When in Doubt, Buy More Shoes! Maybe Some Physical Therapy too.

So as you may know, I finished the Richmond Marathon slightly broken and quite unsure of myself with just 3 weeks to get ready for another marathon at Rehoboth Beach. I’m now down to just one week and I’m still a bit unsure of myself but far better than I was a week ago. I’ve been in some pain and discomfort in my left ankle/achilles ever since mile 13 at Richmond. Being the optimist that I always am, I first thought that maybe a little rest was all that I needed. My first run after a few days rest told me otherwise. I was marathon sore, but there was something more to do than that. I ran 5 miles and by the time I was done, my left side felt like it needed help.

Since my employer has physical therapists staffed in our gym, I decided to make an appointment with them as well, just to see what they had to say.
MAN, am I glad I made that appointment! They were SO helpful. They found lots of things on me that need some attention (hips mainly, like Chubs says…it’s all in the hips). They gave me some stretches to do and some strengthening too. They also played around with my hips, calves and ankles. It was painful and magical all at the same time!

I also made the decision to STOP PLAYING BASKETBALL. I should have known better. A young man can get away with running, soccer and basketball all week long and still be ready for a marathon, but I am no longer a young man. Basketball will be waiting for me after I’m done with this marathon stuff.

In some of my discussion with the PT, it was brought to my attention that part of my ankle issues is due to being a bit of a supinator. My feet don’t do what they should do as far as shock absorption, so running the marathon distance in a speedy, minimal shoe like the Kinvaras that I used for Richmond may not be the best idea. This sounded like an excuse to try out some new shoes!

I may or may not fully review these shoes, but I will summarize now. They are amazingly comfortable from the second that you put them on. They look cool. Brooks claims that they return massive amounts of energy. At a hefty retail price of $150, I did NOT want to buy them but they definitely felt like exactly what I needed. So here’s the part I don’t love. There’s a price to pay for all of that energy return and cushioning. They are HEAVY. At an easy pace and a shorter run, I didn’t mind. For my long run with some marathon pace miles, I certainly felt like the weight made a difference. I think they may be a great trainer, especially if you’re someone that doesn’t mind a heavy shoe. I do mind a heavy shoe. I don’t think they are for me, so I’ll be trying the Ghost 10s instead. That’s a great thing about my local running store, Riverside Runners. I can try the Levitates out and if they aren’t for me, I have 30 days to change my mind.

I also bought a pair of Adidas Energy Boost 3s. These I bought from Running Warehouse for $50 bucks! They were on clearance and only had my size left, so I figured this was my destiny. These were an instant match. They are a little narrow (Adidas running shoes always seem to be), but the Boost Foam is soooooooo comfy. They were light AND cushiony. I wanted to run fast in them. I glided along at sub 7:00 miles without much struggle. They seem like a great distance shoe but definitely can be kicked in. I’m already a fan. After this run, I still had some soreness in my left side, but the stretches are helping. It was definitely an improvement from my first couple of runs.

As you can read above, I made my decision during this long run that I don’t think the Levitates and I made a love connection. Marathon pace just didn’t come easy on this run. I can’t completely blame the shoes, but I know they didn’t help. I didn’t feel very good and it wasn’t just the legs. I was sweating way more than I should have been. My breathing was a bit labored. It’s almost like I was sick. I’m happy with how I toughed out a bad day, but this is the last long run before Rehoboth, so I would have liked a confidence booster. Being able to finish without holding my achilles and ankle will have to do.

Thanks for reading all of this stuff. So many people had such nice things to say to me after I wrote about Richmond. It really did make a difference in my attitude. I’ve even had people say that I’ve inspired them. That means more to me than anything!

Advertisement