MFH (My Favorite Husband) came to the conclusion that my running shoes were too small.  This would explain the loss of toenails and the huge blister at the Chicago Marathon last Sunday.

I was puzzled about this seeing as I had been fitted for these shoes just a year ago.  Then again, my running has changed dramatically in the past year, too.

A year ago, MFH and I made the drive to Tupelo, Mississippi, to the Trails and Treads store.  Tupelo is an hour north of us and the closest place where a person can get gait analysis done and fitted.  At that time, they put me in Hoka Stinson Tarmac (at that time I was training on the road).

Those shoes loved my feet!  I loved those shoes, too!  My feet were so happy.  I had been wearing Brooks Adrenaline for a very long time.  Every time I put on those Brooks, my feet cringed.  They were so unhappy.  Poor feet.  I didn’t know any better, so I stuffed my feet into those shoes and ran.

The Hoka’s were a breath of fresh air.  I felt as light as a feather.  Cushy.  I didn’t feet the road.  My feet weren’t crying before I left the house.  Life was good.

About the time of my Ultra in July, my shoes were getting snug.  I didn’t think anything of it because I had made the change to Hoka Stinson Trail.  My Ultra was a Trail Run and I needed the different shoe.  I was having quite a bit of trouble with hot spots by now.  I tried every trick I knew to deal with the hot spots and resulting blisters.  My toenails were suffering, too.

After the Ultra, it was back to Hoka Stinson Lite.  Hoka had changed the Tarmac and now called it Lite.  Not a good change.

It seemed to be more narrow.  I really had to work to get that shoe on!  Strange.  I hadn’t had that problem previously.  Hoka had also added something that I will call a seam.  It isn’t any stitching or anything, it’s just something there for support and where it was placed made my foot unhappy.

I am a slow learner, though and wore them anyway.  I continued my running and training for Chicago.  My feet were…surviving.  I was still fighting those hot spots.  Man, those things are awful!  When you are running 26.2 miles and you have a hot spot by mile 3, that makes for a very long and very uncomfortable run.

Well, you already know what happened to my feet at Chicago.

So, two days ago, an opportunity to run Ragnar this week fell in my lap.  Who can pass up a free race, right!?!  The only problem was my feet.

I had managed 10.50 miles in the week since Chicago.  I just could NOT stand those shoes on my feet!  It just hurt too bad.

MFH looked at my feet and determined that we needed to drive to Tupelo again and get re-fitted.

Yesterday, I checked the website for that store to see what their store hours were.  They were open until 5:00 PM.  Yesterday was sidewalk sale day AND Hoka’s were 30% off.  SCORE!

Off we went.

I had been wearing a 6.5.  The lady had me try a 7.  That seam still bugged my foot!  7.5, same thing.  Nope.  This was not going to work.

This was when she asked if I had tried Altra’s.

I was familiar with this shoe but had never tried them.  The zero drop kinda scared me a bit.  Call me a chicken.  She asked me to try on a pair.  Never hurts to try, right?

She brought out a 7.5.  She said they ran small.  They do.  Boy, did those feel great!  Talk about a big toe box.  AND no seam!  Woo-Hoo!   My toe was still hitting the end of the shoe with the 7.5 though, so she brought out an 8.  Perfect!

I left the store with (just one for the moment) pair of Altra’s.  The Olympus.

I took them on an 8 miler this morning before church.

They are not as cushy as my Hoka’s.  The Hoka’s you don’t feel the road.  At all.  I have been spoiled in that.  HOWEVER, my toes did not hit the top or the end of my shoe.  My feet were not pinched.  I didn’t feel like I had to peel my shoes off immediately as soon as I got to the house because my feet were still happy!  Amazing!!!

As far as the zero drop?  Not one single problem.  Whew!

#SOLD