For the training that I’ve been doing since the Country Music Marathon of Doom, I’ve been following a trend (and refuse to call it a fad! Yet!) – Minimalist running. I started running in a pair of New Balance 1063 back in the old days – May 2009. They faithfully carried me straight into shin splints. So, I went to a place that actually pays attention to the runners and tries their VERY best to get people into the shoes they need to be in.

Enter the Mizuno Inspires. These became my workhorses throughout my training for the Country Music Marathon, and I ran it in them. And I had the usual injuries. Especially knees. It’s extremely possible that the majority of my injuries were due to going too far, too fast. None the less, I looked for something better. A few months into 2010, and I picked up a pair of Vibram Sprints and Treks. I quickly found that I LOVED running in these. I also found out that I could NOT run the way I used to.

Most running shoes have a high heel and cushioning that encourages you to hit the ground with your heel first, and then roll forward – the dreaded heel strike. Watch a child playing in a field and you’ll see something quite different. They run with a mid foot or fore foot strike. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

So, I migrated into my Sprints, and stopped running in the Mizunos. May came around, and the Bikila was released to the public. The Bikila is the first Vibram designed as a runner’s shoe. I hit every online store and refreshed constantly. I managed to get a pair of the first batch. Blue and yellow! I’ve been running exclusively (with the exception of a single long run early on in my Mizunos – which hurt both my ankles & knees) ever since.

I’ve had ONE issue since moving to the Vibrams, and it wasn’t due to the shoes, but more of my own imbalance. ONE corrective evaluation and some exercises, and that went away.

700 miles later.

711 to be precise. I use Polar foot pods to track my pace, cadence and mileage. It also has the side effect of telling me exactly how many miles are on a particular pair of shoes at any given time.

I’ve worn the protective Vibram foot pods down. I’ve got the Rocket City Marathon in December. I HAVE to have something for that. So, I started searching the stores again. Supply has NOT gotten any better than when I picked them up to begin with. But I did manage to find another pair, in my size (but not color). Let me take you on a pictorial of what’s going on.

This is the bottom forefoot area of the old Bikilas. The blue podding has completely worn away from my landing area. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to wear through the remainder of the sole. Remember, there is NO cushioning, so the only thing I worry about in mileage for my shoes is if they still have some sole left. No cushion to deteriorate, no reason to replace before the soles are gone.

This is the bottom of my new pair. It has 2 miles on it. The medium gray area on this shoe is what I wore away.

The Heel area. There is still some impact going on back here, but the wear rate isn’t at the same rate as the front. I SPECULATE that this is the result of downhill stretches, as well as a more “flat” landing, rather than simply hitting on my forefoot.

The same area on the new shoe.

And finally, the toes. I’m actually a bit surprised at the amount of wear here, but I suppose I’m pushing off with the toe area, and that’s causing the wear.

Wearing the new shoes, I can IMMEDIATELY tell the difference between the two. All that rubber that I’ve worn away in the old pair is VERY noticeable in the new ones. And, in a surprise, after a longer (9ish mile) run this morning, my right shoe was slipping around my ankle. That’s something I’ve never had happen in a Vibram. Given this, I’m changing my strategy for shoes in the Rocket City Marathon. I’ll continue to train and run in the new shoe, but I’ll also be staying comfortable in my old ones. If the new ones don’t start giving me positive feedback about their suitability for the Marathon, I’ll be running in the old ones.

I’m hoping that this strategy will extend the life of the old ones to allow me to run the 200 miles I’ve got left before the 26.2 race.