It might be tempting to lace up whatever sneakers you have on hand, head outside, and start your run. But training in any old pair of shoes is never a good idea. In fact, running in the wrong shoes can be painful, or even cause injury. Your shoes absorb a lot of shock with every stride, and without the right shoe to absorb that shock, your run can take a toll on your body. Here are three common mistakes runners make when it comes to choosing and maintaining their footwear, and how to avoid making those mistakes.
Picking the wrong running shoe.
The type of shoe you should use will be based on your foot shape and your gait. Choosing the wrong shoe can lead to blisters and bruises—or worse—injuries such as stress fractures, tendonitis, or Plantar Fasciitis. Avoid these injuries by having a gait analysis to assess your gait. Then visit a good running shoe store that can watch you run and recommend a shoe based on your movements. Keep in mind: it’s best to purchase the exact shoe they recommend, not the cooler color or the shoe that feels like you are running “on a cloud.” This should be your primary training shoe.
Keeping your shoes too long.
FX Physical Therapy has talked with a lot of shoe experts at Under Armour, and no matter how high-quality the shoe, the foam in the shoe will eventually break down over time. Don’t keep your shoes for more than 300 miles or longer than 6 months—even if you haven’t been running in the shoe regularly. Older shoes from last year won’t have the same absorption capacity as a new shoe. Shoes will also break down more quickly if you often run in rainy weather, or keep your shoes in your hot car all day.
Switching to minimalist footwear.
This trend has slowed down in recent years, but minimalist footwear is still out there. Many of these shoes often claim to mimic “running barefoot” to strengthen the muscles in your feet. The truth is, changing the amount of stability in your footwear can not only change the foot’s strike position, but also change loading response through varied joints. The body needs time to adapt to this type of footwear, so you have to give it time. I tell people that it’s easily a six-month transition to return to your current training mileage if you decide to go minimal (4mm to 0mm drop shoes). You may have to switch to run-walk progressions for awhile so your body can acclimate to the change. The benefits are not proven, but many people like these types of shoes, so who’s to judge?
Remember: It’s not always about the shoe.
You might think it’s the shoe causing you problems, but that’s not always the case. For example, many people train on treadmills, but treadmills are not natural. A treadmill pulls the foot into extension during stance phase on it’s own, thus not engaging normal hip extensor reflexes and knee drive, which drives poor running form. Most people also change their Center of Mass (COM) on a treadmill, causing them to run too upright. Treadmills should be used sparingly, and I would argue the cold days or rainy days should be used for cross training. Runners need it!
I also often see runners change their pace based on their distance. For example, I’ve heard runners say “I usually run 8:30 mile for my normal distance days, but now that I’m training for a marathon I’m running at a 10:00 mile pace.” Don’t slow down! Slowing your pace and increasing your mileage can modify your form. Your normal running cadence is neurological and should not be altered due to increased mileage goals. Instead, train up to the mileage at your standard pace.
Have the wrong shoes slowed you down? Our Baltimore physical therapists can perform a run gait analysis to check your movement and form, then assign corrective exercises to fix any faulty movement patterns and boost your performance. Call or stop in one of our locations to make an appointment.
