I Cheated...On My Nike Shox | Courtney Karella Fitness

So I’ve been going through yet another break up. I know, right? Jeez Court.

This time though…I’m breaking up with my Nike Shox addiction. Yes, they’re cute. And I will always hold a special place in my heart for them. But it’s time to get real. There’s something wrong in our relationship. And that something would be shin splints.

I’ve been fighting shin splints for years. Since high school really. I tried out for soccer, and it was down hill from there. I remember my last practice of just walking laps with a gangsta limp (okay, more pitiful than gangsta, but let me have that one) with tears threatening to fall. It’s been a battle ever since.

Every once in a while those pesky splints would go away for a few weeks just to come back with some serious vengeance. A few years ago, I found Polysorb insoles which were ah-mazing! Every time I bought new Shox, I bought a new pair of Polysorb insoles. I had my solution! But it just wasn’t enough anymore. I thought, “Maybe I’m jumping higher or working harder than I used to?” It got to a point that just walking the next day after teaching Turbo was painful. So I tried different insoles. I entertained the idea of never being able to do high impact moves. After some serious soul searching, I opened myself up to the possibility that maybe it isn’t me. Maybe it’s the shoe.

So I hunkered down in the women’s shoe aisle at Sports Authority and went completely cray cray. There were piles of boxes. I was wearing two different shoes at the same time while doing Turbo moves. I got some weird looks. The Sports Authority employee kept walking by, and looking at me with this pleading look of “Please – for the love of all that is good in this world – PLEASE clean up after yourself!” (I did, don’t worry!)

I saved this one pair for last. It was too cute and WAY too Courtney to not try on, but I was worried. I’ve gotten shoes for looks before, and that didn’t pan out well. This pair was HOT PINK! Let me remind you that I was on Team Pink-A-Boo at Turbo Camp last year – so of course I couldn’t stop staring at them.

So I slipped it on with another that was still in the running to become Court’s Go To Fitness Shoe. It was Shoe Love at first step. I’m not kidding. So cushy and light! I did a couple of jumps, and there was a noted decrease in my shin pain. They were already flaring up from the many different shoes and jumping. Ugh. But I walked up and down the aisle without pain. No limp. No throbbing.

So. Awesome. I give you the Asics Gel Blur33 2.0 – the new Court’s Go To Fitness Shoe.

And don’t even get me started on Turbo’ing in these shoes. That is beyond awesome. These shoes are so light that I find myself jumping higher in my workouts AND spending more time doing high impact moves instead of being forced to keep it low due to the pain. Remember how I thought my problem was jumping higher? I think we can say never mind to that idea.

So the moral of this story is that if you are having pain in your workouts – let’s talk about your shoes. I worked out in the wrong shoes for a LONG time because they were cute and were good enough. I told myself that dealing with shin splints is just something I was going to have to do FOREVER. And that’s not the case. So take a look at your shoes. Are they really the best ones for you? I may love these Blurs, but they may not work for you. So try on a bunch until you find that perfect fit.

I for one have a new addiction with these shoes. Now if Asics could just make them in bright purple…..