They were the best of shoes, they were the worst of shoes. It was a time of wisdom. It was a time of foolishness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
You, gentle reader may have begun to wonder if I have moved to the edge of the diving board of mindless gibbering and am about to plunge into the frothing waters of senseless oblivion. I beg your indulgence for just a little while longer as I try to bring clarity to this running shoe saga.
It began with a trip to Anglia Ruskin University for the Cambridge Half Marathon version of the London Marathon Expo. Imagine the Expo and then scale it down to a rack of T shirts some boxes of shoes and a treadmill, and you’ll probably be able to picture the scene.
I had registered and collected my number and then went along to see the splendid folks at the ‘Up and Running’ stall. Darryl was there and I started chatting to him about my big race for this year and what shoes I might need for it. My preference, I explained, was for something similar to what I already wore. This is a pair of Saucony Triumph ISO 2 which are neutral shoes that have served me well. Darryl dug out the latest version of these (ISO 5) and let me try them on and run on the treadmill. They felt absolutely delightful and I promised myself that I would purchase a pair as soon as I had the money.
Time To Buy Some Shoes
Move the time clock on about 6 weeks or so and I am now in the Up and Running shop looking to buy these very shoes. So far so simple but suddenly the story begins to splinter in many directions and the age of simplicity comes face to face with the complexity of indecision and a bizarre increase in foot size.
Looking back, I wonder if this increase in the size of my foot is not so bizarre as it appeared at the time. My feet have been size 9 since I was 16 years old. I still have a pair of Doc Martens that I bought way back then. To suddenly find that my feet were now an inconvenient 9.5 seemed more than a little disconcerting at the time. I now wonder whether the fact that I had run from home to Up and Running (around 4 miles) may have caused the feet to swell a little.
We tried on various shoes and the Triumph ISO felt a little tight. There were no ISO 5’s in a 9.5 so I tried a few others. It was during this session that another of the shop assistants came to chat and asked what particular race I was training for. I told him that it was Race To The Stones and he immediately began to enthuse about the Altra Lone Peak trail shoes. I had never heard of these but asked to take a look. They were some of the ugliest shoes I have ever seen but incredibly comfortable. I hopped on to the treadmill and they were just a delight. They are zero drop shoes with a really wide toe box. The idea is that your feet can bend and flex in the way it would if you were running barefoot but it still gives you protection against the rough ground.
Once I had felt the freedom of that wide toe box it was difficult to contemplate anything else. The other shoes all felt restrictive by comparison. I knew it was a risk, but running in them felt such a wonderful experience that I had to have them.
And so I ran out of the shop wearing a brand new pair of Altra Lone Peak trail shoes.
Transitioning Into Zero Drop Shoes
Now, I said back there that this was a risk and I shall explain why.
Zero drop shoes don’t have a heel at all. Your foot is the same distance from the ground all the way along. This is much more natural in that it mimics the position your foot would be in if you weren’t wearing shoes. The problem arises because we have become accustomed to heels especially in running shoes. Zero drop shoes will force you to run much more on forefoot and they will stretch your ankles a little more. Eventually this should result in a running posture that will help to protect you from injury.
The Altras had a booklet in the box giving advice on building up your training quite slowly as you transition into the new shoes. It suggested it would only take a few weeks before the transition was complete.
Of course I started getting injuries almost immediately on my calves as I pivoted further forward on to my forefoot.
I cut way back on frequency and distance but still those nasty little bruises were appearing, showing that I was still getting some tears on my calf muscles.
I switched back to my road shoes and the calf problems disappeared.
Hmmm
It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I decided we were getting too close to the Race To The Stones and I couldn’t risk not transitioning in time and potentially fighting injury all the way to the start line.
Time To Buy Some More Shoes
I would have to buy some more regular running shoes.
Initially I intended to buy Saucony but couldn’t face going back to that feeling of having my feet bound up. I decided instead on a pair of Brooks Ghost 11. They have a bit more space around the toes than most.
I have received them, run in them and really like ’em. I think they will be my Race To The Stones Shoes.
It’s a real shame as I love the Altras and after wearing them on a really slippery Parkrun I am delighted by the traction they give me on mud.
However, the most important thing is to try and arrive on the start line injury free.
Maybe I shall be ready for the Altras next year when I am hoping to do the Race To The Stones in one go.
Hi Jim, Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with the zero drop shoes. I know you did really well in you road shoes at the race last weekend…. so you must be still pretty adjusted to those. I hope you get on well with the Brooks Ghosts. I’ve used those continually since I first started in 2012 and bought my first pair from Advanced Performance … with the exception of some Brooks Cascadias I have for off road running (muddy Parkruns mostly !). I use the Ghost EE which is a slightly wider fit – as I have a wider left foot. The new Ghost is out in July so I plan to invest in a pair then as the mileage is high on my current ones. Hope the calf soon heals and you can get back on the mileage building.