I bought a pair of New balance MT800s. They were cheap left overs and looked pretty grippy with large lugs so I thought why not get them as they would come in handy for greasy trails.
Not that I really needed more trail running shoes, but more like impulse buying as I was looking for the MT101s (which they didn't have) Perhaps I just had to justify the drive.
Anyway they were sitting on a clearance rack and at $30.00 who could resist? They were my size (or so I thought, they felt good at the store) and I figured it was a stroke of luck.
I was anxious to get in a run and wanted to try these new shoes out, so I left work early Wednesday and headed over to Libbey Hill to check out the trails there (no hunting) I am not sure why I never ran there as it is not far from me.
I didn't enjoy the x-country trail that much, but the single track part was a lot of fun. Not much different than most of the single track around. I ran 6 miles and though a bit cold because of the wind, I was glad to get a run in before heading south for Thanksgiving.
Problem was that the MT800s felt small on my feet while running trails and I think they caused me to run different. By the time I was done, I felt some heavy pain in my upper right leg.....lower hip area.
At first I wasn't sure if it was the shoes or the fact that I haven't run much on the trails lately and was possibly overdoing the pace. So, I didn't fully blame the shoes at first.
Yesterday I returned from our Thanksgiving trip and my son and I went out for a run at Bradbury East side. I wore the MT800s again. This time it was easier to pin point the problem as I was very familiar with these trails and knew how they should feel.
I could tell my toes were under abnormal pressure as if they were curling to help push off or something. I think the toe box is too small for me in the MT800s. Not sure why I didn't notice this at the store.
The longer I ran, the more I noticed this problem. I am sure now that it is the shoes and suspect I will not run in them again, but will re-assess when I run next in my 572s, the 621s or the Cascadias.
Besides the shoe issue, the run at Bradbury was great, it felt so good to be running there again and not worry about hunters. I was so excited, I bought my 2011 pass. I did notice it is about time to get the screw shoes ready as there was a fair amount of frozen area with slippery roots, rocks and bridges.
I looked up the MT800s on line and found they did not have very favorable reviews....probably why they were so cheap to begin with. I suspect New Balance stopped making them for a reason. I hate it when I waste money..
11/24/10
Libbey Hill 6 miles @ 1:08:52 (11:36 pace)
11/28/10
Bradbury East 5.75 miles @1:00:31 (10:32 pace)
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2 comments:
We must have crossed paths again! Rick and I ran the East side yesterday, too. One of these days we'll actually run it together...I hope : )
I hate trying to find a new shoe.
The MT101's are hard to find, even in the town where a major running contributor on the design lives (Boulder) they're unavailable. They have a narrow toe box too by the way. I've written NB and they're not going to make a EE as I would need.
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