New shoes (again)

As I took a trip to Bluewater today to meet a friend (who I haven't seen for 4 years - was great to catch up).... I thought it would be rude not to pop into SheRunsHeRuns to have a nose. And there was a sale on! I was going to buy the usuals (Mizuno Nirvana) and asked one of the guys who worked there what he thought. Explained about the ever decreasing toe nail situation and the fact that my feet are quite squashed when walking in them. He said that Mizunos are actually quite a narrow shoe (great!). He suggested trying either Nike or New Balance and gave me a couple to try. The NB shoes actually come in different width fittings. Tried a pair on and although they were comfy, the Nikes were much better. I actually feel like I can move my toes!

My Mizunos are for over pronators and solved all my shin splint problems, dodgy knees etc etc. However, the Nikes are neutral shoes. The guy in the shop said this shouldn't be a problem because obviously the impact while walking is a hell of a lot less than when running. He said a neutral shoe should do the job. I'm hoping he's right. As for the Invo8s that I got a while back, he said they are a really narrow shoe. Now I know why I lost both big toe nails and the small ones are non-existent. I think a sale on Ebay may be in order.

Anyway, the Nikes were £45 in the sale (bargain!). I've mapped a route for tomorrow of 24 miles. Tempted to wear them and just see how I go because I know if I wear my old trainers my feet will be buggered by the time I get home. Decisions, decisions.....

Plus it's supposed to be chucking it down with rain all day tomorrow (joy) so not sure what to do yet. Definitely taking a rain coat tho!!

I've been reading on the mds forums tonight about footwear issues, whether road shoes or trail shoes are best for the MdS. Basically the opinion is that you could ask 100 people what they would recommend and you would get 100 different answers. In other words, go with what's comfortable for you and don't change your mind once you're happy. That's good enough for me. Once I've found the right shoes, I will sort out how I'm going to get my gaiters glued/stitched on and I should be good to go. The rest will obviously be a breeze (of course).

I'm now considering the Bullock Smithy. It's the 6th/7th September (am supposed to be doing a 5k that weekend, but I guess this is more what I need and I promised myself to do an event a month). Just need to find a YH or somewhere very cheap nearby (it's near Stockport) and hope that I can walk with someone who's good at navigating!

Right, I should go and prepare my feet for the nightmare of tomorrow!