I’ve been experiencing some pain in my right hip and adductor (think thigh-master muscles) since the Kauai Half-Marathon last fall, and I had assumed it was an overuse injury. It came and went for some time, but it significantly improved in the last few weeks, and I was delighted that it didn’t bother me at all during the Carlsbad Half last Sunday.

I noticed yesterday that it was bothering me a little again, and then today, it was hurting me quite a bit. I was so bummed! I was wondering if I had injured it again during the race when I suddenly realized… I wore different shoes for the Carlsbad Half.

I prefer lightweight “performance” shoes to run races, but they wear out so fast that I tried a heavier one for regular training. I realize now that my hip pain disappearing a few weeks back coincided with switching to the lighter shoes, and the hip pain coming back coincided with my switching back.

This, in fact, is my second running injury from not realizing it was my shoes. I had plantar fasciitis and achilles tendonitis from running on worn out shoes. They didn’t look worn out at all… they were the lightweight ones I like for racing, and I guess they just wear out faster. Once I got new shoes, my heel healed and life was good.

Moral of the story… if you’re a runner, and you’re experiencing pain, CHECK YOUR SHOES. The solution may be as simple as replacing worn out ones, or switching back to a brand/model that didn’t give you trouble.