Day 45: Shoe Tips on my Day off
First, I'd like to congratulate my friend and high school teammate Brian Baker for completing the Utah Valley Half Marathon in 1:34.10 (7:11 pace) and wish him the best of luck in his continued training for the St. George Marathon on October 3, where he hopes to run a 3:10 Boston qualifying time in his marathon debut.
While I take this Sunday off to rest my lower back, I'll take a minute to answer some questions about shoes that have recently been posed to me.
Most importantly, you want to make sure you go to a running shoe store to get fitted for at least your first pair of shoes. Because everyone's foot is different, there is no one best running shoe. You need to find out what type of shoe works best for you in order to avoid injuries. Different types of shoes include neutral, motion controlled, stability, and a few others suited for the more elite and biomechanically efficient runners. Employees at running shoe stores should be able to identify which you are based on your foot arch, pronation, and more.
As far as brand goes, no one brand is best either. I've found many brands work well for me. Some people might prefer one brand to another due to the width of their foot, the structure of their toes, their foot strike, and more. I've run in Asics, Nike, New Balance, and Brooks and have liked them all. Currently, since I wear neutral shoes, I run in Asics Gel Nimubs and Nike Zoom Vomero. I have decided to run my marathon in the Vomeros, so I wear them exclusively on my tempo and long runs in order to provide me with maximum cushioning for several months. A few weeks before my marathon, I'll buy a new pair. I will make sure I run 50-100 miles in them before the marathon, so they are broken in, yet still early in their life and continue to provide full comfort and support.
Some people alternate between different pairs of shoes each day. I've heard some say they do this because it takes a day for the shoe's padding to recover to its original form after the pounding from the run. I'm not sure about that, but to each their own. I wear the Asics more because they are heavier and have more cushion, while I wear the Nikes on my more intense runs because they are lighter and faster.
It's also important to monitor how many miles you run in your shoes. The rule of thumb is to change out your shoes every 300-500 miles. That range depends on a few things like the force of your foot strike, the surface you run on, and how much you wear them when you are not running. I tend to get pretty close to 500 miles out of my shoes.
I've found that when my runners have fallen into a rut or started suffering minor, reoccuring injuries, it more often than not has to do with worn out shoes.
A few other tips:
If you get a lot of blisters, black toes, or if you lose tonails, ask for a shoe with a wider toe box. These ailments often occur when shoes aren't tied tight enough and the foot slips back and forth, especially on a downhill.
If you are injury prone, I recommend you try Hokas. They are a relatively new brand that provide an amazing amount of support and stability.
If you are an excessive heal striker, you might want to try Newtons. They are another newer brand that are structured to help get you off your heel and onto your forefoot.
If you still have any questions, please leave them in the comment box below.
