Say I can't and I'll prove you wrong: If the shoe fits...

I have easily spent thousands of dollars within the last three years, trying to find the perfect shoe for my foot. Mind you, I have not been a runner my whole life, which ultimately means, if the sneaker looked pretty-I bought it. Let's rewind back two years ago, and reminisce the painful injuries that have come along with the 'wrong fit'.

Injury #1- Runners Knee
Running sneakers, Nike Shox. Two weeks after having my youngest daughter, Londyn, I began training for the Komen 5k in Elmira. Training on a treadmill from 1980 might have been the first underlying issue. However, the way the Nike Shox felt on my right foot was more of the issue. This eventually lead to a pretty awesome(insert sarcasm) case of Runners Knee in my right knee. Quick fix: knee brace and a considerable amount of Aleve....Kelli keeps running.

Injury #2- Fractured Heel Bone with micro factures throughout the right foot
Running sneakers, Nike Air Max 2009(Lime Green) My friend Tiffany K. and I, were training for the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in Virginia Beach. Great all girls vacation planned with a race, which was a bonus! That is when the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis struck, around 5 weeks out. Those of you who've had Plantar and continued to run, this is probably the worse case scenario and most painful. One MRI, $2K in the hole, I'm running with a broken heel....fabulous. Put some foam(no lie) in my sneaker, along with a prescription for Norco....and kept on running.

Injury #3- ITBS
Running sneakers, Nike Air Max 2009(Black & Red). Obviously I hadn't learned my lesson! Training for the Keuka Lake Duathlon. Run-Bike-Run. As you can imagine, training brought on a nasty case of ITBS, that haunted me for months! The pain was everywhere. Right side of the knee, wrapping around the top of the knee, into my quad and somehow stopping in my ass. I'd rather give birth 15 times than have that pain again!! Quick fix: one HELL of a knee brace but laid off the pain killers....and continued to run. From this point forth, I began running with a knee brace, even when I was pain free.

At this point, I began reading articles on the right running shoe and asking for advice! There isn't any article book, machine or sales person, that can tell you which shoe is right for your foot. Unfortunately, you may have to spend a few extra dollars to find what your feet prefer!

Injury #4- Strained Soleus
Running sneakers, Nike Air Max 2010. I know what your thinking, but listen, only good things come out of this lesson! After a pleasant 20 mile run(while training for Wineglass), my ankle and achielles bagan to hurt. No tightness, straight up pain. After asking a fellow runner, KT tape was suggested. The tape worked for a short while but the pain began to shoot up the back of my leg, into my calf. Six weeks out of my first marathon and Injury strikes. At this point, it feels as though, every time I run, I get hurt. My only thought...FML-seriously! Took a trip to the doctor and the diagnosis was: Soleus Strain. Good news: my doctor runs marathons and gave the okay to continue training, IF I could withstand the pain. To make a long story short, training continued, with pain, at a very slowwwwwwwww pace, but I completed all of the runs. The first day of running pain free came on October 3rd, 2010, which also happened to be the day of the Wineglass Marathon! Quick Fix: there wasn't one :(

...the shoes than ran the Wineglass

Time to go back to the basics with the Asic Kayano 14's bought two years period, but felt heavy so rarely worn. Removed a little dust and hit the road. Ahhhh, my feet liked this A LOT! Bought the Kayano 16 and 17's, along with the Asics Noosa Tri shoe and my feet have never been happier.....and injury free, I might add! So the moral of this long drawn out blog(while making dinner) is, if you have high arches in your feet, ditch the Nikes. They have zero arch support and you will end up writing a very similar blog someday. Find a shoe your feet love and all of your appendages, that are required for running, will love you back. Peace out my fellow runners. I've got a little girl who turned 3 years old today!