Me & my Mizuno’s

Every runner needs one essential piece of kit and yes there are those who run bare foot but the majority of us don’t, therefore it’s a good pair of runners.

I don’t like to do things by half measure when equipment is concerned be it mountain climbing, cycling, swimming or in this case running as equipment is vital to success. 

Therefore I went to Amphibian King two years ago, they checked my gait, running style and my feet. There is a technical way of describing their recommendation and findings but I won’t bore you with details.  What I required was a runner with medium support, so I tried on several brands.  The ones that fit me perfectly were Mizuno Wave Alchemy as I am a light runner as are the runners and since then I have never looked back, for me they are simply amazing!

I've had no less than 7 pairs in two years! Bonkers I know, but this is where the story gets interesting, one pair every 3 months or every 650km. You should change your runners every 500-650km. At the moment I am clocking on average 650km every 3 months, or to look at it another way a pair of runners and a bit per marathon. The average marathon training clocks up 1,000km!

As you will see below the beating they take is substantial.  Even though they are designed to last, a road runner will beat up any runners on their feet.

Inside the shoe

Two years worth of runners!

Take a look at some of the photos you will see substantial wear on the inner lining, top of eyelets (for laces) and that’s what you see on the surface so imagine how the compound of the runner is.  In addition to this you can see how much rubber has worn off from the sole which also affects how the foot, ankle, knee & leg perform.

My advice is don’t skimp on your runners, be certain they fit you, don’t be led by an overzealous sales person trying to sell you the latest rocket shoes & don’t forget to buy the correct socks to match. 

A seasoned runner should not suffer much from blisters & therefore choose your socks carefully, personally I favour Hilly Mono Skin anklets, they are light durable and in short excellent. 

Remember if you run frequent long distances you need to change your runners, they may still look clean and new, but are they still structurally intact?

Since investing in the right runner for me, I have had little or no leg injury that could be attributed to the runner, of course I have tripped up but that is because I never learnt how to tie my laces!