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 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.

The Green Girl's Sunday Morning Trail Run

The Green Girl went on a trail run with her friend, Janey, this morning in Palos Verdes.

After weighing my shoe options, I had stopped by the New Balance store on my way home from work on Friday to try out the stability models.

The New Balance sales people are all too familiar with me and my fit issues. I was advised my best bet would be to try the 760's but the salesperson warned me if they didn't work out, I'd probably have to stick with my 1123's.

I wore the 760's yesterday but I didn't get a chance to actually run in them so I was anxious to get out and take them for a spin.

We parked near the entrance to the ocean trails and headed out. This particular trail starts out cliff side so we could see and hear the waves crashing below us.

At the first fork, we turned down a switchback and zigzagged down a steep incline. I slowed to a crawl for fear of slipping on a loose rock and tumbling.

There was a rocky beach at the bottom. We paused to watch the waves.

We climbed back up the winding path and continued west towards Trump National Golf Club.

We admired the bright yellow flowers scattered across the rolling hills. Even though it was another overcast day, it was still beautiful.

On our way back, we spotted the switchback we had gone down earlier.

My feet immediately sensed the decreased arch support in the 760's. My arches ached the first mile or so but after that initial discomfort, the shoes started to feel good. I was relieved that the new shoes didn't seem to aggravate my plantar fasciitis or the posterior tibial tendonitis in my right foot. And as far as I could tell, my feet were staying straight and not overpronating or oversupinating.

I was pleased that I could feel the ground as I was running. I feel like I have a lot more control with the less supportive shoe.

I'll take them out for a few more runs this week to make sure this relationship will last beyond the honeymoon stage.

The Green Girl's Beach Run and Shoe Epiphany

The Green Girl went on a run on the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath last night with one of the Sole Runners, Michelle.

I love the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath because I am able to enjoy a view of the ocean without ever taking a step onto the sand. The bike path features two dedicated bike paths and a lane for runners and walkers. Rollerbladers frequent this path as well.

As the months get warmer, I postpone my runs later in the evening to avoid the heat. The side benefit is that I usually get to see the sun setting.

We parked by the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool since the metered parking doesn't seem to be enforced in the evenings. We decided to head west on the bike path towards Downtown Long Beach.

The sky was unusually overcast but I was still able to see the Queen Mary and the former Spruce Goose dome in the distance.

Before I go any further, I have a confession to make. Instead of wearing the motion control shoes this week, I've been running in my old overcorrecting stability shoes.

While the motion control shoes were faithfully keeping my little feet nice and straight, my inability to feel anything through the thick sole was starting to bother me so I decided to revert back to my former shoes 'just to see'. Yes, I'm oversupinating when I wear these shoes but they feel really good. I am much lighter on my feet and I can feel the ground under my feet again. Believe it or not, I even run faster in my old shoes!

I called New Balance technical support and explained my situation. I was told I should try a stability shoe - as opposed to the high stability shoe I ran in last night. The representative said high stability shoes are specifically designed to correct overpronation so it makes sense that it would overcorrect when combined with the orthotics. He felt a stability shoe would give me the support I need without the overcorrection.

The Green Girl is going to visit her local New Balance store again to see what options are out there for her faithful little feet.

New Balance 1123 Motion Control Running Shoe Review

Now that the Green Girl has been running in her New Balance 1123's for a few months, she decided it was time to review them.

I have small, wide feet with very low arches and my feet roll inward more than they should. In addition to overpronation, I have also had plantar fasciitis since I was young. My plantar fasciitis manifests itself in a deep, dull pain in my arches. After a bad right ankle sprain early last year, I now also struggle with posterior tibial tendonitis.

To give a little background on the Green Girl's running shoe history, I started out with the New Balance 85x series of stability shoes with Green SuperFeet. I loved the extra wide toe box in the New Balance shoes because my feet swell a lot when I run long distances - especially in the heat.

The 85x series worked realy well for me until I injured my right foot and ended up with custom orthotics. The combination of the 85x stability control and my new orthotics overcorrected and I ended up oversupinating.

To make a long story short, after a lot of trial and error (and thanks to New Balance's generous return policy), I discovered New Balance 1123 motion control shoes.

I had my podiatrist check out all the different New Balance shoes and he felt the 1123's would probably be good shoes for me. He also mentioned shoes with a straight last would be a better fit for me because my feet are so straight.



My review is not going to cover the aesthetics of this shoe. The Green Girl learned at a very young age that when you have very small but wide feet, your shoe options are extremely limited so I made my shoe buying decisions based on utility, not fashion. If a shoe fits me, I wear it.

My first impression of the 1123's was that they were really stable shoes. The broad sole felt good under my feet. They feel very firm - not cushiony like the 85x models. The heel counter on the 1123's is really high. So high that the achilles notch really irritates my ankles when I walk. I almost returned them until I discovered the height doesn't bother me when I'm running. And really, running is all the Green Girl cares about.

My biggest complaint is the poorly designed tongue that constantly slips down into the shoe. It has a notch for looping the laces but the tongue is so flimsy that it doesn't make any difference. This really annoyed me at first but because the tongue is so soft, you can't really feel it so unless I look down at my feet while I'm running, i can't even tell the tongue has slipped almost completely into the shoe.

The 1123's are the heaviest running shoes I've ever worn but truth be told, they don't weigh as much as you'd expect them to. I mean, they have the thickest midsoles I've ever seen in my entire life.

Despite the 1123's shortcomings, the stability this shoe grants me is enough to keep me running in them. Making sure I have adequate support and stay injury-free are my priorities.

In conclusion, if I could redesign the shoe, I'd lower the heel counter and fix the tongue. I'm anxious to see what changes New Balances makes when they release the next model in this line.

The Green Girl Has A Problem

The Green Girl's podiatrist made an interesting discovery when she went for a follow-up visit for her orthotics.

Before I started running a few years ago, I got my gait and stride analyzed at a few running shoe stores to make sure I was getting the proper footwear. My feet are small and wide - I wear a size 5.5 wide - and I have very low arches that collapse almost completely when I put weight on my feet. The consensus was that the Green Girl needed stabilty shoes. In terms of width, I was pretty much limited to only 2 options: Brooks or New Balance. Other manufacturers offer wide widths but they aren't as generously sized.

After some trial and error, I discovered the stiffer the shoe, the less my plantar fasciitis flared up. Running on soft surfaces for extended periods of time had the same effect so I stuck to the pavement. I also learned my feet swell a lot when I run so I need an extra wide toe box.

As I ramped up my mileage during marathon training, I added Green Superfeet insoles to help alleviate increased arch pain due to the plantar fasciitis. The combination of the New Balance 857 stability shoes and the Green Superfeet were ideal for my feet.

When it came time to replace my 857's, I stuck with the New Balance 85x stability line. I went from 858's to 859's. I was one content Green Girl who had achieved the ultimate shoe zen.

But then I ran into a problem. My magical prescriptiong orthotics were so powerful that when combined with my beloved stability shoes, my flat little feet were actually being overcorrected - I was oversupinating. I went back to my usual running stores to see what my options were. They all suggested I go with a pair of neutral shoes but no one had my size in stock.

Instead of waiting for a pair to be ordered, I headed to the New Balance South Bay store. I have nothing but good things to say about this store. Their customer service was outstanding. I am pretty sure I managed to run at least a quarter of a mile around their store during some of my visits while they patiently studied my gait and stride.

I started out with a neutral shoe that aggravated my plantar fasciitis. I exchanged them for another neutral shoe that gave me shin splints. I exchanged them for a different stability shoe. That one made my good left ankle hurt. Finally, they suggested I try a motion control shoe, the 1123. It was by far the most unattractive running shoe I'd ever seen but at this point, I was willing to give them a try.

The New Balance 1123's are heavy but durable. The sole is probably about as stiff as a sole can get and they are built on a straight last. I like to call them my 'Charlie Brown' Humvee shoes. My podiatrist actually felt the straight last would be better for my feet simply because my feet are so straight.

My podiatrist also examined my old running shoes and studied not only the outsoles but also the midsoles. He informed me that I am favoring my injured side. He showed me the midsole of my old left shoe and sure enough, there's a pronounced indentation that doesn't appear on the right shoe.

Correcting this issue is my number one priority. I am trying to be really cognizant of how I run. After he made that observation, I realized I've also made some changes to the way I walk. I'm right-handed and I would always step down on my right foot but ever since I injured myself, I always step down on my left.

With all my shoe complications, I couldn't help but wonder if I could benefit from the whole barefoot running movement with a more minimal shoe (as opposed to the 'Charlie Brown' Humvee shoes) but both my podiatrist and the physical therapist suggested I just stick to my orthotics and supportive shoes for now.

The Green Girl Has New Shoes!

I went up to San Jose for Halloween weekend so I could take my niece Trick-or-Treating.

On Sunday, I went with my family to Santana Row for the weekly Farmers' Market. I spotted the New Balance store and went in to see if I could get a pair of replacement shoe laces for my 857's.

For some unknown reason, the 857's shipped with really short laces. The sales person knew exactly what I was talking about when I explained my need for longer laces and was kind enough to dig up a spare pair. The fact I didn't have to pay for a new pair of shoe laces made my day.

I was ready to leave with my free laces when the sales person asked me if I was interested in any shoes. I asked him if by any chance the 859's were on sale. Turns out they were 30% off and they had them in my size - 6.5 D width.

My very first pair of running shoes were the 857's. I was so disappointed when they were discontinued but I gave the 858's a try and they felt the same so I was happy. So far, I really like the 859's. The only difference I can feel is the increased support around the ankle. I appreciate the fact that it's more snug because my ankles would slip in both the 857's and the 858's. I used a special lacing technique to keep my feet from slipping in the back.

I know many runners spend their entire lives searching for the perfect shoe so I'm thankful I've found something that works for me. My feet are hard to fit because they are really wide but small. When it comes to running, I need a lot of support for overpronation and plantar fasciitis. I need a shoe that is stable and stiff. A shoe with a lot of cushion actually hurts my feet. Thanks to the New Balance line of stability shoes along with Green Superfeet insoles, I'm able to be a happy running Green Girl.