My New Running Shoes

Well I'm back in training, it's official. I've even got a new running gps watch to play with.

I bought my New Balance 1061 running shoes and I'm amazed! I can't even begin to tell you what a difference they make. I bought the neutral narrow fit in a size 12. The first thing I noticed when I got out on the road was the cold wind blowing over my feet.

Now this is something I've never experienced before. If you run in the Cape Peninsula, you get used to plenty of wind. So here I was, getting my first taste of "high tech" running.

I also splurged and got some new running socks. Definately worth the expense. This was the first time that I returned from a run with my feet almost as fresh as when I set out.

The feeling of freedom and bounce was other worldly. My wife, who takes a size 5, was also blown away by the amount of cushioning in these running shoes. As I've been off for a couple of weeks, I thought that I would struggle with my comeback. Not so. After the first 10 minutes I was still running strongly with no feeling of tiredness or strain. My training is going to be a pleasure from now on.

My biggest mistake was starting to run again in old worn out shoes. It took an injury and some pretty sore knees to wake me up.

I'm running again tomorrow morning, and I can't wait. The boost to my motivation has been awesome.

Do yourself a favour and look into buying a new pair of running shoes if you can afford it. Better still, go to a specialist running store. The advice I got was superb and they really helped in getting me to buy the right running shoe.

Have a great running week, and chat later.

For more info on New Balance Running shoes check out TriCityNewBalance.com (Southern Sports LLC)

Injured my calf muscles today

Well, I started the day with high hopes of having a great run this morning. Sad to say, 10 minutes into the run I had to pull up with damaged right calf muscle. It appears to be the soleus muscle.

It's damn annoying as I'd set a goal of running a marathon within the next 12 months. I will now have to rest up for at least a week, get some treatment and look at getting the New Balance running shoes that I blogged about earlier in the week.

Having spoken to an expert it appears that the worn out old shoes I'm running in now are the cause of my calf problems and they will only get worse if I continue to train in them. I will take a week off and then go to a the grass track nearby and try again.

I dislike running on a grass track or around the fields as I get bored with the scenery quite quickly. But there isn't any other choice at this time. The main thing is to stay motivated and keep my goal in mind. This is a minor setback as there's plenty of time to get race fit if I can heal the calf this month. Rather than trying to go all out and make the injury worse I'll heed the advice of my expert and just stretch this week.

Running Injuries: Common or Not

Running Injuries: Common or Not

After running without so much as a twinge for 10 minutes this morning, the dreaded right calf seized up again. I managed to hobble on home and with the walking the calf eased a bit. So much for solving my problems with running injuries. Common wisdom is that I should take time off and allow the calf to heal.

I think that is what I'll do, as it can be quite serious if I don't sort it out soon. My medium term goal is to run a marathon. If I don't sort this out now I'm not going to get to that point. I am also going to limit my running until I can purchase a decent pair of running shoes.

All in all these ongoing common running injuries that I'm experiencing are to be expected. I haven't done any sort of exercise for close on 12 years. I weigh in at just on 111 kg's now, so the impact on my legs is quite high. I certainly don't have a low impact running style yet.

I'll keep you updated on my running injuries. Common advice on how to proceed will be very helpful, so feel free to post your wisdom.

Until next time...

Discount: New Balance Running Shoes

Discount New Balance Running Shoes

OK, I had an extra days rest because of my right calf and went out for a slow day today. I took it easy and although I didn't run as far as I did the previous day, I made it. Apart from a little twinge in the right calf I was fine.

On my extra rest day yesterday I went to my local running store and had a look at getting a decent discount. New Balance running shoes where the best option for me looking at the price and features. Their latest shoe in the mid price range that I looked at was the New Balance M1010. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert on shoe selection. I have normal feet with no pronation problems that I know of and I need a shoe that will last. The kids in the store had their sales patter down but I told them I was only looking now as I will only have money to buy new running shoes at the end of January.

That being said, the staff were very attentive and gave some good advice. They did try an upsell to a more expensive trail running shoe, when I said I would be doing some off road running later in the year. Overall though, they weren't pushy, which i hate, and appeared to be genuinely concerned that I get the right running shoe at the right price. They even admitted that they didn't know much about the competitions shoes.

I was thinking of looking online for a running shoe discount. New Balance running shoes being my first choice. However, I think I will return to the store and purchase my running shoes there. I really think they deserve the busines. Depending on how happy I am with the New Balance M1010, I will go check out the online offerings when it comes time to buy another pair.

As I'm sitting here, I'm a bit sore still from the run this morning. It could also be the fact that I also put up a dry wall at lunch time. The unaccustomed bending and pushing and pulling and carrying probably has a lot to do with it. The surprising thing is though that I have the energy to do the work. My energy levels are definately improving and my clothes are starting to feel looser on me. My family tell me that I'm in a better mood after running and generally a happier person all round. I tend to agree with them as I've been a bit of a grumps for the last couple of years. I should have started running again a lot sooner!!

Well, I hope you all have a festive New Year and that all your hopes and dreams come true. Keep on running,