Could it be so simple?

Last time I talked about my knee problems, and how it was preventing me from running any real distance or on hard surfaces.
Last week, after installing a ceiling light fixture in my basement, doing a lot of stretching but not much knee bending, my knees did hurt me. In addition, I was having a small amount of foot pain; something I have not had for a while. The last time I had this foot pain, the problem turned out to be worn out Superfeet insoles.
I switched the insoles, but this time it made no difference. I still had the foot pain, even while just walking or standing.

I started thinking about shoes again. For a very long time, I have been using my old running shoes with 400+ miles on them for everything outside of running. I had given some thought to this before, but I never had an issue with pain before, so I dismissed it.
Could I be hurting myself by wearing these old, worn out shoes?
My reasoning had been that I don't need the support I get from my running shoes while I'm not running. I thought it was OK to wear these old shoes around the house and anywhere I go that doesn't involve running.

I decided to try an experiment.
I took off the old worn out shoes, and put on my running shoes, with only 100 miles on them.
I could immediately feel the difference in support, and by the end of the day I was convinced that the shoes were the difference. My foot pain had gone away.

I didn't run for two more days, allowing my knees to recover. The next run I did was on Saturday, on the track. I ran pretty hard, 5 miles, and had no pain.
For running, I was wearing a nearly bran-new pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 that had only about 20 miles.

On Monday, I ran on the treadmill, again a moderate run, and had no pain.
I stopped having the pain on days off, and when I climbed or descended stairs immediately after running.

I did another run of 5 miles yesterday afternoon on the track, and once again, no pain whatsoever.
So, it looks (actually, it feels) like the shoes I wear for non-running are just as important as the ones i wear to run.
Since I was now wearing my Saucony Grid Stabil shoes for walking, I ordered another pair of Mizuno Wave Alchemy, now model 8, so I still have two pair of running shoes.

I hope that this finding proves to be correct, and that my knee pain will stay away, to allow me to build my mileage, and train for the New Jersey Marathon next May.
It's a shame that I had to experience pain and sacrifice my running before I would try something so simple as changing shoes, but that seems to be human nature. You don't fix what ain't broke.

Today is a day off, and I am taking tomorrow off as well, as I will be going into NYC to spectate the ING NYC Marathon for the first time ever. I have run the past 4 NYC Marathons, so it's going to feel a bit strange to be watching this one.

The Station Platform

Just to give you a brief bio on myself; I am 52 years old, and have been running regularly since 2001. I have run 9 marathons, including 4 NYC and 2 Boston. MY marathon PR is 3:33:12, which I did in the 2006 NYC marathon. That finish got me into the 2007 and 2008 Boston marathons.
My best Boston is 3:57:28. I have not done much running since Boston due to knee pain.
The knee pain is the reason I am "sidetracked", just like those lonesome freight trains I see on the sidings in my town, Teaneck New Jersey.

Oddly enough, the knee pain didn't start immediately after the Boston marathon, or any other race or run. It began after I did some DIY electrical work in my house. I was doing a lot of bending and kneeling, and it appears that was the recipe for pain.
While the pain has never been bad, it is enough to keep me from running long distances.

I went to see an orthopedic surgeon last week, and learned that aside from normal wear of the knee joints, I don't have anything wrong. The doctor advised me to do my running on the rubberized track, and to avoid activity that requires deep knee bending and / or kneeling.
In a way, that's a blessing. I have an excuse not to work on the many projects I have going at home.

I really miss the races. They provide incentive to get out for the boring training runs. I am still hoping that I will be able to run one of the NYRR December races in the park, but I need to get in more mileage. I hate the thought of running 40 times around the track, but I'm going to try. With my iPod, at least I have something to take my mind off of the round & round boredom.

I have found that running on the rubberized track at Teaneck High School really helps my knees. I don't usually have any pain during or after a 5 mile run at about 8:30 pace.
I cannot say that about running in the local park on asphalt. I usually start to have some pain after about 3 miles.

Despite being warned that running on concrete sidewalks is the worst thing a runner can do to his/her body, I did it for many years while living in Westwood. If I didn't want to run on the track, I had to run the sidewalks, because I ran mostly at night, and the roads are too heavily traveled to risk running on the road.
In September 2006, I joined a local health club, and started running on the treadmill. I did lots of speed and hills, and I believe that is what got me my PR in NYC and my BQ, and it got me off the hard sidewalks.

My immediate plans are to gradually work up my mileage until I can run 10 miles on the track without pain. Once I can do that, I'll try running a road race (probably a 10K), and take it from there.

Next stop: The NYC Marathon - from the sidelines. I am a spectator this time around.