New Balance 1012 Motion Control Running Shoe Review

The Green Girl has nothing but positive things to say about New Balance 1012 motion control shoes.

Prior to badly spraining my ankle in January of 2009, I had great success with New Balance stability shoes. I wore New Balance 857's, 858's, and 859's

Unfortunately, that injury resulted in posterior tibial tendonitis. For months, I was forced to walk on the side of my foot to avoid excruciating arch pain.

I can say with certainty that it was a combination of the exercises for posterior tibial tendonitis, taping my arch, orthotics, and my New Balance 1012's that enabled me to run again.



The 1012's were the ideal solution to the New Balance 1123's. The 1123's offered the appropriate level of support but the the high heel counter and flimsy tongue design were annoyances.

The 1012 is a very stable shoe. It's bulky - but not as bulky as the 1123. It has a generous toe bed which is perfect for my wide feet. The heel counter is lower so the achilles notch doesn't irritate my ankle.

I don't know what I would have done without my 1012's. They have held up my arches through thick and thin.

The Green Girl's Sole Runners Saturday

The Green Girl was looking forward to a Sole Runners Saturday after spending last weekend up in the city.

I relished the crisp morning air as I arrived at Marina Vista Park.

Coach Steve always starts the morning off with Sole Runner announcements and updates.

It was exciting to see a number of new faces among the familiar ones.

Today, Coach Steve led group in an hour-long ChiRunning workshop. He started off by giving a little background information on Danny Dreyer, the creator of ChiRunning.

He explained the importance of the ChiRunning 'C' shape as he guided everyone through the steps to achieve the pose. Coach Steve told us the 'Chi' in ChiRunning relates to the flow of T'ai Chi.

The lesson was followed by the ChiRunning body looseners. ChiRunning emphasizes loosening your joints before a run instead of stretching muscles.

I'm actually one of those runners who needs to stretch religiously both before and after my runs so I always get my stretching in during the pre-run announcements.

It was just starting to warm up when we got started with our run.

This was my fifth run in new shoes and I am pleased to say I am extremely happy with them. As much as I had yearned for a shoe with a less supportive sole, I love how the motion control keeps my feet so stable and straight.

The temperature started getting to me and my heart rate went up to 180 so I stopped and walked the last half mile.

After our run, we did our usual post-run yoga.

I had a downward dog epiphany today when I discovered I have been angling my wrists incorrectly. One of the mentors, Matt, showed me how to straighten my arm to reduce the angle presented at my wrists. This changed my entire downward dog experience.

When I got home, I decided it was time my hat and some of my running shirts got a good OxiClean soak. I do this occasionally when I notice my technical clothing retaining odors.

I'll leave them in there overnight and throw them in the wash tomorrow.

The Green Girl's Back In Motion Control Shoes

After Tuesday's trail run, the Green Girl realized the medial support in the New Balance 760's was inadequate for her low arches.

After feeling one too many twinges of posterior tibial tendon pain, I knew I had to take them back. It was one of those cases where you feel fine when you are running but you feel pain after the fact.

I was running out of options at this point. The New Balance 85x high stability shoes combined with my orthotics were over-correcting my overpronation and causing me to oversupinate. The 740/760 stability shoes were not supportive enough. The 1123 motion control shoes offered the appropriate level of support but the sole was bulky and I disliked the high heel counter and flimsy tongue design.

I was feeling a little discouraged when I headed back to my local New Balance store after work today to return my latest purchase.

I was patiently waiting for a salesperson to assist me when I saw a pair of 1012's. Like the 1123's, the 1012 has a straight last. My podiatrist had mentioned shoes with a straight last would be a better fit for me because my Fred Flintstone feet are so straight.

I tried them on and jogged around the store. They felt really good and my gait felt solid and even. My faithful New Balance store allowed me to exchange the muddy 760's for the 1012's - no questions asked.

I was anxious to take my new shoes out for a spin so I headed out shortly after I got home.

Both of my knees are sore - I'm assuming from putting them through what is now four pairs of shoes in just over a week - so I opted to go for an easy run and focused on keeping my feet aligned.

I ran through some small neighborhoods and past shopping center. I ran on the grass around the Long Beach Traffic Circle.

Long Beach locals like to tell a tale of how the engineer who constructed the circle, Werner Ruchti, ultimately died in an automobile accident on the Circle.

From the Circle, I headed northbound on Lakewood Blvd. I ran past the furniture store that falsely advertises its demise a few times a year.

I was pleased that both my arches were feeling good. I wasn't experiencing any of that initial soreness that I felt with the 760's. My plantar fasciitis didn't flare up either.

I ran by the Long Beach National Guard Armory.

I caught glimpses of the sun setting west of Signal Hill as I ran home.

After this evening's good run, I am cautiously optimistic. Before I go to bed, I will do the posterior tibial tendonitis exercises and massage my feet with Peaceful Mountain Tendon Rescue Gel.