Years ago, when I started running, I wore traditional shoes: "motion control", thick heels, arch support, the works. And then I got hurt. And got hurt again. And it seemed I would never shake a series of nagging tendinitis issues...Until, with nothing left to lose, I tried running barefoot and in minimal shoes. This was in early 2009, before Born to Run was published and the minimal thing went as mainstream as today. I found a few kooky websites and many barefoot zealots, read alot, and spent a good time wondering why Haile Gebrselassie, Emil Zatopek, and all the greats could run 100+ MPW without shoes or in little leather slippers without getting hurt. I figured what the hell...Everything changed, including my form, and the injuries disappeared.

And then, a few months ago, I got it into my head that my minimal shoes were too minimal, and that by wearing more traditional shoes my feet would feel better after long runs, as long as I kept my running form the same. I had run a 50K last spring that left my soles a bit battered. I convinced myself I needed more shoe. So in recent weeks/months, I've bought a few new pairs to try.

Bad idea.

Last week, for the first time in over a year, I felt the distinctive burn of ITB tendinitis flaring up in left knee and was finishing my weekly miles with some pretty sore knees.

Another thing I wondered with my spankin' new, cushy, traditional shoes: Why do my footstrikes sound so loud? At first I thought it was in my head, but no, after about 2 weeks and a few longer runs in these new pairs of shoes, I realized I was back to pounding the pavement just like before.

I just came in from my 28.35th mile of trail running since Monday and I feel great. Every mile has been run in a floppy, worn out, completely flat pair of New Balance Minimus MT10s, over 250 miles on them, toes ticking out of holes.

What's different? I haven't been slipping on wet logs and tripping on rocks. I can't really hear my footstrike. My knees and feet aren't sore.

Should've stuck with what I knew. Now I'm pretty much out 3 new pairs of shoes and I've dug all older ones out of the dark corners of the garage...I suppose a shiny new pair of Brooks Cascadia 6s will be good for yardwork...but I'm afraid they're too bulky even for that.
___________________________________________________________________________

So where have you blown it, deviated from a tried and true system, only to regret it?
Bought some shiny new wares, sold the old stuff, only to wish you could take it all back?

Edited by xnomanx on 11/25/2011 19:52:15 MST.

"So where have you blown it, deviated from a tried and true system, only to regret it?"

Not exactly deviation from tried and true, but seems that when I buy something that is "just as good," it isn't. Then I end up buying what I should have bought in the first place.

Hey, I have some flaming orange shoes you can borrow until the MT110s come out :)

Oh man, where do I begin?

I'm guilty of changing what's proven in favor of entertaining the newest wild hair up my a$%, sometimes out of vain curiosity, occasionally out of boredom, and often out of foolishness. It's a learning process- some people solidify systems and measures that work for them early on and ride them out into the sunset, while others vacillate between proven systems and newfound ones before coming full circle. I'm the latter.

Just out of curiosity, is this why you've been purging some premium gear lately? Getting back to basics?