New Balance WR1340 Running Shoes Review

So I think it is known I am a New Balance loyalist.  I have been fitted for other shoes, but they never feel right, and sure enough I'm back at New Balance standing on their machine to get my "perfect" shoe.   But they are really trying me.

So last September right before the Smuttynose Half, I suddenly despised running.  It wasn't really a sudden thing, it was that my feet constantly hurt.  The bottoms burned.  I went and got new shoes and I was a new person. (read here).  So it has been over a year and I have almost 400 miles (399.67, but who's counting), and I decided to get a new pair.  D would get a pair too.  I went out on-line and found out that both of us have expired shoes.  WTF?  The NB 1012's just came out last year.  My previous shoes the 1123, I was able to get 4 pairs of  before they expired.  Oh my.  A few weeks passed, and D commented about his legs, and I went out on Amazon and they had his shoes. New Balance finally posted the replacement for the 1012's on their website, which was the 1340, and I did a little research.  It seemed to go up half a size and out a letter.  Which seemed ok because before the 1012s, I was a 10.5 2E.  The 1012s were good though at 10 D.  So I ordered us shoes.  D said his were great.

The 1012, photo from newbalance.com

The 1340, photo from newbalance.com

The first time I ran on the 1340s, my left leg (the one that is shorter and the one that has the knee issue and the hip issue) felt fine, but I knew I needed an arch insert or my knee would be done before long.  The right leg...I should have just put glass in my shoe.  It would have been more comfortable.  I went over to the New Balance Store, and got some inserts (New Balance has gone really cheap with the thin inserts in their shoes). Since now my legs would be the same height I also got a heel lift for the left leg (it is shorter...hence the hip problem).  In the 1012s I only needed the insert in the left shoe, so no heel lift.

After that my feet really hurt when I was walking and my right foot started slipping out of the shoe.  Fixed the laces and it was better.  Then the left shoe would cause intense pain in my heel. Fixed the laces and it was better. 

At the 5K my left foot fell asleep.  It really felt the toe box was too narrow.  WTF?  This is a EE!  The right one felt ok for 4 miles but after that, the ball of my foot would start burning.  I found my newest pair of socks and tried them for the 12 miler.  Like I said in my previous post, I drank a beer because having a soda would require going down the stairs and my feet couldn't handle it. I already have about 50 miles racked up on these shoes, and I notice my feet a lot in them.  And that typically isn't a good thing. 

So yesterday, I got to work early.  I googled the 1012s, and of all places, the only place that had them in my size, it was newbalance.com.  I KNOW I checked New Balance before ordering them.  I know that the store said they were discontinued.  So again confused.  I talked to D.  He said order them.  So I did.  They are on their way (I would have gotten more than 1 pair, but we have a shower repair bill that is a little higher on the $ list than ~$300 for 2 pairs of shoes).

I ran 4 miles yesterday on the Treadmill with the 1340s.  Left foot started falling asleep.  Right foot fine. I think for 4 miles and less I can stay with the 1340s, but higher requires the 1012s.

So when I started writing this post this morning, I went out to newbalance.com to get screen shots of the shoes.  What is really interesting, is a few weeks ago, New Balance had on their webpage that the 1340 was the replacement for the 1012.  It no longer has that.  Hmmmm.


Disclosure: New Balance didn't pay me, ask me, or tell me to write this review.  As far as I know, they don't know I'm unhappy with the 1340, unless they happen to read this post.