New Shoes

I got a 50% off coupon at All Day I Dream About Sex (Adidas-are the kids still making that joke?) and went on down to the factory store to see what they had. I've never bought a pair of Adidas but I figured they're made by the same poor chinese children that make all my other shoes, so how bad can they be?

I tried a few pairs on that seemed okay, but then stumbled on these beauties. They weigh half as much as my regular Brooks-I can't overemphasize how light these puppies are! and are very comfortable. They have very little cushion, but quite a bit in the heel. Though current wisdom is that heel striking is bad, mm-kay. Their name: Adizero. And they even have a stitched Chinese symbol on the heel/achilles area which I assume is the signature of the child who made them. Nice touch.

I've been intrigued with the bare foot running movement (though I saw a couple at the Seattle Marathon and after I passed them I never saw those turkeys again) and have considered purchasing a pair Vibrams http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/indexNA.cfm

One moment too much cushion is bad and the next too little is bad. While I'm falling on the skeptic side of barefoot running, I have come to believe that most injuries are as much due to over-training as to the shoe I wear. And now it's time to put it to the test.

As I said, these shoes have basically no cushion and feel almost like wrestling shoes or how I imagine Pumas must feel, almost like a slipper, though there is an arch. The salesman at the store thought it would be possible to do okay in a marathon, though his far more knowledgeable partner assured me I could only do one in these shoes. He seemed to be forgetting the shoe manufacturer doctrine that you're supposed to get a new pair of running shoes every month or two (because their product is THAT shoddy, they seem to be saying). I'm currently on the every year or two doctrine, so I imagine these shoes will be good for at least three marathons.

Not being a total fool, and still tepidly adhering to the belief that cushion is good, and the more, the better, I will proceed with caution.

In the next couple of weeks I will embark on my next marathon training cycle. I'm guessing the first several runs of shorter mileage will be no problem, but once I hit 10 miles plus, I'll pay close attention to my recovery times. If I'm not fully recovered after two days as I always was on my last training phase, I will be looking closely and suspiciously at my All Day I Dream About Sexes.