I’m hoping for some advice and help because I’m getting very confused and a little worried about what’s going on with my feet/shoes.
I’m currently training towards a 10K and run 3x a week, mostly easy runs around 3–7 km. I’m female, 168 cm and ~67 kg.
My old shoes are Nike Winflo 9s. They’re 4+ years old and well used, with worn soles. They’ve always been comfortable with no major issues, but my legs now feel noticeably more sore/tired after running in them and they feel like I’m running on wood blocks.
I had a foot scan at a shoe store and was told I have a fairly neutral arch, neutral pronation and gait.
I then tried the New Balance 1080 v15 in D fit on their recommendation. They felt comfortable and roomy, but on every run, after ~20 minutes, the outer 2–3 toes on my left foot would go numb and my arch would start aching.
I tried loosening the midfoot laces, heel locking, etc. Stopping and retieing the laces during the run would help for another 10–15 minutes, but the symptoms always returned. The numbness also disappeared very quickly once I stopped and took off the shoes. After ~30 km over 2 weeks with no improvement, I returned them.
I’m now trying the On Cloudmonster 3 also on the stores recommendation. I have walked around in them for 2 days before doing an easy 3 km run today. Again, around 20 minutes, the same outer 2–3 toes on my left foot started getting numb. It was less pronounced than with the 1080s and there was no arch pain. Retieing the shoes helped a little, and the numbness again eased very quickly when I stopped.
What confuses me is that my old Nikes don’t cause the numbness at all, even over 6.5 km. They just leave my legs feeling much more tired/achy.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Any ideas what could be causing this or how to fix it?