You know how we all have subjects that we have little soap box moments about. When it comes to running I have a few…one is the need for appropriate support up top, when I see a lady running with her boobies bouncing all over the place I cringe and often grab my own in an attempt to support her. I usually want to yell advice over my shoulder along the lines of ‘get a proper bra’. It’s no good having a great runner’s body and boobs that sag down to your belly button. Seriously.
Another is groups of people, for f**cks sake don’t take up the entire path just for the sake of your conversation, it’s just rude to everyone else around. Runners and walkers alike.
But, the big one is shoes.
I am by no means an expert but I have had more than my fair share of foot and ankle injury so I have listened to what professionals have told me and learned from the experience.
Our feet are out platform, they are the workhorses of our body that spend a good percentage of our day carrying us around and generally being used and abused. Have you ever tried lifting your body weight with your upper body? I can leg press my body weight, plus more, but I still can’t quite manage a chin up. Bench press it or dead lift it? Forget it. Our feet do a lot more work than we probably give them credit for. And then we do something crazy like try and run on them and amplify the forces we are subjecting them too. Or worse, we do it wearing the wrong shoes. It's cruel!
I have run on and off for a good 20 years or more. Shoes and the related sciences have changed a lot over the years but one thing remains the same, if you want to run you need the right pair of shoes for you. Also, lets face it, we’re not as young as we once wore and the sad truth is that an older body is far less accommodating of and able to repair minor and repetitive damage that can be caused during the high impact of running, and even walking. Don’t choose a pair of shoes that will be used for high impact sport or exercise because they look good or are a great bargain.
I have suffered two injuries at the hands of my shoes. The first time was in late 2010, when I first started running regularly again. I needed a new pair of shoes. I knew that I needed them. I needed to wait until next time I was in Adelaide to get properly fitted but unfortunately that was enough time running and walking in them to do damage. Tendonitis in one ankle is not a pretty thing, it’s worse when you have it in both. Let alone having to look after four kids when it hurts to walk.
It was a case of old shoes not providing enough support that lead to my ankles taking too much of a pounding. Did you know that it’s recommended to replace your running/walking shoes every 700km or so? That’s about all they are good for, irrespective of how ‘still new’ looking they might be. If you are running and/or walking for exercise 3-4 times each week you will actually clock up those kms pretty quickly. With all the run tracking apps available it’s not even hard to keep an eye on it.
One of the worst things about having hurt your feet and not being able to walk properly is you leave the rest of your body susceptible to further injury. Have you ever ‘thrown’ your back out a bit because you were limping for some reason? Likewise, ended up with a sore knee because a bung foot was throwing you off balance?
My second injury is more recent. I am still suffering at its’ hands unfortunately.
Again, I knew that I needed new shoes, but this time I did something about it immediately. I went to Athlete’s Foot, a place where they ‘analyse’ your feet and gait to determine whether your foot has a high, neutral or flat arch and should recommend a new pair of shoes accordingly, dependant on what you want to use them for.
Unfortunately I was sold a pair of shoes that never should have been considered for my neutral arches. The shoes I was sold had way to much support for my feet which resulted in damage to my arches during the heel strike phase of each run pace. The most ‘supportive’ (or expensive) pair of shoes is not necessarily the best pair for you.
A couple of weeks later, by which time there was obviously a problem, I visited a specialist running shoe store. I took my new shoes with me and again had my feet and gait analysed. I walked out of the store with the right kind of shoes for my feet. I also left armed with a lot more knowledge about my feet, what is right for me and the differences between different pairs of shoes. For example, I think all the new, brightly coloured Nike shoes look amazing but I’ll never be wearing a pair to run in because they are all totally wrong for my feet, and I know why. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions about why these are the right shoes for you. If your shoe salesperson can’t answer adequately go somewhere else to buy your shoes.
To Athletes’ Foot credit I took the offending shoes back, with about 100km less rubber, spoke to the manager and she refitted me and replaced the wrong shoes with the right ones. But, by then the damage had been done.
Whatever shoes you end up with it’s important to give your feet a bit of TLC yourself. Aim to build strength in your legs before you start running too much, especially if you are overweight, consider starting with low or no impact cardio (like bike riding or swimming) for starters. Strengthening your calf muscles will help enormously to protect your ankles, just like a stronger core will help to protect your back.
I love hearing about other peoples’ running journeys. Do you run? What do you Love most about it? What’s your best piece of advice, shoe related or otherwise?
Tatum xx
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