So starts another week of giving 110% to be half the man I could be. And the week started with my usual 6-mile loop on Monday.
I continued to feel sluggish on the trails on Monday, and even seeing a bald eagle didn’t boost my mojo, especially since it saw me before I saw it and was already flying away before I could think about getting a shot.
Later that night while doing what I do, I started to think about my current hiking shoes: the New Balance Fresh Foam X More Trail v3. A shoe long on name and maxed the hell out on super cushioned comfort.
I switched to the More Trail last fall and dug them, but I still opted for my favorite shoe, the Hoka Speedgoat 5, most of the time. However, a LONG bout of plantar fasciitis and a painful corn finally sent me to my local podiatrist, AKA The Queen of Sole, and she was quick to point out some downfalls of the Hokas that she believed were causing the problem. So, I switched full-time to the New Balance, committed to the stretching she recommended, and no more plantar fasciitis.
I can’t say I don’t love the NBFFxMTv.3 shoes. They might be the most comfortable pair of shoes ever produced, but they come with a slight weakness in the form of a lack of ground feel. Yes, the shoe is eating up the trail, but I’m seemingly working harder to propel myself forward. I’m sure there is some physics involved, but since I wasn’t allowed within 500 yards of a physics class, I have no facts.
What I do know is that on certain trails, off-camber singletrack for sure, I am not a fan of how the shoes react, or maybe I should say, how my FEET react in them; never feeling completely stable, nor confident to push off as I would in a less maximal shoe like the Speedgoat. At times, it feels like my legs and ankles are working too hard to keep my feet in the correct position, thus slowing me down. And I’m already slow enough!! It can be sort of like trying to walk quickly in shoes that are too big and made of giant sponges.
In addition to all that, I recently read a few things about the benefits of rotating running shoes and wondered if the same might apply to lumbering, especially between a SUPER maximal cushioned running shoe and one that, at least in comparison to the New Balance, is just an awesome, light, well-cushioned running shoe.
So, for Wednesday’s lumber, I dug out the Speedgoats, the pair with way too many miles on them, put in the orthotics from the Queen of Sole, and did a 6.75-mile course with one of my best pace times in weeks. I feel like it could have been better, but I’m still feeling some pain in my right foot from the Dog Dirt incident a few weeks ago, but I was still pleased.
I forgot how much I love the way the Speedgoats seem to propel me forward and almost dare me to start running. Something I never really experienced with the New Balance. EXTREME comfort, yes, but never the urge to push harder or even (gasp!) run.
I was able to track down a new pair of wide-width Speedgoats, and I plan to use them on the days I want to push harder, alternated with the New Balance for the days I just want to lumber out miles and take photos, which is most of the time, for now.
I don’t know who this post was for or why I wrote it. I’m no shoe expert, and I’m definitely not a runner (yet). Your milage may vary.
Later.