Shopping for Running Shoes: What's a PR Girl To Do?

I now know more about the hip flexor than I ever cared to know. I didn't even know I had a hip flexor until 6 weeks ago. Now, after three weeks of resting due to a pulled hip flexor muscle, I have officially started my marathon training. And that means shopping for new running shoes!

Like any preppy girl, I can take on a retail shopping experience with ease. But when running shoes are on the shopping list, I have very little clue as to what I am doing or what I want - besides the requirement that my shoes look cute. A couple of months ago, I would have merely relied on Marathon Man to take me to Blue Mile and pick out the perfect marathon-training, forefoot-striking shoe for me. Alas, now I am left to search on my own and muddle through words like supination, pronation and stability.

My current New Balance shoes are a bit semi-minimalist, so I thought I would try to find a shoe with a bit more cushion in the front, since I am going to be doing a lot more mileage. My thinking is that this may lessen the stress on my hip muscles. So, after hours of online searching and a trip to DSW to try on some candidates, I selected the Saucony Guide 5 from RunOutlet for about $55 (full retail: $110).

Saucony Guide 5

Thoughts so far: 
First and foremost, Saucony is the antithesis of "Cute". I understand that they make good running shoes, but why, oh, why, can't they be nice to look at as well? I found cuter Saucony men's shoes than women's shoes. So unfortunate. But, I decided to sacrifice looks for functionality. This neon yellow shoes was the best I could do.

Over four runs and 11 miles, and I'm not yet in love. In fact, after run1 and run2, I thought I might have to go back to my NB's. Afterwards, my heel bone hurt (presumably from my walking cool downs since my heels don't touch the ground when running) and the balls of my feet burned from either all the friction or my thick SmartWool socks. I decided to stick it out, though. Run3 and run4 felt much better. The heel feels fine now, and I switched out my usually delightful SmartWools for some average compression sport socks.

No hip pain yet! Did the shoes make a difference for the hip? Probably not. Better stretching and icing probably have more to do with it. But I am curious enough to see if the Guide 5 will see me through a marathon.

So at your next spring marathon, look for a newbie, preppy girl laced up in some not-so-cute Saucony's. And if you feel up to it, give her a sign of encouragement. This PR Girl sure will need it.