Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A shocking(?) Discovery

Only four more days till the weekend. Glorious.

I pretty much had the most productive weekend ever. It went like this:

runwalkvacuumcarwashwindowspackmopdyehairruncookswimclean and scrub.

What, you don't like to spend your holidays scrubbing the walls?
haha. But I'm telling you. Mr. Magic Clean is pretty much the sh!t :)

Oh, and who knew cleaning your house could burn as many calories as a 10 mile run? (yes I am a dork and I wore my HRM while cleaning.)

So last week was a new record for me:
A new total weekly mileage PR and a new Long Run PDR!
James and I successfully ran our first 14 miler on Sunday, and my knee miraculously did not hurt! I felt a twinge once or twice, but it didn't last long, and there was no remaining residual pain! I'm very relieved; looks like I'll be fine for the Maui Half Marathon in ...gasp! 11 days! I have just uno mas long run left before heading off to Hawai'i. I don't know if its better to run 16 miles, or try running a fast 10-13 miles to fine tune my pace for the race. What would you do?

Since I was able to sum up my weekend in basically one sentence, I have some space left to share with you my latest discovery. It's something I had been suspecting for a few weeks now, and I finally got a confirmation on it.

I don't need stability shoes. I need neutral shoes.

I know your jaws are probably dropping to the ground right now. Julia.... how could you not have known??? That is such a rookie mistake!

Honestly, I don't really know. When I asked my PT what he thought of my feet, he said "Your left foot overpronates," without even watching me walk, move, or most importantly, RUN! But I never questioned him, and since then, I have been wearing stability shoes. However, that's also when all my feet/toe woes started. It basically feels like my feet have been rolled outward so that I am running on my pinky toe and the outer arch of my feet. The outer edges of my shoes are worn, while the inner part remains untouched.

A quick trip to the running store and a walking gait test later, it's been determined I need a NEUTRAL shoe, because I have only the slightest bit of pronation. Ah ha! I knew it.
So I tried on a few pairs, and I am thinking about going with the Mizuno Wave Rider 12.
Has anyone tried this shoe? Any thoughts? I would love to hear any good/bad dish you have about the shoe before I make the decision. Muchos Gracias.

I hope everyone had a splendid weekend! And the next one is only four more days away. I love having Tuesdays be Mondays. It puts me in such a wonderful mood :) Such a good mood that I almost had ice cream with breakfast. Ahhh! haha so bad. I know. So I resisted. But I most definitely was tempted!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to find my way back to the Rookie Runners Club :)

17 comments:

  1. I LOVE the Mizuno Waverider 12's - I wore them for my first 6 miler a few weeks ago, only problem is, I had to take them back because I need a size 8 3/4. The nine is a tad too big and slips in the heel and the 8 1/2 feels a bit too short in the front. Other than that, I felt great in those shoes, no leg pain, very lightweight and cushiony.....check out my latest post and you'll know I am having major shoe frustrations.... if the fit is right on this shoe for you - go for it, they feel great!!!!! I may end up going back and getting the 9 and putting an insole in them to help them fit a bit better because I am not having luck with anything else!!!

    Glad the knee is feeling better!!!!

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  2. Good luck with the new shoes. I started in Mizunos, but made my way to Asics stable years ago. I would run inthem and see how you feel. I recently bought a pair of Neutral shoes (Asics Gel Nimbus 11) and love them. But I generally use them for a treadmill, and keep stability shoes for road running.

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  3. I have the mizunos. I really liked them, comfy and easy to break in. The only thing I found is that they didn't last as long as my Brooks.

    Good luck with them. Glad to hear your knee is feeling good. I would take you next long run easy. That way you know you will be ready for the half.

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  4. ha I have made the SAME mistake! the running-store-shoe-guy watched me walk for like 2 seconds and said "you slightly overpronate". did he ask about my arches/foot type/running form? NO. geeeeze. going back to get Neutrals so let me know what you think of the Mizunos!

    in the meantime, at least we're in the Rookie Club together, right? ;)

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  5. Congrats on the PR's!!! It's funny, I was just thinking to myself that I missed you... glad all is well! 11 more days! YAY!!!!!!!!

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  6. How could you have known?? Never tried the shoes, but I am very curious about the Mizuno brand.

    I would totally have ice cream for breakfast!!

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  7. Glad your run went well with no knee pain! Hopefully these shoes will work better for you!

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  8. Can you come scrub my house?!

    You are NOT the only one to wear the wrong shoes. I spent a year in stability shoes when I needed motion control! NOT good.

    Congrats on the 14-miler!! I'd back off next weekend to recover a little before the half... mini taper!

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  9. I did zero cleaning this weekend, so that alone makes you a rockstar to me!

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  10. You wore your HR monitor to clean? That is TOO funny girl!

    I wear stability shoes and have often wondered if I really need them. I think that you have just inspired me to go have a gait analysis done! Glad your knee didn't hurt on your 14 miler.

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  11. Look out Hawaii Ms. Chocolate Shoestrings is set to tear it up! Go you. Seriously, very excited that the knee isn't bothering you.

    I love. love. love. The Mr. Clean magic eraser. I get carried away every time I use it.

    I wore Mizuno Wave Nirvanas and really enjoyed them. Would have kept wearing them but they stopped making em. Hope the new shoes work out for you. Don't get too crazy with new stuff before your race though. (I am sure you know this.)

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  12. I would do a fast 10-11 miler to get your pacing right, so sense in burning out on a 16 miler. The longest I run in my half training is actually only 11 or 12. Good luck!

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  13. Must be we have twinnie feet! Maybe that contributed(s) to your knee pain!?! My foot feels 100 xs better now in the neutral shoe! I think its amazing what a good pair of shoes can do ya!

    Have you ever raced a HM before? If I were you, and i've ran 3, i would cover the 13+ before again so you feel confident. i'm no genius at running but i feel that when i get to the finish line, i'm spent. You should be tired but i literally feel like i cant move another step. I never actually ran 13 outside before ANY of the HM's but when i run one again i plan to train at much longer distances so 13 dosent seem so bad! :)

    Just my advice though :)

    Sounds like a great wknd and i can't wait for you to be in hawaii! JEALOUS!!!

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  14. Congrats on the PDR! :D Glad to hear the knees are so ready for Hawaii! So excited for you.
    You remind me of my mom - spending the holidays scrubbing and cleaning the house. :P

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  15. I'm a total shoe dork....that is really great news about your shoe style. It'll open up a lot more options (I feel) for what you can wear! :)

    Score!

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  16. I love mizunos! Glad you found a great shoe! Want to come clean all my walls????

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  17. I am a neutral pronator and wear Waverider 12's. I used to wear Brooks but I swear by these.

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