Nike Triax 9 Trainers RIP

This week I have decided to retire my Nike Triax 9 trainers which I bought in February. They are only seven months old but the soles have pretty much worn out as has the cushioning. Although I've upped the mileage recently I was just beginning to get slight knee pain after each run so now seemed the suitable time to get a new pair. What have I replaced them for? Well exactly the same pair but bought on eBay and shipped from the USA - for the princely sum of £46 including shipping compared to the £70 I paid in the shop earlier in the year. Although I've had several foot problems, I thought you cant argue with the price and it was a case of 'better the devil you know'. I've worked out that if a pair of trainers is supposed to last 500 miles and I'm running an average of 35 miles a week (lower than the mileage I'm currently doing, but then in race weeks I'll be doing very little) they are going to last just four months!!

The state of my toes have been getting steadily worse. One toe nail has gone (well two halves to be precise), another has never really returned and a fourth one looks like it no longer wants to be part of me. Its got to the stage that after each run the toes feel really bruised. Up to now I've just been using plasters and some zinc tape which only offered the most basic of relief. Well yesterday I've bought some more plasters, Scholl Pressure Point Foam Padding and some Padded Strapping Tape which is a sort of plastic foam type tape that you see rugby players use on their hands. Its become a bit of an operation now before each run. First plaster up the four toes, then put a layer of the strapping tape on top, followed by a piece of the foam padding stuck on top of the big toes. Finally some Vaseline on the underside of the big toes to reduce friction! I've only been for one run so far but early signs suggest a marked improvement. Lets hope it stays this way and that my toenails want to stay part of me.

Done an easy week on the mileage front as I'm now tapering for the RAB Mountain Marathon next weekend. Did 6 miles slow on Tues - I wasn't going to run but then felt guilty and ended up setting off around 11.30pm, followed by 5 miles fast on Weds then 7 miles slow on Thurs. Over the weekend I'll do 9 miles on both Sat and Sun slow. That's a total of 36 for the week.

Next week, I'll just go for a couple of 3.5 milers to keep the legs ticking over to ensure they are as fresh as possible for the event. 6hrs Day 1 and 5hrs Day 2 await. Wish me luck!

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