Melanie Jones

I have been seeing the Protalus ads on Facebook for months and finally decided to give them a try. I am a runner who refuses to give up on her passion so when I developed pain in the joint of my big toe of my right foot, I was forced to switch my shoe brand to one that has a rocker bottom. Each pair I tried gave me problems with the rest of my foot--arches were too high, feet forced to the outside of the shoe, pain on the inside of the foot. They were just hard to get my feet comfortable even though it took away the toe joint pain.

I finally got a pair of custom orthotics, but even those were not perfect for my arch. (As an aside, I have medium arches that drop when I step.) I found another insole that worked ok so I would often rotate between that one and my custom orthotic. I have some big races coming up and I just wanted my feet to feel like they did in my old running shoes (meaning, I didn't want to be constantly aware of feeling my feet).

So, I tried the M-100. I didn't think it was the right one for me, but the insole finder recommended it when I indicated I had foot pain (when I indicated no foot pain, it recommended the T-100). I figured I'd just try it since there was a money back guarantee and free exchanges. So, I did not like the M-100. I should have trusted my gut that the arch would be too high and it was. I took it for a spin on a 4 mile run and my left foot screamed no. My right toes said nothing because they went numb. I contacted CS the very next day and shared my thought that maybe I should have gone with the T-100 since my arches drop, or did she just recommend that I return them.

Nancy, from CS, contacted me  within ten minutes  of my first email! She offered a refund but also offered to send me the T-100 immediately so I could see if it would work for me. I didn't feel pressured to try them out either. The email was not pushy at all. Nancy just wanted me to be happy.  Within 25 minutes , we exchanged a few emails and next thing I knew, the T-100s had been shipped so I could compare the two. I was floored by the great CS.

The T-100s arrived a couple of days later, just in time for a 3-mile run. The right foot felt great. The left felt better than on the M-100, but I was still aware of my foot. I could noticeably "feel" a pressure point on the inside and outside of the mid foot. It was less pronounced as the feeling I had with the M-100 so I decided to give it a go. I could "feel" the insole for about the first mile. It wasn't painful, just an awareness. But, by mile 2, I stopped thinking about my feet and just ran. I ran my fastest 3 mile of the year that night. Same with a recent 4 and 5 mile runs. Slight awareness of the foot at the start, goes away, then I keep breaking my pacing records for each distance.

I'm going to call it a big win! If you can afford the upfront cost, take a chance on these insoles! If they don't work, they will not hassle you about a return or trying a new pair. Last great thing, they come in specific sizes! Nothing is more annoying than having to cut an insole to your size.