On I went, out of the wood, passing the man leading without knowing I was going to do so. Flip-flap, flip-flap, jog-trot, jog-trot, curnchslap-crunchslap, across the middle of a broad field again, rhythmically running in my greyhound effortless fashion, knowing I had won the race though it wasn't half over, won it if I wanted it, could go on for ten or fifteen or twenty miles if I had to and drop dead at the finish of it, which would be the same, in the end, as living an honest life like the governor wanted me to. -Alan Sillitoe, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

MARATHON SHOES!

Advice needed.

I have three nearly identical pairs of Saucony ProGrid Omnis.

Their mileages are 130, 146, and 316. All still feel good for long runs - which is intriguing, since I only got 293 miles out of my last pair before retirement. I've been doing all of my long runs in the high-mileage pair lately out of some sort of conservationist instinct to protect the lower mileage pair for races.

So, two questions:
1. Which shoes should I wear for the marathon?
2. Exactly how much am I overthinking this?
Posted by at

13 comments:

  1. UnknownWed Oct 12, 08:05:00 AM EDT

    1. The 130 or the 146, if you have some kind of anomalous comfort preference. Or if one is a cuter color, pick that one. I'm not actually joking.
    2. Way.

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  2. IanWed Oct 12, 08:58:00 AM EDT

    I'd go with the 130, they sound like they are perfectly broken in at this point.

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  3. GeekGirlWed Oct 12, 09:08:00 AM EDT

    I'd wear the lower mileage ones. They're broken in, but still "new".

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  4. Beth (i run like a girl)Wed Oct 12, 09:31:00 AM EDT

    Does one pair "feel" better?
    I wear my shoes for >500 miles, and like them best when I've got 200+ on them... but that's just me. :)

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  5. Silly Girl RunningWed Oct 12, 10:02:00 AM EDT

    +1 on what Ms Duffy said. :)

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  6. JeffWed Oct 12, 10:18:00 AM EDT

    I'd say the difference is negligible.

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  7. MikeWed Oct 12, 10:52:00 AM EDT

    Wow. I replace my shoes at around 1500 miles.

    But I agree with Jeff, unless one of your soles has a gaping hole worn in it, the mileage difference is negligible in these three pairs.

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  8. TWed Oct 12, 10:54:00 AM EDT

    1500 miles. Whoa.

    One of the lower mileage pairs is blue, one is green. I suppose I'll just wear one for the first marathon and the other for the second one. And then figure out the third marathon when the time comes.

    Yep, I just slipped that in there for anyone who didn't already know I have a bib for MCM.

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  9. UnknownWed Oct 12, 01:36:00 PM EDT

    I agree, one of the lower 2 pairs. 316 is way too many for marathon race shoes IMHO!

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  10. ellenWed Oct 12, 07:51:00 PM EDT

    1. the 130s.
    2. quite a bit... but i'm in the same boat

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  11. neeWed Oct 12, 10:39:00 PM EDT

    1. The cuter ones (ok, less mileage cause if you feel off running at the marathon, you'll constantly wonder)
    2. eh - it's about that time to obsess about the marathon (RIGHT?!?!?!)
    3. Am I gonna see you at the 20m long this weekend ensuring no one falls behind with me. :)

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  12. SarahThu Oct 13, 11:47:00 PM EDT

    Buy a new pair of shoes -- same brand/model you wear now. Put around 20 miles on them. Use them exclusively for your three marathons. "Breaking in" is wildly over-rated. Good support is not.

    And yes, you are over-thinking this. Really.

    Or, the answer is "the cuter shoes", if that makes you the happiest.

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  13. DawnSun Oct 16, 02:02:00 PM EDT

    Pick by color if they all feel the same when you run in them.

    And "way" doesn't even begin to describe it.

    ReplyDelete

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