Runner’s Notes: Pain in the foot? It Could Be Your Shoes – Sports – GoErie.com


It’s hard to find the right running shoes. And, it’s not made easy by the fact that if you find a pair you like, you won’t be able to get them for long. Shoe makers are constantly tinkering with their shoes and “improving” them.

Concrete example: I have been running for almost 20 years and have always run at Saucony. I’m loyal to the brand and, in fact, I’ve been loyal to the models (Grid Cohesion) since they dropped the Grid Jazz range ten years ago (I’m still a little crazy about this, but …) .

But, at some point, Saucony started using something in their Cohesion line called “VERSAFOAM”. The first pair of shoes I had with this new technology struck me as odd – too hard, stiff, not quite the cushioned ride that I was used to in Saucony shoes. I ran there anyway because I paid them. Eventually, however, I decided they were going to cause me some trouble, so I relegated them to walking shoes and scoured the internet for some old Saucony shoes.

At the end of last year, I bought two pairs of Saucony that I thought had the old thick, padded soles. They looked thicker and softer, anyway. When I first started suffering from plantar fasciitis, I blamed my Salomon trail shoes for being so hard they looked like bicycle shoes. I stopped running in the Solomons, but my plantar problem continued to get worse.

I suffered for months before a friend suggested that I replace my almost new Saucony’s. I ignored it, thinking it was the old-fashioned fluffy shoes. Finally, in desperation, I went on the internet and found some old school Saucony without the VERSAFOAM and … voila … months and months of pain ended in less than two weeks.

The problem, of course, is that I can’t find another pair of these shoes in my size. So now after 20 years I’m going to buy a new brand of shoes. I’ll start at Achille’s Running Shop where I can try on all the shoes until, like Cinderella, I find the one that fits me well.

Sorry Saucony, but you have changed and not for the good. We are done. I don’t trust you anymore.

Heather Cass is a freelance writer from the Erie region, a runner and an active member of the Erie Runners Club for over 20 years. She is immersed in the local fitness culture and answers your questions about zipdang22 at aol.com.


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