The OF Blog: A consequence of becoming a medium-distance walker these past few months

Friday, June 22, 2012

A consequence of becoming a medium-distance walker these past few months


I bought these Nike Pegasus 28 running/walking shoes back around May 1st or 2nd.  According to my iPhone pedometer, I've walked just under 175 miles since then.  Looks like I'll be replacing them much sooner than the 4-5 months or 500 miles that I had planned.  I walk on asphalt mostly at a brisk pace (and a few muddier areas at the edge of the track, thus the dried mud patch on my right shoe sole), but I didn't realize just how quickly I was wearing the tread out.

Luckily, I have a pair of Saucony Shadow Genesis to wear until I can afford a new pair (maybe around my birthday in a little over three weeks?), but it is depressing to see just how quickly I wore these down, as these were some comfortable walking shoes (and I rarely wore them outside of the track).

2 comments:

RobB said...

Not sure how you arrived at the decision to purchase those shoes but I've spent a decent amount of time at runnersworld.com determining the right shoe for me. Great shoe reviews, some accompanied by 30 minute videos.

If I recall, you're a relatively big dude like me (as termed by running folks a Clydesdale) so that makes finding the right shoe a little tougher.

I've worn Saucony in the past, the first pair I had were great, the second pair not so much. I figured I needed a brand switch.

The last two pairs of running shoes I've worn with great results are Asics (Gel 1170 and Gel-Nimbus 13). The Gel 1170s I put well over 300 miles on them, most of which was running on road asphalt, and they are still in good shape. I could probably run another 100 miles in them and have no problems. The Nimbus I just bought over a month ago and are great, with plenty of support and cushioning.

Waaay back in my college days I worked for Herman Sporting goods and we always recommended that people doing a lot of walking should go for higher end running sneakers rather than the walking sneakers.

Larry Nolen said...

It was an easy decision: My dad (who is 4-5" shorter than me, but even broader/more muscular) has sworn by them and he bought them with a coach's discount (one set for him, one for me - we wear the same shoe size). Comfort-wise, they feel great, as a lot of the pain I was experiencing due to cartilage wear/tear in my left knee was reduced while wearing these.

I've used Asics Gels in the past and the pair I had was very good (and I likely would buy another pair now, if I had the money). New Balance I like as well (in part because it's easier to find 11.5 4Es), but I view those as better cross-trainers than shoes for walking/jogging long distances.

I think part of the issue might be that I am "explosive" when it comes to pushing off (I bounce a lot when I walk, people have said in the past) and combine that with very rough asphalt/gravel and I think that's done the trick. My dad, who bought the same type/size shoes the same day, said his aren't anywhere near the level of mine and that he never wore out a pair that quickly even when going past 300 miles.

But yeah, I think I'll be looking for a shoe that has a wide base, gel or some other additional support, and with less foam in the middle of the sole. Just hope the comfort will be as good as these Pegasus 28s have been.

 
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