Ah, so I was bad and didn't listen to Dave when he explained the necessity of rotating out your shoes to save your legs. But this week I went over to PRC and was fitted for some very catching turquoise Brooks (I'm really not certain why women's shoes have to be so darn ugly).

I ran in them a bit today, almost 3 miles, and they felt like I was breaking them in; good but not great. So what do I do this weekend? Run in the trashed old ones (I've had them since January) or run in the brand brand new ones? Does it matter? Will I hurt myself equally in either pair?

I can offer my advice and suggest you take them to PRC and tell them they don't feel good. At least that's what I am hearing. I purchased Asics in April; they were trashed in June. I went to PRC and they fitted me with Nike's. There was no break-in period at all, and I had been having problems with a hot spot on each heel because my foot was moving around too much. I know I am not an expert, but maybe they just aren't the right pair for you.

Good luck.

Kathi

PS I agree with you on the colors of the shoes, nothing like looking down and seeing a shocking shade of some ugly color on your feet. My last pair were lime green. God Awful.

Call Portland Running if you have any questions on this -- they deal with this all the time and they know the particular shoes they sold you.

You didn't say ... did you buy the same shoe you've been wearing since January, or did you go to a new style? Even if you stuck with the same style, it's possible that the maker has changed the design in the last 8 months. For instance, I have been running for over three years in Asics GT2xxx shoes and Asics updates the design of these once a year. Asics sells a ton of this shoe so they are very careful that it doesn't change too much from one version to the next so I don't even bother running in them before buying the new year's model ... but there are plenty of other shoes out there where an updated version means a very different fit and feel. So even if you stuck with the same style, it's possible that you're reacting to a change in design rather than the newness / broken-in-ness of the shoe.

If I were you, I'd check with PRC but ultimately I'd go with my gut feel -- if you aren't comfortable with the new shoe, this weekend you should stick with the "devil you know" (the worn-out shoe) and do a few more short runs next week in your new ones. Then you'll still have another week before the 21 miler.

Don't worry about the aesthetics of the shoe ... you're best off being blind when you get running shoes.

My advice...if the shoes are not comfortable from the get go, return them. Or else, your closet will end up looking like mine, we're talking too many running/walking shoes!
Tough decision...how worn out are the old ones? Worn shoes can lead to injuries and new shoes can be uncomfortable if breaking them in on a 13/14 miler this weekend.
Best advice...I'd call PRC. They are the experts!

Thanks everyone! I've been running in a pari of Brooks, but a different style, and this new shoe just might not be the shoe for me. I think I'll stick with the tried and true pair for this weekend and head back over to PRC this weekend.

Good luck to everyone on this weekend's run!

K

There's also a slight chance that you're not used to shoes with support depending on how bad your others were. But if you're listening to your feet and they're saying "talk to the hand" then definitely swing by the PRC.

Tony