I have a gross story to share. (look away now if you don’t want to read about it/hate feet.)

On Wednesday I had to go to the Chiropodist. I’ve had a sore right foot since October, and it got to the point where in certain shoes I would limp by the end of the day. Why I didn’t do anything sooner, I do not know.

Matthew (my chiropodist) quickly identified that I had a corn, or more correctly three corns. And apparently even though he removed them, they will come back.

Corns are small circles of thick skin that usually develop on the tops and sides of toes or on the sole of the foot. However, they can occur anywhere.

Corns are often caused by wearing shoes that fit poorly – shoes that are too loose can allow your foot to slide and rub or certain shoe designs that place excessive pressure on an area of the foot – for example, high-heeled shoes can squeeze the toes.

Considering I live in trainers, I don’t think it’s the high-heels that are the problem. However I was surprised to learn that actually  most trainers push your toes in together (turn your shoes over to look at the sole – does it go in at the toe?)

I’ve been running in my New Balance Foam Fresh 1080 since February, and I love them. They’re like a big hug for your feet- and compared to my other trainers, they have the widest toe boxes, perfect for while my feet recover from the sodding corns.

A highly cushioned, supportive shoe that will be ideal for my long marathon training runs when Summer and New York marathon training kicks up a notch.

The wide base of the shoe helps improve stability, as well as a larger shock absorbing area – great for pounding the pavements. Especially combined with the deep cushioned sole, apparently the hexagonal shapes in the midsole adds support as well as allowing it to compress on impact.

The Ortholite® foam insert helps reduce that ’18 mile run’ smell, plus improves comfort and breathability apparently –  mostly though it’s just really bouncy underfoot.

The heel looks large, however it helps if you’re a heel-striker like me, this has been designed to smooth the transition from heel to midfoot foot placement.

If you like a fast, lightweight racer style shoe, then this is not the shoe for you, and I probably wouldn’t do my speed or tempo runs in these. However I am loving them as I recover from ITB syndrome and am just plodding along, and will be using them on all of my long runs for New York marathon training – I’ll possibly even run the marathon in them!

I’m actually hoping they’ll bring out a NYCM version of these, like the Boston ones.