I've Got a Bad Feeling About This (Post-purchase Shoe Research)

I've only been tracking miles on my last two pairs of shoes, so I suspect that I've probably gone over-mileage pretty significantly on all of them, with varying results. My last pair of Glides definitely felt dead to me. I have no idea how many miles I had on them, but I was running in them from April 2010 to the end of January 2011, with one half marathon and the beginning of marathon training in there. I'm sure they were way over their limit when I retired them after my ITBS flare-up. (I do still bike in them and use them as my main gym shoes because they're so comfortable).

Conversely, the Supernova Sequence 2's that replaced them still seemed pretty supportive when I retired them, ahem, 604 miles on them. And I've heard everything from "OMG you should replace your shoes every 200 miles!" to "Relax guy, you can put way more miles on them than that. Of course the shoe company and shoe store are going to recommend you buy new shoes all the time."

I put the Sequence 2's out to pasture because I was worried about how high the mileage was, but these Sequence 4's really seem like they're toast. I don't think it's "trail running" in the tradional sense of jumping over roots and running through mountain streams, but perhaps running a lot of miles on the gravel rail trail vs. the roads and sidewalks of suburbia shortened their lifespan. At any rate -- I would have been glad to just get another pair of Supernova Sequences, except the store I shop at didn't have them, and since it is carrying less Adidas stuff, didn't seem like they'd be getting any in.

Now, I should probably really start buying shoes elsewhere, just because this store is really far from my house and there's a perfectly excellent running store here in York. But, I'd bought my last several pairs there, was there for a packet pickup, and needed shoes NOW! (Of course, since I'm an idiot, I forgot to wear them on last night's sucky six-miler!)

So anyway, here's some further research on the Supernova Sequence and the two options I was shown by the Sales Associate. The reviews are from runnersworld.com brought to you by the power of Earn Your Donuts' proprietary HindSight Technology.

First, the Supernova Sequence 4, my current shoe:


Now, the Brooks Adrenaline:


And lastly, the adiZero Tempo:


Neither of these shoes seems to have tested very similarly to the Sequence 4 at all. I'm not sure whether this means I should have looked harder for a pair Sequence 4's, or whether I'm about to embark on a magical new journey filled with PRs. The light weight of the adiZero tempo appeals to me, and is in fact why I picked it, but seeing the lack of stability even compared to the Sequence worries me a bit. It is recommended for distance racing and everyday runners, and I suspect that stretching and foam rolling has done more to control my ITBS than the shoes, but I'm probably about to find out how much I actually need a stability shoe.

At any rate, if my calf feels better tomorrow night (still a little sore today), I'll run 2-3 miles in the adiZero Tempos and then I'm planning on wearing them in the 8K on Saturday. I hope I like them, they're really light and comfortable.

(I'm not trying to be negative with the title. Any time I can make a Star Wars reference, I'm going to.)