Don’t come back on Saturday!
So the plan this morning was to take my new shoes out for a 5 mile pace run. At 6:30am when we woke up to thunder and lightening, it didn’t look good for a run. But by 8:00am, when the alarm sounded the rain seemed to have stopped.
I have a shoe dilemma…
My awesome purple shoes that I have been training in since May have too many miles. I started feeling the effects during some recent long runs and wasn’t exactly sure what to do. I ended up ordering some new shoes (awesome black and blue color) and an adorable long sleeved tshirt. I paid the extra $5 on top of my free shipping to expedite the shipment. My shoes arrived last night and as soon as I slipped my foot in this morning, I knew that the extra support was exactly what I needed.
I took the shoes for a test drive with an aggressive morning pace run. During which I began to think about my plan to get these shoes ready for the marathon in just a few weeks. Ugghh! So my dilemma…which shoes do I wear for Saturday’s 20 miler? I fear that wearing my old (purple) shoes will cause unnecessary aches and pains, but I’m not sure the new (black) shoes are ready for 20 miles. Ideally, I’d love to wear the new ones for the first 12 miles or so, and then switch, but that’s not an option. So help me…what should I do??? Do I wear the shoes with too many miles or too few?
The saddest part about this new shoe situation is that I picked out my neon green socks to go with my purple shoes (I love green and purple together) and I’m not sure how good they will look with the black and blue shoes. Ok, back to more important things than my race day outfit…this morning’s run. It appeared that the rain was done and that I would only be joined only by fog and humidity, but with a little over a mile left to go, the skies opened and the rain came pouring down. I was in the perfect place to take a short cut home and after some debate, and another gust of rain as I rounded the corner on to my street, I decided to cut my run a little short. Even with a slower last mile, I finished my 4.6 mile run below race pace averaging 8:33 min/miles. It was tough to maintain that pace, but I’m happy I pushed through this morning.
I didn’t eat breakfast before my run, which may have made that last mile tougher. I had a fantastic plan for my post run recovery snack…Summer Sander’s Post-Run Smoothie! I discovered this in Women’s Running magazine while reading it last night. It’s definitely different than my usual smoothie and I LOVED every sip!
I’m sure it feels like the majority of my posts have been about running lately. This is mostly because the majority of my life has been about running lately. With a side of work, eating, and maybe some sleeping. If you’re not into the running stuff, then you’ll be happy to know that my last long run is this weekend and then the taper begins! Wish me luck on Saturday’s 20 miler and cross your fingers for a rain free day!
One last thing…
Did you know tomorrow is Run at Work Day?
Love it!
Ok seriously…which shoes should I wear this weekend?
Is three weeks enough time to get new shoes ready for 26.2 miles?
Summer Sander’s Post Run Smoothie
From Women’s Running Magazine
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 cup ice
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp peanut butter (I used almond butter)
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp honey (I used 1/2 tbsp agave)
4 pitted dates
Directions
Add all ingredients into blender. Mix until smooth. Enjoy!
Luv What You Do 
Are your new shoes the same model as the purple shoes? If so, then I say definitely do the long run with the new shoes. I waited too long to get new shoes and I think continuing to wear my old shoes contributed to my recent achilles injury. 3 weeks should be plenty of time to break in the new shoes.
Lisa, thank you! They are the exact same model. I just got a different color so I could tell the difference easily. I appreciate the comment!
Hope this doesn’t double post… my first comment disappeared.
Are your new shoes the same model as the purple shoes? If so then I say definitely go with the new shoes for the long run. Even if they aren’t I’d lean toward the new shoes. I waited too long to order new shoes and I’m certain that continuing to wear my old shoes past 500 miles contributed to my recent achilles injury.
No worries! Thanks for trying again!
Wow! Tough call on the shoes!! I think they can definitely be ready for the marathon! I would probably just wear them this weekend…but be prepared for some tenderness/soreness because they aren’t broken in yet! If the purple ones are definitely out you don’t want to risk anything major happening in your last big run!!!
I don’t like bananas but the rest of that smoothie sounds delicious!
I wish you luck with the rain staying away. I have been surprised that I haven’t really had to battle any rain yet! (knock on wood!!) 🙂
knock on wood for sure. So glad your training is going well. Thanks for the tips. I so appreciate it. I think I”m going to go with the black ones and stress less about my speed. You can’t even taste the banana in this smoothie!
I agree with Leslie-wear the new ones-broken down (though loved shoes) can cause injuries that could derail your plans.
The rain yesterday was a bummer-esp for dogma-he missed the walk the night before too for the same reason-poor puppy!
Poor guy! it has been tough for walks with the rain! Hoping for a nicer weekend ahead. I agree and think I”m going with the black shoes. I appreciate the advice.
Hmmm I would definitely say the new shoes. I would also vote that you either A) Bring bandaids or B) throw some on your heels / any sensitive spots you have blistered at before. For me that is my hell and also the ball of my foot (like where you would get a bunion)
Great idea! I will glide up my feet real well. My prob is that usually I get some numbness in my toes. Random but it goes away after a few runs.
If I replace a pair of shoes with the exact same model, I tend to just switch 100%. I never think to order shoes far enough in advance that I can rotate them and I figure if they’re the same model, I should already be adjusted to them. If I were you, I’d wear the new shoes and then do your best to prevent any blisters. I always wear good socks with newer shoes and use blister bandaids to cover the areas where I’m most likely to blister.
Good luck tomorrow, the weather looks beautiful!
oh good! I haven’t checked the forecast yet, but I hope it’s nicer than this week. Good to hear that you switch 100%. I usually don’t put too much thought into switching but with the marathon so close, I got nervous. Thanks for the tips!!!
After reading in the comments that these shoes are the same as your other pair, and that you ran 5 miles in them without a problem I would definitely run in the new shoes. The old ones need to be retired, once you start feeling those aches and pains it’s not a good idea to run longer miles in them!! Take it from me, I’ve done it and was almost sidelined! NEW NEW NEW NEW!
Thank you Brittany! I”m going to retire my purple shoes or start wearing them around for fun because I love the color. I definitely should have moved out of them a few weeks ago.
Going to give this smoothie a shot after my next workout, thanks for the recipe!
Also I’m a big fan of the neon socks!
Thanks! I’ve gotten mixed reviews, but I’m loving them!
[…] you guys so much for all the advice with my running shoe dilemma. It seems that you all agree I should wear the black shoes and be proactive about blisters, […]
That smoothie sounds delicious!!
It’s really good!
I get so frustrated when shoes start to go right before a race!
I definitely agree to use the new ones for the long run, especially if they are the same as the old pair. Old shoes can do SO much damage!
I wore older shoes during one marathon because I didn’t get ones soon enough. They completely tore my heel apart to the point I had to stop at an aid station for help.
Yikes! That sounds rough! When my shoes get old, I feel it in my knees and back and that was definitely the case the past week. I’m thinking 20 miles will be a nice long distance to break in the new ones!
[…] how I will always be. There were a lot of things not lined up for this run, including my new shoes and my lack of chia seeds for breakfast. I can’t run without chia seeds! I prepared […]
Neon everything! 🙂
The new shoes get my vote for your long run, but you’re probably done by now, so hope it went well!
That smoothie looks SO good!
It was awesome! And the new shoes were the way to go! They actually even looked cool with the neon socks! My marathon outfit is a huge mess of colors but I love it!