So you would think running is a simple and relatively cheap leisure activity to get involved in. However, once you start to dip your toes into the murky waters of what to put on your feet, let alone all the other paraphernalia you feel you must buy that comes with any sport, you soon realise its not so simple.
What shoe do I need to wear? What’s important when buying a pair of shoes? How much do I have to spend? When do I have to replace it? Someone’s told me I over-pronate and need a wide toe box, low drop sole etc etc. You get the idea, there is a lot of sales BS and over complication from manufactures as well as a lot of unknowns or lack of clear conclusions from scientific research into the area of footwear. Below are a few, not all, of the main tips when it comes to footwear and the common wider FAQs that I come across.
Base your trainer selection on comfort, not foot type as it’s been shown to makes no significant difference to injury rates.
Horses for courses - use the right shoe for the right terrain (firm ground, soft ground, road, track, mixed surface), type & intensity of run (race, intervals, trail, easy miles, technical off road, graded back from injury run etc) and distance (short, medium, long… stupidly long or multi day or events in same day). This means over time you build up a collection of shoes and always need new ones ;) If you’re not sure on what you’re going to be running default back to point 1. = comfort is King.
Rotate your shoes for similar runs between older and newer trainers - this changes the stimulus and load on the body (foot & legs) and is less likely to lead to injury though the same repetitive load forces & fatigue.
Transition from old shoes into new shoes, this links into the above point. Don’t throw away your old shoes and buy your new shoes before you need them. Start using your new shoes for longer, higher intensity training runs or races as they give you more comfort and will feel better/easier on the body. Keep your old or older shoes (if you have 2-3 of the same type then great) and use them for shorter, slower runs where your body is getting a different load due to the reduced cushioning/worn nature of the shoes. This is good for the body allowing it to be more robust from different loads. For example, I use my old trail shoes for more mixed terrain, firm ground and road running as their grip gets more worn. However, if I am racing or doing long/harder training runs I will wear a newer pair of shoes.
Make sure they are half a size bigger than your normal day to day shoes, especially if running in the heat or for long distances as your feet will swell
If you get hot spots or pain in the feet with new shoes, switch back to an older pair of trainers (see point 3 & 4) and gradually build up the volume and intensity in your new shoes. Try different ways of lacing your laces to reduce pressure on your feet and can help if you have wide feet too (see point 11).
If you are looking to buy a trail shoe and you have no idea where to start, you’ve never ventured to the dark side, then start with the brand you know for road shoes and go from there. See what they have in that brands range, it’s a logical starting point.
Try to get to some shoe trial nights, these are becoming more common within running clubs, running shoes & at running festivals/ events. You can chat to the brand who is normally sponsoring/affiliated to the organiser of the event and ask questions, get advice. Do note they are probably there with a bias towards their own brand. Local to Bristol you have a great run club, Left Handed Giant run club that have these types of events as well as Moti running shop on white ladies road. If you look I am sure there are many more. Ask other runners, drop into shops, read reviews online/magazines etc but most of all go on what feels good on the feet.
Having issues with rubbing or blisters when wearing your favourite shoe or a new shoe? Then try very sticky low friction plastic patches that you can stick on the inside of your shoe over any seam or sharp stitching etc to stop the rubbing (can get from most good running shops) or maybe look to change the insoles of the shoe or change your socks to specific running socks. Lots of different types of sock, from toes socks (my fave however they do look weird), to ones with 2 fabric layers that move over each other to reduce friction.
Don’t be sold on over-pronation high support shoes or bare foot running or changing your heel strike via a quick “gait analysis” on a treadmill. Simply, everyone is different and unique and we all will self-optimise our gait (running style) over years of repetition and adapting to loads and events (e.g. injuries) developing different movement patterns and strength to deal with it. Every one’s feet are supposed to pronate, or turn in, collapse of whatever fear mongering terminology that is used by someone trying to sell you a high support shoe. There is no better foot strike pattern for you compared to others and commonly see that people who are forefoot strikers toward the end of a marathon will end up mid foot or rear foot striking. And bare foot running is a whole other topic, which isn’t inherently better or worse for you, it comes with a lot of caveats. Also gait analysis is great if done correctly, when lots of factors are controlled or considered so don’t be sold something that doesn’t feel comfortable simply via a quick look on the treadmill. Most often than not it’s a lack of capacity to the intensity/ forces/ mileage we are doing that our body can’t cope with and thus causing pain, not necessarily because your foots pronating or your heel striking etc. As with everything what I am saying is very generalised and are always exceptions to this. A good gait analysis will look at your training history, strength, mobility and in-depth look from different angles of your running with reference to key angles and optimum known ‘normal’ (if such a thing) ranges and can be highly beneficial for top performers or those returning from significant injury.
Foot width- consider how wide your feet are and look to brands with large toe boxes (width) or variations within the same model of shoe that is wider. You tend to see this becoming more popular.
500 miles and then your shoes worn out? BUT in truth it totally depends on comfort and purpose your using them for. There isn’t anything proving 500 miles and they are warn out, yes there tread may be worn down a bit, a bit less cushioned, but look back to point 3 &4 and get some more use of them ;)However if they feel uncomfortable, detrimental to what your using them for or literally falling apart then you may consider buying some more trainers… oh what a shame. P.s. trainers cost extortionate prices so who can afford to buy new every 500miles?!
Water proof shoes… do you really need them? Lol. In my opinion no, your feet will get wet anyway, from the water that comes in over the top of the shoes… where you foot goes into the shoe… or it will get wet from sweating like a sausage in a plastic bag left out in the sun on a summer’s day. Embrace the wetness. Top tip if you are running long distances and with wet feet or in cold environment then have water proof high socks… (don’t keep your feet dry but very toasty) and if you can change socks and shoes if you can at checkpoints/ via crew.
Buy some that look cool AF! You will run faster :) In all seriousness you will train more like a pro and feel like a pro if you like your shiny new comfy trainers. It’s a state of mind as well physical preparation.
Overall if you have got your training principles right in how you are gradually building up your volume & intensify of running whilst maintaining your strength through a good range of movement and allowing for enough rest/recovery for adaptations to occur your type of shoe you pop on your feet has a much smaller influence on things like performance and injury as you may think.
I personally think you can’t take any short cuts and cheat the system, if you do it will catch up to you and kick you in the ass. You need to make sure you increase your mileage slowly, vary your training, have enough rest, listen to your body and make sure you are strong. You will make mistakes and you are likely to get injured or it definitely won’t go to plan, just don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over. Learn from them.
Train smarter not harder: build in consolidation/ recovery weeks every 4-6 weeks of training, increase volume by 5-10% a week (but this is very dependent on other factors, its only a rough guide), 80:20 rule (80% of your volume should be super easy and 20% really hard), training for marathons/ ultra or struggling with time around life use sandwich runs over consecutive days or within the same day, resistance training is key as well as recovery and fuelling your endeavours. Get the big foundation stones right for your training and then worry about the smaller stones that go on top, like footwear.
If you want to know more about how to prepare for a running event, whether that’s footwear, nutrition, hydration, training or resistance training then get in touch and I can provide you bespoke advise/ training to suit your needs helping you to achieve your goals.
Comments