The Hoka Experiment

     Just as the title implies, I decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss is about with this brand of shoe with the funny name.  For the last couple of years I have jumped on the Altra shoe bandwagon and was hooked.  I loved the whole premise of the shoes, with the larger foot shaped toe box, zero drop natural foot position and the cushioning options available.  Altra shoes have been a rock star for off road trail runners and has been picking up steam on the road scene, but no where as fast has Hoka One One.  I figured if I was going to jump ship and join the Hoka camp, now would be a good time since I am not officially training for a race for another couple of months.

     

     Hoka One One is known for its tall soles with a plush ride that can, at times, feel like you are running on a bed of marshmallows in a light weight package.  There are several models to choose from, and after a little research I decided to give the new Clifton 3s a try.  I headed over to one of my local running stores to try them on.  In my research, one of the big complaints about the Clifton 2s was how narrow they felt, but all the 3s reviews were saying they rectified the problem, so I figured I was good to go.  I slipped on the shoes and right away they felt tight, especially on the outside edge of my feet.  I tried going up a half size, which helped, but they still felt more snug then my Altras.  In full disclosure, I have short wide feet and usually require a shoe that come in wide widths, however this was not the case for my Altras.  At the time of this write up I did not see any wide width options from Hoka, but I could have missed it on their website.   I hopped on the treadmill and right away I was hooked!  I loved the feel and the cushioning was so absorbent, it truly felt like I was running on a bed of marshmallows.  With a thirty day money back guarantee I figured they were totally worth the time to put some miles on them.

    After only 20ish miles and one 10k PR I am going to return them.  Why you ask?  Well for me its the fit that concerns me.  I really think it is just a matter of the width of my foot and the lack of width in the shoe, because if this shoe came in a wide version, I would be keeping it.  I was noticing that the top of the toe box would rub the top of my two outer toes with every stride.  With the longest single run of 6.2 miles in these shoes, the rubbing never became an issue, but I am envisioning what will happen when I am out for a 20 mile long run.  I really want to minimize any issues during my marathon training and the potential for blisters or worse can be controlled with the right fitting shoes.  I decided to give my Altras a quick try again, just to be sure I wasn't over reacting, and while there was a slight touch, it was nowhere near as bad as it was with the Hokas.

     So in conclusion, if they offered this shoe in a wide and it fit with no toe box rubbing, I would make the switch, I loved them that much.  I didn't feel like the shoe was to tall, and while the super soft ride felt great, I never felt like I was sacrificing performance.  At the end of the day, you need to be comfortable in your shoes regardless of brand or style.  Even thought things didn't work out with the Clifton 3s, I'll keep my eye on Hoka, and maybe down the road they will accommodate those of us with wide feet, but until then, I'll stick with my Altras.   

 

The Shoes On Your Feet

     I got my runners world magazine in the mail a few days ago and one of the main topics was the introduction of the new shoes for 2015.  I thought with everyone gearing up, pun intended, for their spring races like I am for the Owens Corning Half Marathon at the Glass City Marathon on April 26^th.  I have changed brand and/or model of shoes six or seven times over the course of my two plus years in the sport, which I wouldn’t recommend.  For those of you that are new to running or are thinking about getting started, if you take anything away from this post take this; get professionally fitted for your shoes by an expert at your local reputable running specific shoe store.  I made the mistake of trying to run in the cheap shoes I bought at a local shoe carnival and boy did I pay the price for it. 

     Now I am by no means an expert and what you will read here is only my opinions and what I have read online.  This post is designed to get you thinking about your shoes and why you bought them.  I will mention places and brands of shoes I have purchased and will tell you what I think of them, but please remember when you read this that I was not paid, compensated or asked by any of these shoe companies or retail establishments for my thoughts and opinions on this topic.

     Now that the legal shit is out of the way let us talk shoes.  Back in October of 2012 when I got started on my running / weight loss journey I was running in a cheap pair of Nike shoes, like I said earlier, I bought at a local Shoe Carnival discount shoe store.  The shoes were fine for going to the gym to lift weights or use the elliptical, but once I gave running a try, I was immediately in trouble.  I started to develop pain in my shins and after a quick research trip via the internet, I was pretty damn sure it was due to my shoes.  I headed over to Dave’s Running Shop, which has been a staple of the running scene here in Toledo for years and years.

      The easy way to describe my feet would be short and wide.  Depending on brand I normally wear around an 8 ½ in a minimum of a 2E width.  When I got to Dave’s the guy that helped me seemed to really know his stuff and how to properly fit me.  He had me walk in my bare feet away and back towards him so he could see how my feet reacted when they hit the ground.  Based on that, my size at the time and my feet measurements he narrowed my selection down to three shoes.  The one I went with was the New Balance 840v1.  It had the best feel to me and seemed very comfy to me.  I only put around a hundred miles on them before I was ready to trade up for another shoe.  The reason wasn’t because they weren’t comfortable, it was because they just felt big, heavy and clunky to me.

     I returned to Dave’s to check out some other shoes and I ended up picking the wrong day because they were extremely busy and if you know how impatient I can be and I got frustrated and left.  I headed over to Second Sole, which is more of a franchise style running shop in our area.  They were really busy as well, but their people seemed able to handle the multiple customers.  I look back know and realize this isn’t a great trait to have when you are trying to purchase something as personal as running shoes, but I was new to this and didn’t know any better.  The kid seemed very knowledgeable about shoes and performed the same tests as Dave’s shop did, but it seemed like he was just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what would stick.  We settled on one shoe but I ended up returning them the next day, which should have been a red flag, but they continued to help me and eventually got me fitted in a pair of Asics Gel Cumulus 15.  I really liked them and they seemed to serve me well.  I got around three hundred miles on my first pair and around the mid two hundreds on my second pair before I switched shoes.  And here is why. 

      One of my biggest problems is I am a self proclaimed internet junkie, meaning I am constantly on the web researching looking for something better than what I already have.  The Asics were working great for me and I didn’t have any reason to switch, but I heard about the Altra brand shoe story.  I am not going to go into it here, but if you are interested click here.  After reading their story I really wanted to go into a zero drop shoe, but I heard a lot of horror stories from people who made the switch to zero drop to fast, which scared me off while I was training for my first marathon.  What I ended up doing is looking for a shoe with a lower drop heel to work my way down to a zero drop.  After visiting Dave’s again I ended up going with the New Balance 1080v3.  These have been great to me and have been my go to shoe for almost a year now.  When the 1080v4s came out I read some reviews that said they were not as good as the v3s and I thought here we go again, I got to find another freaking shoe.  I ended up buying the v4s through Runners Warehouse because I got them at a discount and they had a nice return policy.  For me, the v4s were just as good, if not better than the 3s and my marathon training continued.  

     Here is my shoe company / Runners Warehouse rant!  I got caught up in the bright color “flashy” shoe craze like a lot of people and was getting really pissed off that no one was making wide width shoes in these colors.  Well first, the shoe companies are, well at least New Balance is, but Runners Warehouse doesn’t carry them.  Runners Warehouse only carries the plain jane boring shoes in the wide widths for some odd reason.  I went to New Balance’s website and low and behold I could order the “flashy” colors through their site, while paying top dollar and shipping.  I really wanted them for my first marathon so I bit the bullet and got them, but it is shit like that that pisses me off.  If they are available why wouldn't Runners Warehouse carry them?   Ok rant over, moving on.

So the New Balance 1080v4s are working great, so lets fast forward to post marathon time.  This is where my knee problem comes into play and I hit the internet to do more research.  After talking with my friend Katie, who writes the Runs for Cookies blog, she has been sold on her new Altra brand shoes after meeting the owner/creator of the brand.  I again researched them and they just seem to have that hometown feel to them that they are in business to help people and not just to make money.  This idea was further evident when I emailed the founder himself and he responded to me with his recommendation of which model of shoe to go with based on my current brand and model.  Again for more info the brand click here.  The big draw to this brand is their designs are meant to promote proper foot striking and a natural foot position.   He thought the Altra Paradim would be the best fit for me to break into their zero drop platform.  He stated the max cushioning of the shoe will aid in the transition and over time I can work my why out of the max cushioning to one of their other models.  That is if I ever want to.

     At the end of the day my IT Band injury was due to a lot of factors I have covered in my previous posts, but one factor that didn’t have anything to do with it, at least in this instance, was my shoes.  What I mean is, I made the switch to Altras thinking that my shoes were a factor when they were not, so I could still be in the 1080s, but I am enjoying my Altras so much I think I will definitely stick with them for the foreseeable future.  I have around fifty miles on them so far and they will get plenty of use training for the Owens Corning Half Marathon at the Glass City Marathon on April 26^th 2015.

     This was a glimpse into my crazy shoe journey I have been on.  I wonder if it is the same for other people as well or do you find that one pair that works and stick with them through thick and thin?  

I am in I.T. Band Hell

     Those of you that have suffered from I.T. Band syndrome know exactly what I mean when I say I am in I.T. band hell.  Just when I think things are on the up and up, I have a set back and it throws me into a depressed state.  

     

     I know that I have to get all my muscles around my IT band stronger and stretch the ITB out in order to win this battle, but there are so many opinions and routines I haven't been able to settle on just one.  I was trying a hodgepodge of different things and I don't think I was really making any head way so I decided I needed to settle on just one.  I finally settled on a stretching and strengthening program from a guy on YouTube that suffered from ITB issues and put up a video of his routine that solved his problems, so for the past couple of days I have been trying to follow it.  Basically I perform side leg lifts and holds, single leg raises and holds, a leg lift with a horizontal swing out, mini single leg dips, a cross leg IT band stretch and a bent knee IT band stretch.  I am going to give this routine about two weeks and see if it is making any improvement to my situation.  I don't really want to get into promoting it if it doesn't work so until I get a couple of weeks in and see how I am doing before I give out all the details.

     

     I read about a compression strap that can help with ITBS, and it has helped me so far, at least on short runs, is the Pro Tech IT Band Compression Wrap.  The wrap is made up of mostly neoprene and has two velcro attaching points.  It has a small square of padding that when wrapped and compressed to the leg will isolate the IT band and keep it from moving across the knee and becoming irritated.  I have used it on three runs so far and has worked wonderfully until today's run.  The first two runs were 4 milers and I had no issues, today's was 6 miles and once I hit mile five the pain slowly came back and I had to shut it down at mile six.  This product seems to work, at least for me in short mileage situations so far.  I will keep using it and give a follow up review after a few more runs.  I picked it up online for around $25 bucks (including shipping).

And no that's not my leg :)

  
     I am not ready to give my full review and full endorsement of my new Altra Paradigms, but after almost 12 miles I am loving them.  The wide toe box is AWESOME!  It gives my feet room to breathe and the zero drop platform allows me to feel like I am running on my feet not on my shoes, if that makes any sense.

     After I uploaded my run info from my Garmin I noticed another reason why I keep having these set backs with my injury and it boils down to me over doing it.  I took a week off from doing any running and the next week back I did over 17 miles.  The last six weeks have been back and forth like that and that cannot be a recipe for success.  I think I will take this next week completely off followed by the next three weeks of 5, 8 and 11 total miles.  Hopefully with the slow easy build up and the stretch and strengthening routine I can kick this crap and get back to enjoying my runs.