Here is a perfect example of “Do as I say, not as I do!”

The mileage began to creep up on my current pair of running shoes and they started to feel hard under foot, telling me the cushioning was on its way out. So I recently purchased a new pair of running shoes as replacements. I followed my own advice in this department. I went later in the day to account for the normal swelling of feet that occurs throughout the day; I wore a typical pair of running socks to try the new shoes on with, made sure I had a thumb width between my big toe and end of shoe and even ran on a treadmill for several minutes in each of the 4 different pairs I tried on. Everything was going just fine…Until I took them home.

I was like a kid on Christmas morning, I just couldn’t wait to get the new shoes out of the box, on my feet, and out the door for a run! I started with a 10K (6.2 miles) on the first day, on the second I did an easy 2 mile jog and finished up with a 15 mile long run on the third day. What the hell was I thinking? The Result...A nice quarter sized bloody blister!













So now for a little advice to myself…

1. While trying shoes on be sure pay attention to the size of the toe box too! I went a little too narrow on my new pair (on the Left in picture above). We'll see how they break in...
2. Never pull the new shoes straight out of the box and go for a normal length and/or pace run!
3. Wear the new shoes during some low impact activities first, like walking, prior running.
4. Alternate your new and old shoes for a week or two before running full time in the new pair.
5. If you plan to run a race in your new shoes it is best to get them at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to your race in order to have enough time to properly break them in.

Yes, this is very simple and straight forward advice…hopefully it can help you avoid the situation I found myself in. Good Luck & Happy Trails!