What Running Shoes Should I Buy?

Hello!

After some brief reminders today about comings and goings, we’ll be into regularly scheduled programming. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole in regards to the history of running footwear and have tried to limit my diatribe on the modern market as much as possible. You’ll see what I mean below. Other topics for today are an elevation challenge for the year, a book rec, and a video about the joy of riding your bike.

Last thing! Because I don’t know where else to gracefully jam this in, and my therapist would be awfully annoyed if I didn’t mention it, it was just publicly announced by the Empire Geographic Rugby Union that I am the new High Performance Director for Metro NYC. This means I’ll be overseeing the select side programs and development of men’s and women’s rugby players over the age of 18 from Westchester to Montauk who have aspirations of playing at a higher level. This won’t affect all you fine folks and my responsibilities around BKSC, but if you happen to be an Empire GU player reading this, feel free to reach out with questions about the program.

Those reminders

As of January 19th, my prices will be increased. If you would like to take advantage of the current prices, you can lock them in now by shooting me a message. January has already been crazy for me as lots of people resolve to finally take care of themselves. If you’ve been on the fence about getting in yourself, re-upping your time with me, or have a friend you’ve been tell to call me - now is the time.

Also coming down the pike: 2025 Sponsorship applications will open up on Sunday the 19th, and I’ll be hosting a lower back workshop at the office on the night of the 29th (it’s a Wednesday). If you have questions about any of that stuff, let me know!

The Best Shoes For Running

In 1908, a 24 year old from New York City won the Olympic gold medal in the marathon with a time of 2:55:18. Johnny Hayes was 5’ 4”, 121lbs and his footwear looked a little different to what you would might be wearing when out for a jog today. Below is a an ad I tracked down showing the exact shoes he wore during his race. They’re the pair in the middle.

Johnny opted for the low top version of what otherwise looks like a formal office shoe. In fact, those shoes might even be considered too formal for a lot of the offices in Manhattan today. Alongside his Spalding’s Hayes wore a cotton tee shirt and what look like canvas boardshorts. He still managed to run a marathon time that would be a lifetime achievement for most people.

The top racing shoe from Adidas right now is $500 and is currently sold out in 4 sizes at the famous Heartbreak shop in Boston. That’s a staggering amount of money to pay for a pair of shoes, especially when you take into account that a lot of these supershoes are supposedly kaputt after just 100 miles.

People are constantly looking for a quick upgrade or hack to increase their performance, but a pro the shoes do not make. Whenever I am asked about buying the next carbon fiber racers, I think of Johnny Hayes hoofing it through London in a pair of dress shoes. Or the Rarámuri women who completed The Speed Project this past year in dresses and huaraches. Or Abebe Bikila winning the 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot. Seems like maybe the footwear isn’t the most important piece here. If that’s the case, then where else could you be investing that money? Imagine spending $500 on quality food, or a sleep system like a Hatch (that’s what I use). $500 could get a bona fide running coach, or a rehab specialist like myself to take a look under the hood. I think you get the idea here. Focus on what really matters for your training goals. Get the engine right before worrying about the paint job.

100k in 2025

Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad fame is once again hosting a Strava challenge this year to climb 100,000 feet of elevation. For every 100k you log, he’ll send you a sticker. I want a sticker this year. Perhaps you’d like one too.

Endure by Alex Hutchinson

My book rec this week is full on sports science nerdiness. Alex Hutchinson is a longtime Outside Magazine contributor and a former national team runner for Canada. His book Endure is all about the limits of human performance and how much of that is mind vs. body. It can be a little dense sometimes depending on your appetite for lab work, but there are plenty of fun vignettes throughout. My favorite is a scene where A. V. Hill is developing what is now known as VO2 max in the 1920’s by having subjects run around his yard with airbags strapped to their backs. If you’re endurance athlete, or if you are somebody who is curious about pushing your body to new limits, this one is for you.

You can pick up a copy here (independent) or here (Amazon).

This Guy Loves To Ride His Bike

This video clocks in at just over 4 minutes which I hope is still considered to be short by today’s standards (though I’m not sure). Ronnie Romance is a crunchy dude in Connecticut who really loves to ride his bike. The joy with which he approaches riding and life as a whole is something we should look to engender. My favorite line: “So you’re able to go places that you weren’t able to go to before at a human pace so that you’re not passing them through them too quickly.”

There’s a little moment in the video that could make you pause and go to Google, so I’ll try to mitigate that. According to Norway’s official tourism website: “As a philosophy, friluftsliv is basically about a simple life in nature without destroying or disturbing it. The concept is also tightly connected to “kos” (cosiness) – the unique Norwegian word for having a good time.”

Sounds good to me.

That’s all for today. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend and that the current forecast for rain here in the city turns to snow. Everyone wear your pj’s inside out tonight for good luck, please and thank you.

Talk soon,

Dr. Dean Hottum

As always, if you are somebody you know would benefit from working with me, I am always happy to chat and see if you are a good fit. Hit the button below to set up a call today.

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