I’ve taken a 20 year break from running, but recently I have tried to start again. I used to run when I was in high school and college. I ran cross country (5Ks) and I ran road races (10Ks). When I decided to hit the road again I grabbed my sneaker and headed out. When I hit the road I expected that I was going to have to go slow and get back in shape over a little time, but I was astonished to find that it hurt, and not just a little, it hurt a lot. I shook it off and chalked it up to not having stretched right or just needing to get back in shape. It wasn’t. I visited my PCP (primary care physician) and had her check it out, and they x-rayed me and then referred me to an orthopedic specialist who ordered an MRI. The final verdict was that there wasn’t anything broken, torn or otherwise “broke” so that I shouldn’t be able to resume running. This however didn’t explain the pain I felt each time I took a stride.

The medial science that was available to me having failed to work any magic on my knees, I started to look at what I could do to help solve my problem. I started to focus on lower impact exercises such as swimming and biking to help strengthen the supporting muscles in my legs until I could get back to running. It helped but it didn’t completely solve the problem.

My next step was to get new shoes, my old Nikes were great but every time I took a stride it felt like I was using my feet to pound nails and the impact was felt in my knees. I visited a local shoes store and was professional fitted for a pair of running shoes and they made a big difference. I was able to hobble through a couple of work outs but it still hurt. Several weeks later I found the Newton website and watched their video on their shoes. They talked about how their shoes changed how runners ran.

Here is a quote from their web site on the Men’s Cushion Trainer “The Gravity is a highly responsive, cushion trainer with our patented Newton Active Membrane Technology™ in both heel and forefoot. With some of the lowest g impact scores ever recorded in the forefoot, you will not feel the shock of the road. Your legs will feel fresher so you can train longer”. They didn’t have me at hello but they had me somewhere around “you will not feel the shock of the road”.

 

My new Newton’s arrive a couple days later. The shoes came in a regular shoe box but that is where the normal stopped and the experience started. The shoes were bright orange with a yellow stripe and a red Newton logo (very cool!). Included was a netted shoe bag, funky Newton socks (which I really dig) and a video that explains some of the technology that is built into the shoes. When I first put them on I was immediately impressed. They really didn’t feel like I was wearing shoes, but they did change how I stood and I could feel a difference in my step. I couldn’t wait to take them out for a spin.

Everything went well on my first run, there wasn’t any knee pain. By my second or third run I was ready to take off, and I could really run, I felt like I could hit my stride and was back to running normal with no discomfort. The next morning was a different story; my calves were so sore I had to take it easy. The change in how I ran was using muscles in my legs I apparently hadn’t been using but the Newton’s promise of ‘changing how you run to better absorb the shock’ was everything that I had hoped.