Running shoes

[BarbaraGordon]

I have always used the Air Max Triax plus Spenco orthotic inserts. (got all that?) But I've heard that if you're going to use an ultra-supportive shoe like that, then you need to run barefoot or in a minimal shoe once a week to keep your musculature and placement in check.

I have no idea what any of that means.

[UteStar]

Patrick Swayze doesn't need to wear any shoes. His feet barely touch the floor at any time. But, if he was forced to choose a pair of shoes, he would probably go with something from LA Gear.

[marsupial]

Usually I go to a running store, let them see me run and then have them point out the shoes that work best for my gait. From those I buy the ones that feel the best. Right now I am in Saucony.

[ewth8tr]

Originally Posted by marsupial

Usually I go to a running store, let them see me run and then have them point out the shoes that work best for my gait. From those I buy the ones that feel the best. Right now I am in Saucony.

Thats what I did last night. I ran in 5 different shoes before deciding on the Nike Air Structured Triax+10's.

[il Padrino Ute]

It's all about the Chuck Taylor's

[bluegoose]

How did I miss this thread. I must have been distracted by the grace, beauty and form of Patrick's pirouette in Utestars avatar....

Regarding running barefoot to strengthen foot and leg muscles, the prevailing thought is that the only people that will benefit from doing that are those that are going to be racing in the sand,,,, or barefoot,,,, or barefoot in the sand, or, well you get the picture. Its not necessary for those reasons mentioned earlier for the recreational runner who spends most or all of their time on the pavement.

The best way to strengthen foot and ankle stabilizing muscles for a recreational runner is simply to run in whatever environment you plan to run the most in. Despite your best effort to strengthen foot and ankle muscles, you'll still not be able to overcome the abnormal forces placed on the foot during running with a poor shoe. The advice given in the other thread about starting a new program is good to avoid early season overuse injuries. Late season injuries are usually a combination of too many miles without a good base on a poor or worn out pair of shoes.

I'm not so sure there is such a thing as a running shoe that is too structured for most people's foot type. 80% of us are overpronators to a certain degree, obviously some moreso than others. The rest are supintors with a somewhat rigid foot type. The supintor will likely benefit from a more cushioned type shoe, for comfort sake only, but they will likely not have any biomechanical problems from using a shoe that is "too rigid".


I'm not totally familiar with the Nike Max Triax, but Nike is making a good comeback of late in making a higher quality running shoe. A spenco insert is often a good addition for comfort and for some stability. A semi-rigid foot orthotic is also a good option for those people that aren't able to get enough stability for their foot through the entire gait cycle.

Take home message - start with a good foundation, meaning there is no substitute for a good pair of well-fitting shoes. If you want to run barefoot through the sand, by all means, feel free. But its probably not going to make you a better or less-injury prone runner.

[bluegoose]

Oh, if I haven't mentioned it already, I wear Brooks Adrenaline running shoes for many of the same reasons that bigpiney mentioned. I feel like they control my rearfoot motion pretty well at heel strike and also have good support through the mid and late stance phase.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Regarding running barefoot to strengthen foot and leg muscles, the prevailing thought is that the only people that will benefit from doing that are those that are going to be racing in the sand,,,, or barefoot,,,, or barefoot in the sand, or, well you get the picture. Its not necessary for those reasons mentioned earlier for the recreational runner who spends most or all of their time on the pavement.

Cool! I like your answer. Running without the Air Max line sounds like my own personal version of hell. Thanks!

[ewth8tr]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

How did I miss this thread. I must have been distracted by the grace, beauty and form of Patrick's pirouette in Utestars avatar....

Regarding running barefoot to strengthen foot and leg muscles, the prevailing thought is that the only people that will benefit from doing that are those that are going to be racing in the sand,,,, or barefoot,,,, or barefoot in the sand, or, well you get the picture. Its not necessary for those reasons mentioned earlier for the recreational runner who spends most or all of their time on the pavement.

The best way to strengthen foot and ankle stabilizing muscles for a recreational runner is simply to run in whatever environment you plan to run the most in. Despite your best effort to strengthen foot and ankle muscles, you'll still not be able to overcome the abnormal forces placed on the foot during running with a poor shoe. The advice given in the other thread about starting a new program is good to avoid early season overuse injuries. Late season injuries are usually a combination of too many miles without a good base on a poor or worn out pair of shoes.

I'm not so sure there is such a thing as a running shoe that is too structured for most people's foot type. 80% of us are overpronators to a certain degree, obviously some moreso than others. The rest are supintors with a somewhat rigid foot type. The supintor will likely benefit from a more cushioned type shoe, for comfort sake only, but they will likely not have any biomechanical problems from using a shoe that is "too rigid".


I'm not totally familiar with the Nike Max Triax, but Nike is making a good comeback of late in making a higher quality running shoe. A spenco insert is often a good addition for comfort and for some stability. A semi-rigid foot orthotic is also a good option for those people that aren't able to get enough stability for their foot through the entire gait cycle.

Take home message - start with a good foundation, meaning there is no substitute for a good pair of well-fitting shoes. If you want to run barefoot through the sand, by all means, feel free. But its probably not going to make you a better or less-injury prone runner.

thanks for the info. After buying my Triax's, I found out that they received the runners world editors choice award recently. I use the Superfeet Green insoles and after a few runs where the outside of my foot was really hurting, my feet are finally used to everything and I can't believe the difference between these and my old running shoes, especially in eliminating the shin pain I was having.