Pick the Shoe That's Right for You

RunnerDude's Blog is really pleased to say that this post has been sponsored by Sears. Sears has asked RunnerDude's Blog to help spread the word about it's new initiative "Sears Fitness First" and the fact that you can find all the shoes you need to help get fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle right at Sears.  Runners, you'll find brands like New Balance, Reebok, Asics and more. In addition to offering a great array of running shoes to chose from, Sears has also produced a series of videos hosted by celebrity trainer Brett Hoebel. You may remember him as one of the celebrity trainers from last season's The Biggest Loser.

Also, be sure to check out the Sears Fitness First button/link in the top right-hand sidebar of the blog for a quick link to the Sears Fitness First website.

 Sears Sponsored Shoe Giveaway!
Congrats to Jay De Boer, Winner of the Free Running Shoes Giveaway Drawing Sponsored by Sears Fitness First! 

Still Not Sure What Shoe is Best for You?

As a running coach who works with a great deal of new runners, I've discovered there are three camps when it comes to new runners and running shoes. Some newbies come to the sport with no clue they need a good quality running shoe. They show up in their 5-year-old knock-about-sneakers. Other new runners figure they need new shoes, so they buy what looks cool or what matches their outfit. And still others know a little about the different types of running shoes, but have no idea what they need and are overwhelmed by all the terms and lingo associated with running shoes.

Who'd a thunk that something that goes on your feet could be so technical and have become such a huge industry—about $4 billion a year in America. Buying new running shoes can be fun, exciting, frustrating, and expensive—especially for newcomers. Once you start looking for a pair, you quickly get bombarded with terms like, overpronator, supinator, motion-control, neutral, semi-curved last, curved last, midsole, yada, yada, yada. So how do you know which shoe is right for you?

To be competitive, shoe companies have added all sorts of bells and whistles to their running shoe lines. As a runner, especially a new runner, be careful not to let the cool features keep you from purchasing the shoe that best fits your foot type.

In order to do that, you need to know a little about your foot type. There's a really simple test you can do to determine this. All you need is a brown paper grocery bag, a cotton ball, and some cooking oil. Lay the bag flat on the floor. Using a cotton ball, spread a thin layer of cooking oil on the bottom of both feet (bare). Next, carefully step onto the bag to make a set of footprints.

Now examine your prints and compare them to the illustration.

• Solid print—you're what is known as an overpronator. This usually means you have a very low arch or "flat feet." When you run your foot tends to roll too far inward. Pronation in itself is not a problem, but runners with flat feet, tend to pronate too much and need a more rigid shoe that provides stability or good motion control.  
• Slight curve—you're referred to as neutral. This means you have a regular arch and you're a normal pronator. You're the lucky runner in that you can run in most any type of running shoe. A bigger or heavier neutral runner may want a shoe with some stability, while a smaller/lighter runner may benefit from a neutral shoe with some cushion.
• Large curve—you're an underpronator (or a supinator). Basically, underpronators have high arches. Underpronators can experience too much shock in the leg because the excessively high arch prevents normal shock absorption. A regular arch will collapse a little during the foot strike absorbing some of the shock. To help aid in the shock absorption, underpronators need a neutral shoe with extra cushion.

Another test you can do is to have a running buddy check your stance. Stand upright in bare feet. Be sure to stand in your usual standing posture. Don't try to correct anything. Have your buddy stand behind you and observe the position of your lower legs and ankles. If your ankles roll inward like the first picture, chances are you're an overpronator. If your stance is pretty straight with no inward or outward lean at the ankle, chances are you're neutral. And, if your ankles tend to roll outward like the third picture, chances are you're an underpronator.

None of these self-checks are 100% foolproof, they're just merely simple checks to help lead you to the right shoe. The best option is to visit your local running store and have them check your footstrike and running gate. And the best test of all is to buy a shoe that feels great from the get-go.  

Another thing to keep in mind is the height of the shoe's heel. A shoe with a bigger heel-to-toe drop tends to promote heel-striking which can lead to injury, if it's severe. Traditional running shoes on average have a 12-13mm drop from the heel to the toe. A shoe that has a heel-drop lower than that will help to promote more of a midfoot landing, helping you work more with the road as you run instead of against it.

Once you've determined your specific needs and you're ready to try on some shoes, be sure you do it in the afternoon, after you've been on your feet all day. You'd be surprised how much difference there is in your feet from the beginning of the day to the end. If you buy shoes in the morning you may be surprised that they feel too tight when you go for your afternoon run the next day. Also, make sure your shoes fit snugly in the heel and give you enough room in the toe box. Buying a shoe is often a lot of trial and error, but hopefully this information will help you find the shoe just right for you.

When should you replace your shoes? Rule of thumb is your shoes should be replaced about every 300-500 miles. This varies from runner to runner. A larger runner may breakdown his/her shoes more quickly and may need new shoes closer to the 300-mile mark while a lighter runner may make it closer to the 500-mile mark.

Knees, Knees, Woe the Knees

In two recent posts, I shared two main causes of knee pain for runners—Iliotibial Band Syndrome and muscle imbalance. There are a few other culprits that may be worth checking out if you've addressed the other two causes and you're still having problems—overpronation and leg-length discrepancy.

Almost every runner pronates to some degree. This is normal, but when a runner overpronates sometimes it can cause problems. There's a really simple test you can do to determine if you over-pronate. All you need is a brown paper grocery bag, a cotton ball, and some cooking oil. Lay the bag flat on the floor. Using a cotton ball, spread a thin layer of cooking oil on the bottom of both feet (bare). Next, carefully step onto the bag to make a set of footprints. Now examine your prints and compare them to the illustration. If you have a solid print, you're what is known as an overpronator. Ever heard of the term "flat-foot?" That's you. If you have slight curve in the middle of your print, you're neutral. If you have a very significant curve in the middle of your prints, you're a underpronator or supinator.

Now having said all of that, not everyone fits perfectly into a category. For example, I have running friends who have flat feet but have a neutral gate and I have running buddies who have high arches that overpronate. Having a gate analysis done where someone observes your actual running gate is the best method for determining your specific gate. Many local running stores as well as sports medicine doctors can examine your gate and help you determine the best running shoe for you.

If you determine that you do overpronate, make sure you use shoes that offer more anti-pronation features. The key word to look for in the shoe description is "stability." If you've tried stability shoes and still have problems, you may want to consult your sports doc and see if orthodics are in order. The sports doc can also help rule out other knee problems that might be causing the pain.

Another possibility for your knee pain could be leg-length discrepancy (one leg shorter than the other). My good friend Gary has been a runner for many years. But a year or so ago, he started having problems with his knees, especially when he upped his mileage. It got so bad that he had to stop running for a while. He went to his sports doc and discovered he actually had one leg longer than the other.

I did a little research and come-to-find-out leg-length difference is often a factor in knee pain. The reason it's a problem is because your body will try to compensate for the discrepancy. For example, your body may try to flatten the foot, drop the hip, or bend the knee to try and make up for the difference in length—all of which adds pressure on the knee.

Putting an orthodic such as a heel raise in the shoe of the shorter leg may be the answer, but you need to have a sports doc determine the cause of the discrepancy first. The difference in length could be something the person was born with and never really noticed until (like my friend) the mileage was upped and the pressure on the knee got to be too much, resulting in pain. Or, the pain could be due to inflexible hips or pelvic rotation, which is often the reason for leg length differences. If inflexible hips or pelvic rotation is the culprit, the doc may prescribe a series of stretches and/or exercises that may completely correct or dramatically reduce the leg-length difference. When this is done, the over compensation should end and your knee pain should go away.
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Now, a good friend of mine—Josh-the Barefoot Runner—will tell you that shoes in general are the culprit. Shoes do tend to make heel-strikers out of many runners. Heel-striking can jar the body causing lots of problems. You can learn to run with a mid-foot or fore-foot strike to alleviate this problem, but it is a little harder to do in shoes. I'm not a heel-striker and I wear shoes. But, if you're interested, check out my post on Josh and his barefoot running. Many barefoot runners will tell you that a whole host of ailments disappeared when they began barefoot running. Josh had several bouts with ITBS and it completely disappeared once he began barefoot running. So, it's definitely worth checking out and you may find that it's just the answer you've been looking for.

Bottom line. Having knee pain doesn't have to mean the end to your running. Take some time and find the root of your problem. Chances are you may be able to correct it and be back on the road in no time!

A Picture (Video) is Worth 1000 Words

In a previous post Which Shoe's Right for You? I described three types of running gates - neutral, overpronator, and underpronator. Sometimes a visual, better yet, a video clip, can help clarify something that may be a little hard to picture in your mind's eye. I found that to be the case for myself when reading about the various types of running gates. That is, until I discovered three video clips produced by Runner's World. The close-up view of runners exemplifying the tree different types of gates plus the added use of slow motion special effects, clearly reveals the difference between a neutral, overpronator, and an underpronator gate. After looking at the video clips below, use the cool Runner's World Shoe Finder Widget located in the right nav of the blog to help you find the perfect running shoe.