Goo U

Note: I am not sponsored by anyone at this time nor do I have any financial interests in ANY companies I mention...if I did I would disclose it here. I think any amputee with competing interests should make the truth known. However, any companies or products I do use and feel strongly about I will mention especially those they will help my fellow runners, two-, one- or no-footed.

*******
 

I have used Shoe Goo for probably as long as the company has been in
existence. It has saved me hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the many running shoes I have worn on two feet. Now that I have an outsole on my blade, I depend on this product even more.

What Shoe Goo does is minimize/prevents breakdown of the shoe outsole. Without Shoe Goo, I would likely get no more than 250 miles on a pair of running shoes before completely wearing through most outsoles. Back when I ran over 2000 miles a year - and I am approaching doing that again - this would mean new shoes about every 5 weeks without Shoe Goo, or 10 weeks with it.

Having a blade complicates things. Currently I have an Asics Gel-Nimbus 12 outsole glued to the bottom of my blade. It is not a simple thing to replace it; my prosthetists at ProCare do this for me. They do expert trimming and make sure the height is correct. I've yet to have a problem with the outsole coming loose on my blade so I know they are doing a good job.

Since my prosthetist is in GA over 300 miles away, getting a new outsole means either having them resole the blade when I have an office visit or am in the area, or sending the blade to them which means no running while it is gone. The latter is unacceptable to me; so far the former has been my modus operandi.

Now that I visit less often, it is important that I do not wear out my outsole on my blade, and here is where ShoeGoo shines. I should also note as long as I can keep tread on my blade I don't have to be as worried as much out midsole breakdown, as my blade provides plenty of shock adsorption which it needs to provide energy return anyway.

Shoe Goo on Nitro running blade - Asics Gel-Nimbus outsole

My friend Kelly Luckett has asked me about how I handled outsole replacement, and I told her about Shoe Goo. She was rightly concerned about using something new just before an upcoming marathon, something we runners try to avoid. However, I told her it was not slick, was actually 'tacky' on the roads and once you had gotten a good coat on your outsole, it would actually pick up some asphalt debris and not require as much re-gooing. Kelly gave it a try at the San Francisco marathon and loved it.

I feel I am something of a scientist on using Shoe Goo after so many years of experience, so here I have distilled the finer points for the gimp runner:

• Have new outsole glued onto blade by prosthetist.
• Wear blade until first signs the sole is being roughed up or about 25 miles; when in doubt sooner is better than later. May wear off more quickly if outsole is too new/smooth.
• On first application, apply Shoe-Goo thinly on outsole and let dry for at least an hour.
• After about an hour apply heavier coat and let dry 48 hours. Note due to personal wear pattern some areas need more attention than others.
• Best to reapply at least thin coat after run if you can give it a day to dry...I find it will wear down quicker if you are unable to give it much less drying time than this.
• Use on both shoes...I have several pair of shoes in my left-foot rotation and always have a 'cured' shoe ready to go.
• Keep supply on-hand...I buy 5+ tubes at a time. It is not very expensive.

 You are now a graduate of Goo U and your soles thank you.