​I have always loved trail running in the woods, but never considered the need for shoes specifically designed for trail running.  Most of my running before 2019 was on the road with sprinkles of short trail runs here and there, but now, trail running is my favorite!  I have several types of sneakers for various terrains— road running, walking, lifting, and I added trail running sneakers to the rotation when I began running mostly trail races in 2019.  This past weekend as I ran a long trail race, I was happy I remembered my trail shoes— the terrain alternated from knobby and stumpy dirt paths to leafy hills, to a diverse lake coastline with sand (that my feet just sunk into), to slippery hardened mud with big rocks.  What makes trail sneakers so useful?  Short and simple- lugs (little cleat-type grippers) and support.  

The bottom of a trail sneaker is much different than the bottom of a road sneaker.  A road sneaker’s bottom is flatter and the rubber is more bendable.  A trail shoe’s sole is made of stronger rubber and has lugs that offer traction and stability on uneven surfaces.  Imagine running on the beach or a wet rocky trail without any grip between you and the ground— there is lots of slipping and sliding!  

​​The upper part of a trail and road sneaker are also different.  Road shoes offer a breathable mesh upper body and are flexible while the top of a trail sneaker is durably made to keep out debris and to provide more support.  Furthermore, most trail shoes have a rock plate in the middle of the sneaker to prevent rocks and sharp objects from protruding through the bottom making trail sneakers a bit stiff.  

​​Can trail shoes be worn on the road?  Yes, trail shoes can be worn on the road, but they will quickly wear down the lugs on the bottom of the sneaker.  It’s best to keep those trail shoes on the trail to increase the longevity of the sneaker.  Can road shoes be worn on the trail?  Yes, but they will similarly wear quicker on the rough terrain and will provide less support. 
 
Happy Running!
Rose

​I was itching to head out for a run after riding in the car for 5 hours and unpacking after a family vacation.  I laced up my sneakers, opened the front door, and noticed an ominous gray sky.  I decided to give-it-a-go anyways with the hope of completing at least a 5k before the impending rainstorm.  Six-minutes into my run, the rain drops started to fall…at the 10-minute mark it was a torrential downpour (Forrest Gump style sideways rain), BUT no thunder!  My rain rule— continue to run in the rain if it is warm and so long as there is no thunder…because with thunder comes lightning- danger zone there!

My run in the liquid sunshine was enjoyable; I hit my 5k goal and decided to extend my run.  I wasn’t alone the rain- it was nice to see other runners on the road also enjoying a rainy run!  Eventually, I arrived home, shouted for a towel to dry off with, kicked my waterlogged shoes off in the entry way, proceeding through the hallway leaving a trail of wet footprints! 
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After drying off (well, transitioning from being soaked to damp), I needed to tend to my water-logged sneakers!  There was so much standing water inside of my sneakers that it looked as if they had been fished out of a lake!  How does one dry a pair of soaking running sneakers?  There are many techniques out there (just google it, there are tons of ideas)!  I read about runners stuffing their shoes with newspaper, or paper-towels, in an effort to absorb the water.  I never tried applying anything made of paper in fears that I’d be peeling little pieces soggy paper from my shoes for days!  Some mentioned putting sneakers in the dryer, others recommend using a hair dryer, both of which are definite NOs— heat ruins the glue of the shoes and disforms their shape!  Also, overusing a blow dryer could pose a fire hazard!  Seeing no appealing approaches to dry my sneakers, I designed my own technique:

• Dump any and all standing water out from the sneakers…toes up, let the water run to the heel, then dump.
• Loosen the laces and slightly pull the sneakers open.
• Pack a towel (I used a dish towel) into the shoes, press down lightly to absorb water.
• Place the sneakers upside down on a towel and flip the sneakers sole down before bed.  

After waking the next morning, my sneakers were dry!  I even went to the beach the next day for a run and again successfully used this technique to dry my sneakers after running along the surf! 
Is there a technique that you use to dry your shoes?  Please share! 

​Happy Running!
Rose 

I always feel a tad sentimental when it is time to get rid of a pair of running sneakers— there are so many wonderful memories attached!  My memories of my sneakers helped create a silly after school conversation with my kids…if our running sneakers could talk, what would they say? 
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I have been wearing my current pair of trail running sneakers for runs on the beach, for short walks, or just while out and about.  In the last two days the sneakers have been saying “Quack”.  My kids and I had a good laugh as I sounded like a duck while I walked around the base Exchange and Commissary.  These sneakers sounded like they are talking! 

My current road sneakers are in bad shape.  I should replace them pronto!  If these sneakers could talk, they would say, “ouch”.

I remember the pair of running sneakers I wore when I began training for my first marathon— a pair of black, blue and gray Brooks Adrenaline shoes that were a half size too small.  I bought them at the City Sports Basement store at Boston Downtown Crossing in 2010.  I learned the hard way that one should always size up running sneakers when running long distances— I had black toenails after my first long team training run.  Before the next long run, I made my way to a running store and bought some new kicks!  These Brooks would have said, “keep me”.  And that is what I did!  I kept these sneakers for walking and hiking. 

I remember the sneakers I wore after the Chicago Marathon in 2010.  It was a HOT day, and I never had a pair of shoes smell so terrible after a race!  I was getting on an airplane the next morning and there was no way I could salvage the sneakers without contaminating my luggage, so into a recycling bin went my white, silver and blue Saucony Guide 3’s.  These Saucony’s would have said, “Just grab a bottle of Febreeze to cover the stench”.

I remember the sneakers I wore during my first marathon after my first born.  Another unexpectedly HOT race day for Boston in April.  I held onto those silver and pink Saucony Guide 3’s for a while— the pair signified my return to running/fitness after my first child and served as a reminder that I can persevere when things get tough.  Those sneakers would have said something inspirational along the lines of, “if you believe, you can achieve.” 

I remember the sneakers I wore for the 2019 National Women’s Half Marathon in DC.  I just recycled the pair of pink, orange and gray Altra Torins during my last PCS.  The sneakers reminded me of a fun, memorable rainy-day race with my Stroller Warrior friends where a group of us wrapped plastic shopping bags around our sneakers to keep our feet dry before the race began.  These Torins probably said, “thank you.”

I remember my third pair of trail sneakers that I wore when I ran the Jungfrau marathon.  I was so sad when I realized that I had accidentally left them on a shelf in the changing room!  Those black/blue/purple Alta Timps still had many miles to explore!  These sneakers would have screamed, “Wait for me!”
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I know my next pair of running sneakers will come along with me for several incredible journeys and will be well-loved.  Cheers to logging miles!
 
Happy Running,
Rose :)

​Let me tell you a story about a girl named Kelly. She was new to running and didn't know that each person’s feet were different and therefore needed different things. She picked shoes based on their colors and whether they'd match her outfits or not. Do you know what happened? She owned cute shoes and she ran herself right into a serious problem - plantar fasciitis.
 
After she learned her lesson the hard way she started doing things differently. Can you guess what she did?
 
Okay, by now you probably have figure out that I'm talking about myself. . . So what do I do differently now?  

​1. I get opinions on my feet from the experts and I go back and ask again every few years. As my body has grown stronger over the years, the way my feet land has also changed. For example, when I was a beginner runner. I over-pronated majorly. Pronation to some degree is a normal part of running. However, if you pronate too much you can run into other problems. Shoe experts have tried to combat this problem by making the inner part of a shoe of a firmer substance. You can usually tell if a shoe is for an over-pronated just by looking from the outside of the shoe at the inner sole. It will be a different color than the rest of the sole. Now, after years of running and strengthening my body through weight lifting I need a neutral shoe. If I hadn’t gone back to get checked again, I would probably be running in the wrong shoes for me. Most running shoe stores have experts who can watch you run and help you find the right shoes for you. Podiatrists if you know one or go to see one are also great people to ask what kind of shoes your feet need.
 
2. I don't allow myself to look at the color of the shoes or the price. I run in them without looking down and I pick the pair that feels the best. While I don’t ask the price before I run in them, I have been known to ask if they have last year’s model in stock. You can often get last year's model at a much more reasonable price and it’s likely exactly the same as this year's model or the sales person can tell you how it is different. I’ve also been known to try on shoes and like them, but then balk at the price at the store, only to regret not buying them until an online search found them at a different store for a much better price.

​3. I use my running shoes ONLY for running. I have separate walking shoes I put on if my Mom wants to go on a walk with me or I need to go sight seeing or run errands around town. This saves the soles of my running shoes and helps them to last a lot longer for me.
 
4. I use two pairs of shoes (sometimes 3. Okay fine, truthfully, I currently have 5) and rotate them so each pair of shoes gets 24-48 hours to go back to their optimal shape to take another pounding from me. I’ve heard a few experts swear by this method. I’ve also heard a few experts who think this whole thing is silly and not true. Me? I like shoes! So I really don’t mind having several pairs and alternating between them.
 
5. I am cautious about inserts unless a doctor has prescribed them. This is due to my sister, Kathleen, who was an avid marathoner back in the day. She started having knee problems and a friend recommended she try inserts. She started wearing them and it fixed the knee problem. Fast forward two years later and she can’t run anymore due to terrible back pain. For the next two years she kept trying to rehab herself and get back to running and she couldn’t do it. A chance encounter in the airport while she was traveling for work led her to a family who swears by a ‘miracle doctor’ who fixed their daughter, an elite athlete. He wasn’t taking new clients, but because of his connection to this family, he agreed to see my sister. She flew to his city and stayed in a hotel for two weeks. Every day he’d hook her up to different biofeedback machines and have her run and do various exercises. His verdict? She needed to ditch the inserts. The inserts were changing the way she ran and were not properly activating her glute muscles. When her glutes weren’t firing, her back was trying to kick in to do the work and she was ending up in terrible pain. She had to ditch the inserts and rehab her muscles and she was able to go back to running pain-free. I worry inserts might fix one problem and cause another, so unless it’s recommended by a medical professional, I let the advice to buy inserts go in one ear and out the other. 

​6. I try to keep track of how many miles my shoes get, but if I lose track I keep an eye on the tread and/or my body. Typically, any ankle/shin/knee pain I get can be resolved by getting new shoes.
 
7. I listen to my body. If I have a new pair that is causing pain, you can bet your bottom dollar I will not be running in them anymore! They get returned or if I can’t return them, they become my new walking shoes. I’ve dealt with injuries before and I don’t want to deal with another injury, especially if it is avoidable!
 
8. I try my best to shop where they offer a military discount (yay!) or allow you to bring back your shoes if they don’t work out (double yay!). Running shoes can be a huge investment. I have been so disappointed before when shoes didn’t work out for me only to be told that they can’t be taken back because they had been used (even just once!). Places like REI and many shoe stores will let you return the shoes if they didn’t work for you, even if you already went on a run in them (even if that run is a trail run!).
 
So there you have it my tips and guidelines for buying shoes. I hope this helps you on your next shoe buying adventure.
 
Happy Running!
Kelly