shoes

[via_ostiense]

What shoes do you prefer for running? My old sneakers have developed holes in too many places to ignore, so I went to the sports shop and bought a pair of athletic shoes from the sale section. They fit and were cheap, but I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a more expensive pair (and possibly better?) from the Running section of the store next time. Or is that just marketing?

Comments

[ilanarama]

It depends a bit on how much you run. If you run more than 20 miles/week, and/or are relatively heavy (not necessarily overweight - tall and proportionate is still heavy), and/or have mechanical issues like flat feet or leg length differences, you will probably want real running shoes chosen to match your needs. If you have no pains or injuries in your cheap shoes, and you don't have any of the above issues, it probably doesn't matter.

I was fine in cheap shoes until I started running more, and started developing plantar fasciitis (a very common running injury). I had a gait analysis at my local running store, and the shoe they recommended totally solved the problem. I tend to buy my shoes from their sale rack (the last year's model) or online (also last year's model) to save money.

[38thparallel]

I started running with a pair cross trainers that were about 3 years old. They made my legs feel like tree trunks. Then, I switched to a $20 Reebok running shoe from my local sporting goods store. They wore out so fast, I wanted to cry. Finally, I shelled out the big bucks ($80) and bought a pair of Saucony Kinvaras. I LOVE the Kinvara. They last me about 6 months, but I can definitely feel the difference when I run (compared to the cross trainers and the Reebok shoes).

I'd start with trying on a pair of running shoes to gauge whether you feel any differences (in terms of support and weight). Asking the people at your local shoe/running store to observe your gait and posture is also very helpful. The folks at my local store were able to recommend a particular shoe to help alleviate my husband's knee pain.

[heuradys]

I run barefoot, which has solved all of my knee and foot issues, so my vote is no shoes!

However, if that's not for you, there is research to back up the fact you really have less chance of injury in cheaper shoes and also when the cushioning starts to break down.

[via_ostiense]

What kinds of surfaces do you run on? I had Five-fingers for a while and *loved* running in them, but they were too expensive and wore out every three months like clockwork. I would like to try barefoot running again, but I'm afraid of stepping on glass and dog poop.

[heuradys]

I'm running on pretty much anything these days, both asphalt and trails. Lately I've been cursing acorns more than anything.

If your VFFs are wearing out, it sounds like you're maybe landing wrong and pushing off instead of lifting your feet. I own many pairs of VFFs, but this summer they started driving me nuts. Now I only wear them if I know the trail I'm going on has a lot of little cut off stabby stumps or entirely too many thistles. And, it turns out, you can learn some really bad habits in VFFs - I did!

I strongly recommend checking out Barefoot Ken Bob's website: http://therunningbarefoot.com/begin-here/ and book: Barefoot Running Step By Step. He was in town here a few weeks back and ten minutes in a running store parking lot showed me several things I could be doing much better, like bending my knees and relaxing. *g* I went out hunting for gravel a couple days later.

There's likely a chapter of the Barefoot Runners Society (http://barefootrunners.org) in your area, too.

There's less broken glass around than you'd think. And dog poop - if you can't avoid it - is easier to wash off a bare foot than a waffle-patterned shoe sole. *g*

< /tl:dr >

thanks for the links

[via_ostiense]

When you take a step, do you land with your heel or with the front bit of your foot? (After reading therunningbarefoot, I have now spent a couple minutes running around my apt in socks trying to figure out how to do this correctly.) I'm inspired to try barefoot running around my neighborhood! I have a half marathon coming up in two weeks, so I'm planning to stick to training and running in shoes for that, but doing a short run (1.6 mi) around the neighborhood to get a feel for barefoot running. It would certainly solve the problem of running shoes being expensive.

Re: thanks for the links

[heuradys]

You're welcome. *G*

Land on the ball of your foot. It's really a three part sort of landing, like ball-toes-heel then lift. If your heel doesn't touch down, your calves get really sore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIL07uYAW-Q

Try a few hundred feet first. Or tool around a parking lot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bckWtBwjxI

Good luck on that half marathon! I've got a 9-ish mile trail race in 9 days and I plan to do at least the last mile barefoot. Darned acorns!