Even My Feet Are Elite!

WARNING: Boring blog post about running -  Running SHOES actually!

Feet - Meet Stability

Several years ago when I started training for my first marathon I was fitted with a pair of stability shoes, specifically the Nike Air Structure Triax. I tend to overpronate when I run so a shoe with a firm midsole was recommended to control this. I liked the support that the shoes provided and over the past five years I have bought nothing but Nike Air Structure Triax shoes. I have probably gone through a dozen pairs of these shoes in the various styles that have come out over the years. The shoes are firm and provide great support, but one downfall is that they are pretty heavy.

Nike Air Structure Triax Shoes

Running "Barefoot"

When the Nike Free's came out several years ago the idea of running almost barefoot and "free" sounded appealing and like a natural way to run. Last year after I read the book "Born To Run", the idea sounded even more appealing. I never tried on the shoes though since I instantly dismissed them as not having enough support for my overpronating needs.

Nike Free Shoes in Motion

A couple years ago when Nike then came out with the Lunar shoe line, my interest was again peaked at the idea of a lightweight shoe, but I was still wary of allowing my feet out of the safety provided by my stiff, protective stability shoes. Its crossed my mind that maybe a lightweight shoe would be okay for me to run in once or twice a week to try to build up new strength in my foot, but those thoughts were usually fleeting and never amounted to anything.

Feet - Meet Lunar Elite

Until .... this past weekend when I was going through the clearance racks at Road Runner Sports and came across a hot pink pair of the women's Nike Lunar Elite shoes in my size ... for $30!! I was already buying another pair of shoes (a new pair of Nike Structure Triax's of course!) and with the 2nd pair discount that RRS was offering, the Nike Lunar Elite's would actually come to only $20! SOLD!

Here's a video about the Nike Lunar Elite's if you are interested:

http://vid.runningwarehouse.com/video/sneak/SNEAK133.mp4

I was really excited to have a new pair of lightweight speed/race shoes and decided to wear them this past Sunday for a 5K race that David and I did through the San Diego Zoo. How did the shoes perform? Great! The shoes felt lightweight but strangely supportive. It was as if the soles were made of Kevlar or something! Due to the small and non-competitive nature of the 5K Walk/Run crowd, I'm proud to say that I came in 7th overall in the race and was the 1st female to cross the finish line! Impressive! Well, okay, not THAT impressive considering we didn't have numbers and the race wasn't even timed. But still, I'll take my small accomplishments when I can.

The Pink Lunar Elites Get a Mate

Since Road Runner Sports is near my office, I headed back during my lunchbreak a few days ago to rifle through their clearance section again. When we were there over the weekend David had said that he looked through the men's clearance shoe section and didn't see any shoes that he liked in his size. For the hell of it, I thought I'd take a look one more time to see if there was anything he missed. I went over to his size's section and what did I see on the first shelf? A brand new pair of men's Nike Lunar Elite's in his size ... for $30! I had to buy them! Now we could both run like the wind!

Nike Lunar Elite - His & Hers

I bought the shoes and the next day David tried them out for a run. He also noticed immediately that they were lightweight, but did provide solid support. What a great shoe! I want to run more in these shoes but need to be conservative since my next marathon is next weekend on June 6th. Introducing something new to your running routine is NEVER a good idea late in the game and as your race day approaches. For now I'll stick to breaking in my new Nike Structure Triax's, but in the mean time as I walk by my new hot pink Lunar Elite's each morning, I hate to admit they make me smile a little. Who knew a cool new pair of racing shoes could be so exciting? I feel like such a running geek. :o)