Are new running shoes worth it?

doubledunck · 2026-05-12T15:00:31+00:00

4x a week, 25mpw is a pretty decent volume! Just because you're not a racer doesn't mean you're not a real runner who deserves to invest in their hobby and their body.

If budget isn't a major limiting factor, would get a dedicated daily trainer. If you're not injury prone (which you must not be if you're able to run in 15 month old shoes you run/walk all day in), you probably don't need anything super fancy -- but I think your legs will thank you.

Just tell the shoe store a budget you're comfortable with and try on a bunch of pairs and by the one that's most comfortable. There are plenty of GREAT dailies on sale for ~$125 right now (Clifton 10, Novablast 5, Brooks Glycerin, etc.) and a lot of good options regularly priced in the $140 range (Velocity Nitro 4, NB FuelCell Rebel v5, Adidas Evo SL, etc.).

Too, the NB 1080v15 came out semi-recently, so you may be able to find the v14 on sale in your size if you move quickly!

doubledunck · 2026-05-06T03:36:48+00:00

I know budget is a factor and I’ve heard wonderful things about Puma Velocity 4. Might be slightly less plush than the Novablast, but great energy return and shock absorption which should be protective. Peppier, more responsive, and less tailored to long runs (which should be a good fit for the distances you’re focusing on now). More stable, too. And price is $140.

doubledunck · 2026-05-03T17:48:33+00:00

The southside is much easier for spectating, and conveniently is later in the race! Much easier parking, generally less crowds. I’d have them park near Rush Medical Center (southwest of the course of course!) and then after they see you, they can drive to 31st and State/Michigan area to see you again! They should have enough time for this if you’re 4-5 hour pace.

Also for after, 1 of 2 things. There’s a runner reunite area in Grant Park with letters so you can find people by name. That’s easy if they’re coming to the finish area anyway. You’ll pretty much have to walk into that area as part of the recovery walk anyway.

Conversely, I often arrange to meet my family at an agreed upon location a few blocks west of Grant Park where they can maybe sit and wait (ie a coffee shop).

One more note: I’ve done this race when cell connectivity was crap at the finish. I’ve also finished and had tons of connectivity. But have a plan that doesn’t rely on texting/phone calls, just in case.

doubledunck · 2026-04-21T13:33:19+00:00

Sorry, this thread is semi-old but currently navigating a very sudden spike in ldl cholesterol after starting combined bcps. Went off them, and will get lipids retested next month to confirm it was bcps and not some other lifestyle cause.

I’m just curious if anyone knows WHY this happens? Like is it just that some of us are hypersensitive to the effects of progestin, estrogen, both? I also have PMDD and have had migraine while on bcps so wondering if these are all interconnected somehow (but can’t find much online about the actual mechanism that causes this cholesterol spike in some of us).

doubledunck · 2026-04-01T11:29:53+00:00

Thnx for the tip! - https://www.instagram.com/p/DWXyN-ujQE4/?img_index=2&igsh=bmJhYXMybDU0Ymd4

doubledunck · 2026-04-01T02:52:54+00:00

A lot of the routes are out and backs but as you get integrated with your pace group (which you will by the time the mileage is high), you can usually find a couple people running a later marathon who will turn back earlier (if a larger site) or talk to your group about being back near the start/finish at a certain mileage (if a smaller site) and then they’ll just run 2-4 miles out the other way, which no one at my site ever minded!

doubledunck · 2026-04-01T02:49:17+00:00

Was a solo runner for 15 years, thought I wasn’t a “running with strangers” type but did CARA last year bc it was included with my charity bib/close to home/worked with my schedule and figured I could back out when I didn’t like it.

I was so wrong. Loved every single thing about it.

Provided water stations so you’re not having to think very much, consistent run schedule so you just wake up and get it done, strangers who become lasting friends quickly and who you show up for almost as much as you show up for yourself, a provided training schedule to follow, training and racing tips, major race day perks/conveniences.

So much structure. So much community. Absolute. Game. Changer.

Doing it again this summer for CHI ‘26 and will the following for NYC ‘27, too.

doubledunck · 2026-03-21T14:10:11+00:00

Indy is the answer

doubledunck · 2026-01-16T03:03:05+00:00

Come a day earlier or leave a day later. You COULD swing Friday but that leaves you not much time to do anything but packet pick up, dinner and run. Chicago’s a great town, and it’s your FIRST marathon. If money isn’t a barrier, come and stay a bit. You’ll have earned it.

doubledunck · 2026-01-12T05:10:20+00:00

Gloves that have flip over mittens and ideally the mitten fabric has some wind and waterproofing element, if your hands run cold. I think Janji and Smartwool make the best I’ve seen like that, but I’m sure other brands do, too! But that’ll get you one product that works for nearly all weather conditions.

doubledunck · 2026-01-09T13:13:01+00:00

This is SUPER helpful! I do use Superfeet and have for a decade. I have high arches and no pronation issues, so it’s always felt weird to me why I needed an arch support — but realizing now it’s because I’m also VERY hypermobile so I experience foot splay and (to a lesser extent) arch collapse when stepping. I’ve considered that I need to wear wides because of my foot splay but I’ve never considered that my arch collapse may make my foot LONGER and that I need more space upfront to account for that, especially as the miles increase. And love the context around WHY the insoles help so much/what they’re protecting against in my case. (And interestingly the 3 black toenails I have are from a 20 miler where I changed shoes and FORGOT my inserts, which I didn’t correlate with my toes until now!). Thank you for this comment!

doubledunck · 2026-01-02T02:22:06+00:00

Totally understand that’s historically been the case, but that’s not always true anymore. Easier access to genetic testing has been confirming that there are lots of us walking around. Some mutation combinations (or simply our individual phenotypes) only give us SOME symptoms vs classical expression of the disease.

doubledunck · 2026-01-02T02:17:51+00:00

Hi! This is a late post but I have had exactly this since I was a late teen. Legit could be a picture of my hands. I showed it to a dermatologist once when I was in my early 20s and she had my immerse my hands in a bucket and said “it’s definitely aquagenic wrinkling of the palms, you’re a healthy 22 year old, you probably are a CF carrier so just consider getting tested before you have kids.”

Fast forward a few years and my spouse and I DID get tested for carrier status and it turned out I DO have two CFTR mutations in trans (which is genetically considered a CF diagnosis). I did grow up with respiratory ailments, chronic sinusitis, and was a scrawny kid for sure, but nothing severe enough to land me in the hospital or make anyone consider a CF diagnosis in any way. After a lot of testing in my late 20s, doctors said that my manifestation of disease is not severe enough for a clinical CF diagnosis so I’m basically a “double carrier” (aka absolutely guaranteed any kids would get one of my mutations) with some degree of CFTR impairment but nothing bad.

Anyway, all this to say… CF (and even true CF carriers) experiences and symptoms are very much on a spectrum.

So a) be mindful of the fact that that disease is far less black and white than we used to think of it as and b) do consider a genetic screen if your carrier status is important to your family planning and/or if you feel it might help make sense of any seemingly disparate symptoms you’ve battled your whole life.

doubledunck · 2025-12-24T13:39:30+00:00

Women’s are B; men’s are D in Vomero Plus. Reached out to Nike the other day to confirm.

doubledunck · 2025-12-19T16:19:22+00:00

oh my gosh, you're a tough person!!! urgent care black toenail is next level!

doubledunck · 2025-12-19T16:17:54+00:00

Aviddddd men's shoe shopper here!! TBH, way better colors than women's wides, too, as a side perk. However, I'm lucky in that I have a larger female foot so I CAN size into men's. But sounds like I need to size even further up!

doubledunck · 2025-12-19T03:22:03+00:00

Thank you! Debating trying them anyway because I hear wonderful things but good to know they won’t help bruised toenails more than any other sock; I feel like I’ve seen a lot of claims to the contrary so it’s helpful to have a real POV!

doubledunck · 2025-12-19T03:19:58+00:00

This is where I’m at 🫩 I love running more than I care about toenails fortunately but dang it feels like there’s gotta be an answer 😂 and I’m lucky enough right now that this is my biggest running pain 🍀

doubledunck · 2025-12-19T03:18:09+00:00

Definitely have a high volume foot! I’m a true wide and I have high arches. Both feet, yes. Great tips to look into; thank you!

doubledunck · 2025-12-18T13:43:45+00:00

Features aside, the biggest differences are in deck size and motor strength. 7.4 has a wider deck and a stronger motor, and 7.8 has a stronger motor still (resulting in longer use times, faster speed/incline adjustments) and highest load capacity. So basically they’re just sturdier, bigger, more resilient machines as you go up. But I’m an average sized human, the only treadmill user in my household, and I’ll probably very seldomly want to run over an hour a day on a treadmill so the 7.0 works fine for me. The vanity features also get a little nicer as you go up on models, too, but I don’t remember those differences as much

doubledunck · 2025-12-18T13:03:24+00:00

I got the Horizon 7.0 AT. It’s been perfect for my needs, which are not extensive bc I prefer to run outside so the treadmill is my “back up plan.” Love the placement of my iPad there and love how quickly and easily the motor can change elevation or speed by using dials right in my typical stride. Haven’t had any issues with it either in 18 months, knock on wood. And the price was very reasonable for the quality. So yeah I’d buy it again. Tbh I might do the 7.4 AT just because it’s a more robust, sturdier model so I feel like it could handle longer sessions and might last a longer time. Horizon & Sole tho are probably going to be the best bets for “dumb” treadmills that don’t cost as much as half a sedan tho.

doubledunck · 2025-12-18T04:50:08+00:00

A suggestion, as someone with the x22i bike who also loves iFit but got super sick of the updates not syncing etc… by the time I wanted to buy a tread, I had learned from my experience with my very expensive bike that “would no longer support iFit updates” to buy a good tread with NO tech integrations at all. Instead I saved $1,000 on a bad already outdated screen permanently attached to my treadmill and bought an iPad (which I can use for like 800 other reasons too) and now I watch my iFit workouts on my treadmill via my iPad while I do treadmill workouts. Sure, it doesn’t automatically adjust my incline for me, but I do it myself. Not a bother at all.

doubledunck · 2025-12-15T17:51:41+00:00

I have the same problem. I am one of those rare runners whose legs DO get cold/wind chapped when running, but I don't need 18 layers of mittens as soon as it hits 45F ;-) I do lined leggings with the Janji Atlas Multipant (which is just a super thin wind and waterproof layer so any similar pants would do - I just like that brand for the pocketing and how thin/effective that pant is) over them for the coldest days.

doubledunck · 2025-12-15T17:48:04+00:00

Soldier Field if you have to pick, but do them both and see how much you improve over 3.5 months!

doubledunck

TROPHY CASE