In May, I was fortunate to run the Music and Miles Half-Marathon in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The race, hosted by The Goose Chase, is an annual event and is the first part of a three-race series titled The Trifecta.
Though I had a great time during the race, the road to get there was a little trying at times.
You see, back in March I injured my Achilles tendon while running on the banks of the Tennessee River. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and I was rounding mile nine in front of Thompson-Boling arena, when my left calf muscle felt like a rubber band had smacked the back of it. Fortunately, I was able to walk the next 2.5 miles back to my car.
- The bad news = My calf was slightly injured and prevented me to run.
- The good news = I’ve got a great physical therapy group that has my back…or in this case my leg 🙂
The team at Provision Physical Therapy was able to fit me in their schedule quickly. Matt at Provision PT is also an avid runner and was able to help me get my calf back on track so I could run the half-marathon in beautiful Elizabethton.
If you’re with me so far, you may be wondering how this ties back to the title…bear with me.
Shoe Inventory
During my first session with Matt we discussed the running shoes I was wearing. For a couple of years I had been wearing Alta’s Torin brand, a zero drop shoe, and I just purchased a new version of them. Matt was familiar Alta Torin and suggested I ease back into running by using extra padding inserts as to not run in “zero drop mode.” This way I wouldn’t aggravate my calf which could lead to bigger issues. Being the thrifty guy I am, I started running in a pair of my On Cloud Running shoes that weren’t zero drop, and placed lift inserts to assist my calf. I also added compression socks to my running gear to help with any swelling and discomfort.
As my calf improved, I started running in the zero drop shoes again, but with additional inserts. The problem – my feet kept feeling like they were going to come out of my shoes. This caused me to change up the lacing in my shoes. It helped a little, but I still felt like I was about to become Shoeless Joe Jackson every time I went for a run.
Half-Marathon Readjustment
Though I was happy to get back in my news shoes, I couldn’t get past feeling of the heel lift inserts. I would go back and forth between the lifted Torin shoes and the On’s. On the morning of the race, I woke up early and was prepared. I left my girlfriend’s place in Johnson City, and drove about half a hour to the race. So it didn’t feel strange driving, I wore my Ons instead of the insert loaded Torins.
I arrived at the race site in plenty of time to stretch and warm up. It was 2 minutes before the half-marathon started when I realized I forgot one important item…I forgot to put on my training shoes!?!? Considering this as a sign, I decided to run 13.1 miles in my On shoes that I hadn’t planned on running in. The result – I had a nice, fun run, and actually finished with a proper time.
Lesson Learned
Though I’m sure I would have finished the half-marathon in the stuffed Torins, I probably would have been concerned with my feet escaping my shoes. That paranoia of possible injuring myself would have caused me to not enjoy the race and that would have affected my run time. So, by using the “wrong” shoes, I ended up using the right tools needed to succeed.
I’ve experienced similar situations in other aspects of my life.
For example, I’ve worked with people who were hellbent on using a product they thought was superior. The only reason they thought this was because they were familiar with the particular “tool.” After having strong conversations and uncovering the real issue at hand, they soon discovered using another piece of software or “tool” was more efficient and cost effective.
By shedding the mindset that we must use the same exact thing over and over again, we open ourselves up to new experiences and new results. Sure, those results may not always be the “best” results, but what exactly is a “best” result?
Can you think of a time where you’ve had to use a new tool or approach in life? How did it affect you? What were your results? Add it in the comments option below.
Side note – I’m now running in a new pair of Saucony Kinvara running shoes and I’m loving them!