choosing the right shoe

Tonight my world was turned upside down.

And no, it's not because the Vanilla Ice movie is on TV right now. (I can't believe such a thing actually exists. I can't believe I am watching it. The hair. The shaved eyebrows. The fluorescent, shoulder-padded clothing. Yikes.)

It's because I've discovered I'm no longer an overpronator.

After slipping and sliding through Annadel on a 7-miler in my LunarGlides, I went to Heart & Sole tonight to buy a pair of trail shoes. To help me choose, Alex, the guy at the store, took a look at the wear pattern on the soles of my current shoes.


As you can see, the outside edges of my shoes are extremely worn down -- almost bald. Alex explained this is a sign that my shoes have more stability than I actually need, so they end up making my feet roll outward, or supinate.

Then he put me in a pair of neutral shoes, and I ran on a treadmill while he video-taped my feet. When he played the footage back in slow motion, it was clear that my left foot actually supinates while my right foot only very slightly overpronates. He recommended a more neutral shoe.

This is the first time in my two years of serious running that anyone has told me I'm anything besides an overpronator and should be in something other than stability shoes. (Remember the Kayanos I was in just a year ago? Now that was some serious stability. And so many people told me that was what I needed.) I don't know if this means I've changed, or if everyone who has ever fitted me for shoes in the past has been completely wrong.

Alex went on to ask me if I've been having problems with pain in my upper leg (yes!) and said this is likely due to too much stability. Holy crap. Looks like new shoes may help solve my injury issues!

I left with a pair of Brooks Cascadias for trail running.


(Aren't they adorable? Chocolate brown and blue! Although they will probably be Annadel red in about a week.)