Running Shoes: Trial and Error

Finding the right shoe is the most important aspect of being able to run.  My particular struggle is complicated by the fact that I have an insertional achilles injury. So, I need a shoe that is not going to exacerbate the problem. I have tried a couple of different shoes along with the Saucony Zealot that I featured in my last post.

I actually LOVED the Sacony Zealot Isofit.  It was very comfortable and felt really good on my feet. The shoe did not rub or irritate my achilles which is exactly what I was hoping for. But, it does have a low heel to toe drop of 4mm which I didn’t think would be a problem. Maybe this would help support a mid foot strike, and hopefully, aid in improving my running form. But, a lower heel drop is probably not the best shoe for someone with an achilles injury as I quickly discovered.

I ran only two miles on my first trial with the Zealot and my calves were very tight afterwards. I used the foam roller that night and by morning all seemed okay to run again. This time, my calves tightened up on the run (Yes! I did warm up prior to), and I could feel that my achilles was being stressed so that was the end of that. I did not return these shoes (Skinny Raven Sports has a great return policy) because I really do love them. I believe that eventually I will have the strength in my calves and tendons to advance to a lower heel shoe.

But I did return to Skinny Raven to trial other types of shoes. As I was trying them out on their treadmill, it appeared to me that there was a correlation between a higher heel drop (greater than 10mm) and increasing knee pain. So, I thought I should go with something less than a 10mm.

This problem was similar to what I was experiencing with the Adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost. I like the shoe, but during the running portion of my run/walk program, I felt like I was jarring my body into the ground. Plus, my knees ached during the run. I don’t typically have knee problems so this was definitely annoying. I wasn’t sure if it was related to the stability structure of the shoe or if the 10mm heel drop was a problem. The good thing was that my heel did NOT hurt! But the knee pain is what sent me back to Skinny Raven in search of the perfect shoe.

And I thought I found it in the Saucony Triumph Iso. Wow! This shoe has got to be the most comfortable shoe ever. My runs were very smooth! Nothing hurt! Awesome! I wanted to go back to the store and buy a couple more pairs before they were updated into something I may not be able to wear in the future. But….after running in them for a few days, I noticed that my feet just ached all day long and now I had hip pain! Where did that come from?

I ran in Saucony shoes for more than 10 years and never had a problem. Then, I took a few years hiatus and when I returned to running in Sauconys, this same thing happened….my feet just hurt all the time. I was really bummed because the Triumph was awesome on the run. I did, reluctantly, return them and spent almost two hours trying on shoes in hopes of finding something that I wouldn’t have to return later. Feeling defeated, I left the store without any running shoes.

I thought I would try the Boost again thinking maybe its just something to do with my form. Maybe the problem is not the shoes, but how I am running. I watched some videos on running form and made some adjustments, but that didn’t work out. My heel just became tender and that only led to more frustration. So, my logical brain rationalized that if I have achilles problems and foot pronation, then maybe I actually do need a higher heel to toe drop shoe with mild support.

That led me to research some shoes on my own. I came up with several options and took my shoe shopping list to the store. I decided on the Asics Gel Nimbus 17. It does have a higher heel to toe drop, but my knees did not hurt when I tried it. And after running in them for a couple of days, nothing else hurt either. They are really comfortable, but they hug my heel a little more than I would like, and I would prefer a little more toe room. But, those things are minor. What is really going to matter is if I can continue to run in these shoes without any pain. Wish me luck!