I finally went to Road Runner in San Diego and had them look at my stride. I kind of expected a big to do but this is all that happened:
First they took imprints of my foot strike on both sides
Then they taped me running on the treadmill
They scribbled notes on a sheet of paper, then told me I have a neutral stride.
According to the Road Runner pamphlet titled Feel Great in Your Shoe Fit, neutral means my feet "tend to be rigid, have high arches, and roll inward or outward minimally."
It was kind of anticlimactic but my runs since have been nothing short of glorious. I am feeling good so I don't have to deal with the super heavy, I-don't-think-I-can-run-anymore-than-20-feet feeling that comes when I haven't run in a while. I especially enjoyed my long run last weekend. I took it slow, ran down along the ocean and felt really good. I am looking forward to slipping back into my new Saucony Triumph 5s!
I did learn that I was wearing a half size too small. Apparently your toes are not supposed to hit the front of the shoe at all when you run. (My toes were hitting the front of my old shoes when going down hills)
Belle ~
Glad you went to Road Runner to be checked out. Nice to read your runs have been "glorious".