes. I’ve heard the same thing from many people, after a long time dislike they retried Nike only to find they love them. I’m going to the running store tomorrow and I’ll shop around!
Oh, sorry about the shoes. That happen to me when I switched from Brooks to Asics nimbus. They felt really heavy but my local shoe store let me switch to Saucony and I love them.
I need some advice. My long run is tomorrow and it’s suppose to rain (it’s been raining for three days now and our high has been in the 40’s) and be cold although the high is 56, but that’s later in the day. What would you do? I feel like a baby not going and being hardcore but I don’t want to slip and fall or get sick.
Jess: I’d evaluate in the morning to see how slick the roads are. If you’re feeling healthy, I don’t think that running in the cooler temps will make you sick. It’s just the road conditions that you’ll need to really decide what is comfortable for you.
I have trouble running outside when it is really windy. Like today, I’m getting to the point where I may just skip my run because I can’t bear the thought of the treadmill and the winds are soooo strong they are blowing cars around! But I ran my 20-miler for Phoenix training in 18-20 degree weather and felt pretty okay because the skies were clear and the roads were (mostly) clear of snow.
Just make sure you have layers so you can remove or add as needed to feel comfortable too! That’s the part I always struggle with!
Thanks Jill for the advice. I’m going to check the roads in the morning and see how it goes.
I didn’t know you could still buy Tab. You learn something new every day.
That’s terrible that you don’t like your new shoes, but at least your running store will change them. I recently switched to Adidas Supernova after using the Asics 21XX series. I love the Supernovas, they feel a lot lighter and less stiff than the Asics.
I ran today. It didn’t rain. But was cold and that was fine. It was a great run and I made a new friend and hopefully new running partner to train with. Thanks again Jill for the advice.