Running

[LordMortis]

Bought a "cheap" pair of Brooks after being fit and talking to specialist (I guess that means can read the computer fitting... a fit which is the size I would have bought anyway) at running shoe store. $120 is by far the most I've ever paid for sneakers. We'll see if it's easier on my feet, as I try to rest them for a bit.

[YellowKing]

I did a new fitting at the shoe store (the computer scan thing) after several years and found out to my surprise that I should have been buying 12.5s all along instead of 13s. Also my pronation is not nearly as bad as it used to be.

So I walked out with some new Hokas that are supposedly both a better fit and not over-stabilizing me. I've taken them out a couple of times and so far so good. At this point I just budget $150 for shoes every 9 months or so. I've been burned by running in bad shoes too many times and getting hurt sucks.

I haven't seriously started back running yet but my cardio is pretty good since I've been rowing regularly the past 7 weeks. I'll probably get back into it next week alternating rowing and running days.

[Isgrimnur]

I just got my third pair of Brooks Ghost. They have been excellent.

[LordMortis]

Ghost is what they sold me. I guess to help my stepping on the outside of my feet, maybe. That and they were "cheap." 11 2E Wide Ghosts. Going up to an 11 is the one thing they did differently than I would have. I fit comfortably in to 10 and usually get a 10.5 as wide as they come. She said to go to an 11 for running to give my feet room to expand.

[Torfish]

Bought a "cheap" pair of Brooks after being fit and talking to specialist (I guess that means can read the computer fitting... a fit which is the size I would have bought anyway) at running shoe store. $120 is by far the most I've ever paid for sneakers. We'll see if it's easier on my feet, as I try to rest them for a bit.

My first two years of running I had frequent leg, ankle, knee pain problems. Sometimes I would have to pause for a couple of weeks of rest to recover.
All with normal cheap tennis shoes. My wife told me to buy actual running shoes. So, I went to a running store for the first time and got sized for a pair of Brooks with inserts. I don't know for certain if they helped but my leg issues have practically gone away for the past two years. I've bought the exact same Brooks and inserts every year since. I would recommend.

[disarm]

I've worn Brooks Ravenna/Launch GTS for the last 12 years that I've been running, and I spend my work days walking concrete floors in Adrenalines. They're all great shoes that have served me well for many years.

Just to be different, I switched to Karhu running shoes a few months back and really like those as well. I wouldn't say they're any better than Brooks, but they're a solid shoe that changed up the feeling a little bit and still work well for me.

Pro Tip for Brooks...
They update their shoes annually, but the changes are minimal. If you end up liking their shoes, you can save a lot of money by buying the previous year's version when they go on clearance... usually can get a $120 pair of shoes for around $85.

[Jeff V]

I love my Brooks, and while my wife bought those for me a few years back (they are the third pair of the series that I've owned), she inexplicably bought me Nike Airs for Xmas. Don't really like them, I just wear them when I go out with her. Can't imagine running in them.

[Baroquen]

Pro Tip for Brooks...
They update their shoes annually, but the changes are minimal. If you end up liking their shoes, you can save a lot of money by buying the previous year's version when they go on clearance... usually can get a $120 pair of shoes for around $85.

This a great tip, and it's not just for Brooks shoes. I believe most companies' running shoes operate this way. I've been wearing Saucony for years and sometimes stumble into great deals on last year's model. Sometimes the changes are significant enough to matter, but usually, I've been happy buying the 'outdated' models.

Interesting to hear so much love for Brooks. I don't think I've ever tried them. Might check them out. I did have a few pairs of Nikes many years back but found them to be too narrow & they hurt my feet. That's a common problem for me.

Have yet to try inserts.

[Isgrimnur]

Believe in the Run says the Brooks Ghost 16 is available on May 1st.

[Skinypupy]

Pro Tip for Brooks...
They update their shoes annually, but the changes are minimal. If you end up liking their shoes, you can save a lot of money by buying the previous year's version when they go on clearance... usually can get a $120 pair of shoes for around $85.

This a great tip, and it's not just for Brooks shoes. I believe most companies' running shoes operate this way. I've been wearing Saucony for years and sometimes stumble into great deals on last year's model. Sometimes the changes are significant enough to matter, but usually, I've been happy buying the 'outdated' models.

Same. I found a site that was selling last year’s Saucony Ride’s for $45 a while back. I bought a couple pairs.

[Isgrimnur]

Interesting to hear so much love for Brooks. I don't think I've ever tried them. Might check them out. I did have a few pairs of Nikes many years back but found them to be too narrow & they hurt my feet. That's a common problem for me.

Brooks have wide and extra wide models.

[LordMortis]

So after one day of my 900 steps at a time running, I am not thrilled with my Brooks Ghost 15. They bruised the top of left food and knuckle on my left big toe. "The Internet" says there is no breaking in period for these shoes and given that I was supposedly fit by all their computer wizardry at Fleet Feet, I'm not sure what to think. The whole point of going to specialist was for them to get me to pay real money to get something that fits. I wonder if they should have gone with the 4e Wide to allow for my feet being generally large in addition to be wide.

[Kurth]

I love my Brooks, and while my wife bought those for me a few years back (they are the third pair of the series that I've owned), she inexplicably bought me Nike Airs for Xmas. Don't really like them, I just wear them when I go out with her. Can't imagine running in them.

Nike Airs? That’s not actually a style. If you’re talking about Air Force 1s or Air Max 90s, those also aren’t running shoes. They’re lifestyle shoes. What Nike sneakers did she get you? Curious to know.

[disarm]

I did have a few pairs of Nikes many years back but found them to be too narrow & they hurt my feet. That's a common problem for me.

That's a pretty common feeling about Nike running shoes...too narrow for a lot of people, and probably a big part of why they're not one of the more popular brands among the running community.

[Isgrimnur]

So after one day of my 900 steps at a time running, I am not thrilled with my Brooks Ghost 15. They bruised the top of left food and knuckle on my left big toe. "The Internet" says there is no breaking in period for these shoes and given that I was supposedly fit by all their computer wizardry at Fleet Feet, I'm not sure what to think. The whole point of going to specialist was for them to get me to pay real money to get something that fits. I wonder if they should have gone with the 4e Wide to allow for my feet being generally large in addition to be wide.

We think you’ll love our products because thousands of other runners already do. So take our gear for a 90-day test run. If you don’t love it, return it for free. Really.

[LordMortis]

We'll see. I'm not a fan of returning things that aren't new unless they are defective.

[disarm]

We'll see. I'm not a fan of returning things that aren't new unless they are defective.

Fleet Feet stores usually encourage you to return shoes if they don't work for you. They stand by their recommendations enough to take the blame, and the store gets reimbursed by the manufacturer. Return your shoes, get something else, and don't feel bad about it.

[Baroquen]

I'd have to agree. This wasn't a bargain purchase. You took their advice, got fitted according to their experts and still had problems. That's not unusual in the running community as I feel like there are lots of runners pickier than us. Take them back and try again to find something that will work. I'd prefer the hassle of returning and the happiness of a better product fit over festering regret over the situation. But your mileage may vary.

[Skinypupy]

I mentioned this in the "We're getting old" thread, but I do finally have some answers around why running has become increasingly difficult over the past year. Found out a few weeks ago that I have a torn labrum in my hip (think of it like a torn rotator cuff, but in your hip joint) and "severe" degenerative disc disease in my back. So...that all sucks.

The double-whammy is that the recommendation from the orthopedic surgeon is to get my hip replaced. So...that double sucks. There is a surgery that can repair a torn hip labrum but once you're over 40 years old, there's a sub-50% chance that it will actually work. She said most people who do the repair come back within a year and get the replacement done.

They do still need to do a hip injection test to confirm that it's my hip issue that's causing the pain and not my back issues, but they said they're "95% sure" that my constant pain and stiffness is coming from the hip tear. I do that test in a couple weeks. I'm also seeing another doctor on the 21st to get a second opinion, but I'm not hopeful that the prognosis will change.

The only silver lining is that I can't really injure it any worse by running, it's just a matter of how much pain and discomfort I can tolerate. So I'm still doing my usual 3 miles x 5 days/week...for now. That may change in a couple weeks when I get some further diagnosis, but I figure I better get in as much as I can while I still can. Even if it has become more of a slow trudge than an actual run.

Yay running.

[JCC]

Given up on running pretty much forever and will stick with walking. I mentioned late last year about 2023 sucking for me with metatarsalgia in my right foot and then my knee hurting (from walking). Turns out my knee is bone on bone. My ortho is giving me steroid shots once a quarter (they don't eliminate the pain, but they help a lot) and has told me, "One day I will give you a new knee. Just say when..." Trying to figure out when to time it. Replacement knees only last about 20 years, so trying to figure out when too much is too much...

As my old man says "Getting older ain't for sissies..."

[Kurth]

I mentioned this in the "We're getting old" thread, but I do finally have some answers around why running has become increasingly difficult over the past year. Found out a few weeks ago that I have a torn labrum in my hip (think of it like a torn rotator cuff, but in your hip joint) and "severe" degenerative disc disease in my back. So...that all sucks.

The double-whammy is that the recommendation from the orthopedic surgeon is to get my hip replaced. So...that double sucks. There is a surgery that can repair a torn hip labrum but once you're over 40 years old, there's a sub-50% chance that it will actually work. She said most people who do the repair come back within a year and get the replacement done.

They do still need to do a hip injection test to confirm that it's my hip issue that's causing the pain and not my back issues, but they said they're "95% sure" that my constant pain and stiffness is coming from the hip tear. I do that test in a couple weeks. I'm also seeing another doctor on the 21st to get a second opinion, but I'm not hopeful that the prognosis will change.

The only silver lining is that I can't really injure it any worse by running, it's just a matter of how much pain and discomfort I can tolerate. So I'm still doing my usual 3 miles x 5 days/week...for now. That may change in a couple weeks when I get some further diagnosis, but I figure I better get in as much as I can while I still can. Even if it has become more of a slow trudge than an actual run.

Yay running.

That sucks. So sorry to hear the news. When did you start feeling the pain in your hip? And what was it like? I’ve been noticing some discomfort on my right side for a couple months now. Nothing awful or acute, but nagging and sore.

[Skinypupy]

That sucks. So sorry to hear the news. When did you start feeling the pain in your hip? And what was it like? I’ve been noticing some discomfort on my right side for a couple months now. Nothing awful or acute, but nagging and sore.

It's been going on for almost two years now. When your hip labrum tears, you mostly feel it through your groin. Feels like the dull ache that you get after getting hit in the nuts, but it's constant with varying degrees of intensity. We've actually through a year of a bajillion tests (CT scans, ultrasounds, blood/urine/stool tests, colonoscopy, and multiple specialist visits) because they thought it was either prostatitis or some sort of cancer in my abdomen like prostate or testicular cancer. Those all came back clean (silver lining, I suppose) and only when my doctor ran out of ideas and said "I guess we'll try an MRI" did they find the tear.

I have no idea what caused it. Likely not running, as tears typically only happen when doing quick lateral movements and not when running straight forward. Most likely when I tried playing soccer or football with the kids, I'm guessing. Doc did say that the majority of people actually develop slight labrum tears as they get older, but it only becomes an issue if you start feeling pain or if you notice a significant clicking noise in your hip joint.

They also said that pain on the inside or groin area indicates a hip joint issue, while pain on the outside of the hip is typically a back/spine issue. Which is why they want to do the hip injection test to narrow down exactly where the biggest problem is.

[Isgrimnur]

I've heard that parenting is a full contact sport.

[Jeff V]

I love my Brooks, and while my wife bought those for me a few years back (they are the third pair of the series that I've owned), she inexplicably bought me Nike Airs for Xmas. Don't really like them, I just wear them when I go out with her. Can't imagine running in them.

Nike Airs? That’s not actually a style. If you’re talking about Air Force 1s or Air Max 90s, those also aren’t running shoes. They’re lifestyle shoes. What Nike sneakers did she get you? Curious to know.

Air Max 27C are the identifiers on the shoes. I only wear them when I go out with my wife.

[Jeff V]

I did have a few pairs of Nikes many years back but found them to be too narrow & they hurt my feet. That's a common problem for me.

That's a pretty common feeling about Nike running shoes...too narrow for a lot of people, and probably a big part of why they're not one of the more popular brands among the running community.

The last pair of Nike running shoes I had were actually too wide -- in the sole, not interior space. It felt like I was running with saucers attached to the shoe and fell several times because of how clumsy they were.

[Kurth]

I love my Brooks, and while my wife bought those for me a few years back (they are the third pair of the series that I've owned), she inexplicably bought me Nike Airs for Xmas. Don't really like them, I just wear them when I go out with her. Can't imagine running in them.

Nike Airs? That’s not actually a style. If you’re talking about Air Force 1s or Air Max 90s, those also aren’t running shoes. They’re lifestyle shoes. What Nike sneakers did she get you? Curious to know.

Air Max 27C are the identifiers on the shoes. I only wear them when I go out with my wife.

I think you maybe mean the Air Max 270. That’s a “lifestyle” shoe and is 100% NOT a running shoe:

Legendary Air gets lifted. Our first lifestyle Air Max brings you comfort, bold style and 270 degrees of Air to showcase one of our greatest innovations yet. Add a lightweight, airy upper and a low-cut collar and you’ve got the perfect go-to kicks for everyday fun.

I have a couple pairs. I think they’ve got a cool look, and some of the colorways are pretty sharp, but you might as well put on a pair of Birkenstocks or army boots as wear those to run in.

Just curious: What made you think those were Nike running shoes?

[Kurth]

We'll see. I'm not a fan of returning things that aren't new unless they are defective.

Just want to add to what everyone else said: Running is hard. You deserve to have comfortable shoes that help you, LM, not hurt you in your efforts. If those ones you bought aren’t fitting the bill, return them and get something that will. Trust me: You’re not hurting the store you bought them from, and even Brooks would probably rather have you return them than suffer through wearing them and risk you developing a lasting aversion to the brand as a result.

Get yourself running shoes you like and that work for you!

[YellowKing]

Well I took the Hokas out for their first "proper" run yesterday and they passed with flying colors. As comfortable as my old running shoes that were already broken in. I guess getting the re-scan/re-fit was a good idea, as otherwise I'd have probably bought something a half size too large and with more stability than I actually needed. I just hate the color - they're boring gray, and I usually choose the brightest, most colorful shoes possible.

I was hoping the rowing would mean my cardio was already pretty good, and I wasn't disappointed there. First run was easy peasy from that standpoint. I did feel it in my legs today, though. That's the piece that's going to take some time to build back up.

[Isgrimnur]

I ordered my third pair of Brooks direct from them so I could ensure that the color palette was to my liking.

[Jeff V]

Just curious: What made you think those were Nike running shoes?

I didn't. If it was up to me, I'd have bought the latest gen of the Brooks I've been using for years. Wife for some reason thought it a good Xmas gift. Then again, she's more about fashion than function (although she loves her Brooks too so...?)

[Skinypupy]

I hit the 1,500 mile mark on this morning's run.

My body continues to find new ways to tell me "NOPE!" so I continue to get slower and slower (anything under 10 min/mile is success these days), but I've been pretty good about getting back to my 2 days on/1 day off cadence. Which is easier now that it's not snowing every other morning.

So I may just be moving at a slow trudge...but at least I'm moving.

[Unagi]

You know what they say... "Trudge it, or fudge it."

[LordMortis]

(anything under 10 min/mile is success these days),

Heh, I consider my half a mile jogs an immense success when I hit 5 minutes. Especially if I do 4 or 5 of them in the course of my 5K+ walk. I may not get any jogging in this week. I seem to have pulled something pretty bad in the chest/shoulder of my healing broken arm on Monday while doing yard work. It expresses itself in a big way when I try to jog nor even do aerobic stepping. So I'm now on three days of completely lazy after testing the waters in the morning. If this persists through Sunday, it will be the first week on the year I don't jog much less my low of 4.5 miles.

Ah well.

[LordMortis]

I hurt my hurt arm while doing yard work in early April which put a stop to everything. The jolts of moving sharply hurt too much after working too hard outside but I started up again a bit over a week ago when I found out my next scheduled arm surgery was going to be delayed until the 30th. I'm up to 1100 steps at a time and my gait has really opened up. 1100 steps is around 3/4 of a mile. Yesterday, I managed to jog 4400 steps of a about a 5k walk and I finished in about 50 minutes. When I started, it took me months work up to a 5k walk and that walk was about 90 minutes. Over two years in to my walks and it's nice to still be improving, even as I keep having to reset. Also after two years of this, I've finally hit a point where I don't have to walk off calf pain every single morning. I had resigned myself to that for the rest of my life.

[Skinypupy]

Today's was the most metal of runs.

Run number 6-6-6.

[LordMortis]

After my last surgery, I finally got my 5k walk run back down to 55 minutes. Progress. And when stretching after I'm only about 4" from being able to touch my toes.

[Kurth]

After my last surgery, I finally got my 5k walk run back down to 55 minutes. Progress. And when stretching after I'm only about 4" from being able to touch my toes.

Good work, LM! Also, if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had any surgery that I’m recovering from, and I can’t get much closer than 4” from being able to touch my toes. I’m about the least flexible person in the world. I swear, my hamstrings are made of wood, not muscle.

In other news, slowly ramping up to some longer miles after doing lots of 30 minute runs. Headed outside yesterday morning to avoid the heat, and did 8.5 miles, including a nice stretch by the river near my house. Felt really nice. Kind of zen. Not pushing pace, just enjoying the miles and being outside.

[LordMortis]

Surgery had nothing to do with toe touching. I've never been flexible and years of neglect made it soooo much worse. Like hard to put my socks on worse.

I envy the 30 minute runs... Well not really. I would like to do them, but I'm loving the fact that I get 25 minutes of running in during my 5k walk. That's huge for me.

[LordMortis]

New best for me this week. 25,600 steps jogged. I think that's going to be shy of 12 miles. I'm back up to 1100 steps per effort before resting/rest walking. This week, for the first time ever, I decided to drive somewhere to walk. I jog walked around a local lake, 2 or 2.5 miles. It's a weird sensibility to drive to walk but the scenery was nice. There were a lot of joggers there. A crazy amount generally for my perception and especially for 10:00 on a weekday.

[EvilHomer3k]

New best for me this week. 25,600 steps jogged. I think that's going to be shy of 12 miles. I'm back up to 1100 steps per effort before resting/rest walking. This week, for the first time ever, I decided to drive somewhere to walk. I jog walked around a local lake, 2 or 2.5 miles. It's a weird sensibility to drive to walk but the scenery was nice. There were a lot of joggers there. A crazy amount generally for my perception and especially for 10:00 on a weekday.

My wife ONLY wants to jog after driving somewhere. She hates jogging on the streets around our house. Only wants to go on a trail and prefers a trail in a park or singletrack MTB trails. Hates the tradmill or a track. Personally, I prefer places with more scenery but I can run around a parking lot if I have to.