I’ve always maintained that running is a very simple sport. Left, right, repeat. Or is it right, left, repeat?
In either case, we do participate in a sport uncomplicated by many of the usual impediments to enjoyment. And I’ve similarly always insisted that there are only two things necessary to successfully run: a right shoe and a left shoe. All the other elements, like good technical apparel and socks, while unquestionably adding to the enjoyment, pale by comparison with the imperative of the shoes.
I’ve been fortunate to work for most of the last ten years in Knoxville’s only specialty running shop, and, during that time, I’ve learned a great deal about shoes and feet. Probably the single biggest factor in successfully fitting shoes to an individual’s needs is an accurate biomechanical assessment of the feet.
One of the great misconceptions about feet and running shoes is the wet footprint test. Somehow the idea got out there that one can determine the biomechanical needs of the foot by looking at a wet footprint. What that tells us is the exact shape of the foot when wet. Sure, there are correlations and generalizations that can be drawn from that footprint, but, like most generalizations, they’re largely worthless in any specific case.
What we look for is the degree of pronation exhibited by the foot, or rather, the feet, as it is not at all uncommon for an individual to exhibit to wildly mismatched feet, in size, shape and biomechanical characteristics. We do that by watching and assessing exactly what the runner’s foot does from the instant it contacts the ground to the moment it pushes off and leaves the ground. We visually measure the degree of pronation.
Pronation, contrary to popular opinion, is not a four-letter word. (I just counted: there’s nine!) Pronation is the body’s natural shock absorber and stabilizer, and a normal amount is not only very healthy, without it, a whole set of problems associated with the rigid foot comes into play.
The problem is when the foot rolls wildly inward after landing. That is overpronation. (13 letters – very unlucky!) The arch flattens too much, too soon. As a result, the lower leg rotates inward, causing many problems, the worst of which involves a shearing rotational force on the knee cartilage. We are born with a fixed amount of knee cartilage, and when’s it gone, baby, it’s gone. It is not blessed with a very good blood supply, hence its capability to repair itself is quite limited. And when the knee cartilage is gone, it’s time to find a new favorite sport.
Although every foot is different, there are three main categories into which virtually every person’s feet fall, depending on the amount of support required to either limit, allow or encourage pronation. Those of us who need pronation limited are in the majority. Therefore stability and motion control shoes are also in the majority. Fifteen years ago, a diagnosis of significant overpronation was cause for alarm and dismay, as the stability shoes of that period could be likened to concrete overshoes. Fortunately, over the past ten years, shoes have been hybridized quite nicely, and today’s stability shoes can be a delight to run in.
The biomechanically blessed, who need nothing from a shoe other than adequate shock absorption, can run in what we call neutral shoes, and they’re typically very well cushioned, and often light and playful. Fitting these folks is as simple as recommending a shoe that matches well with the contours of the foot and feels wonderful.
That’s the bottom line, no matter what category a runner finds herself in. The proper running shoe should feel good. No, make that great. Nothing less is acceptable. If you’re running in a shoe that just feels okay, you need to find a different shoe. There are so many models on the market, there’s no excuse for ambivalence. Select, don’t settle.
And, like most rules, these guidelines about pronation and shoe selection can be broken. Not everyone who exhibits a flat foot is an overpronator, nor does everyone who has a high arch possess a neutral foot. Recognizing that, one directive we observe as often as possible in our shop is the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This means that if you walk in wearing a certain shoe, in spite of what looks like a foot absolutely anitithetical to that shoe, and you honestly have been logging large amounts of mileage successfully, we’re going to recommend that you stay with that shoe, even though it looks like it might not be the right shoe for you. If it works, stay with it.
One of the statements that drives us crazy is hearing a customer say, “I’ve been wearing the Such-and-Such and it works great and I’m uninjured, but I want to try something else just for the hell of it.” Dumb and dumber. It’s hard to find just the right shoe; why mess with success? Who knows if the replacement shoe is going to work for you? Why risk it?
Without a proper fitting running shoe, there’s a whole world of ailments just waiting to strike you down and carve a huge void into your fitness. Problems as simple as blisters can keep a runner down for days. Shin splints, while rarely serious, can be absolutely debilitating. Plantar fasciitis, a crippling ailment for runner and non-runner alike, is maddening in that sometimes it comes and goes at its whim, yet sometimes lingers on for months, if not longer, and won’t abdicate without some fairly stringent therapeutic intervention. And then there’s the knee. That most wondrous yet fragile of joints, it is beaten to death by many of us, especially those of us who don’t pay enough attention to wearing the right running shoes.
And it’s not just selecting the right running shoe, either. It is extremely important to change shoes with some frequency. The rule of thumb (rule of toe?) is that every 400 miles new shoes should be acquired. Perhaps better is to track mileage and indeed replace shoes at such an interval, but also use a system of rotation, whereby the runner is not running every single run in the same exact pair of shoes. The injuries that strike us down are typically not the acute traumatic incidents, but rather the result of repetitive force of each foot absorbing triple our body weight about 800 times per mile for however many thousands of miles. It’s the overuse injuries that cripple most runners, either occasionally or permanently, depending on how assiduously we listen to our bodies at any given time.
I’m not trying to scare anyone in buying a lot of running shoes. I’m just stating the facts. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE BRAND. Every brand out there, Asics, Brooks, Nike, Saucony, Adidas, New Balance, Mizuno, you name it, almost every brand makes a shoe that, by definition, could be appropriate for your footstrike. Just because you know someone who swears by (or swears at) a certain brand, that has no bearing on your situation. Again: IT IS NOT ABOUT THE BRAND. It’s about the category. If you don’t already know whether you’re an underpronator (there’s only a few of you out there – don’t think you’re an underpronator just because you wear out the outside of your heel; everyone does that!), or a neutral runner, or a mild overpronator, or a severe overpronator, then go to a running specialty shop or a knowledgeable physical therapist and find out. Then go try on some shoes.
And try them on with your feet, not your eyes. Don’t get me started on color!
To sum up, a runner can expect a long life of running if — and only if — shoes are selected wisely and purchased relatively frequently, and if – and only if — a training regimen is selected and followed with the adage in mind that we must listen to our bodies. Any other plan of action is playing with fire. And, sooner or later, you’ll get burned.
