Shoes could be answer to easier life on the run

10:18am Friday 1st August 2008

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LIMPING back from a training run with sore knees, painful shins and aching feet, it dawned on me that maybe my old worn-out running shoes were not helping me in my quest to be ready for the world’s biggest half marathon in October.

But as I made my way to the Up And Running shop in Fossgate, York, little did I know quite how important it was for runners to get their footwear right.

As the shop’s manager, Richard Lowson, quickly explained, the type of running shoe you need depends on the way you run – and if you have the wrong pair of shoes, you’re likely to be blighted by injury.

In simple terms, someone whose feet roll in when they run needs a stability shoe with more support around the mid-foot area, while someone whose feet roll forward needs a more flexible, neutral shoe.

According to Richard, the shape of the arches on your feet can play a big part in what shoe you need.

“If you have a flat foot,” he said, “there’s not much of an arch and you will be in need of a stability shoe. A basic test you can do at home is put your feet in some water and then stand on a piece of paper to see the shape of your foot.

“Someone with not much of their foot showing will have a high arch, while someone with the majority of their foot showing will have a low arch.”

But the best way to make sure you get the right shoe is to have your running gait digitally analysed – a service that is offered for free at Up And Running.

All you have to do is run on a treadmill for about a minute in a pair of neutral shoes, while a member of staff video records your foot strike and then analyses it.

Within seconds, Richard had me down as an “overpronator” – the technical term for someone whose feet roll in.

He then selected three different stability shoes and I was able to test these out on the treadmill to see which suited me best.

Richard, who is a member of Knavesmire Harriers, has an impressive marathon personal best of two hours 42 minutes – and is also more than happy to share his training tips with customers.

Eager to find out what I should be doing to maximise my chances of making it round the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run, I asked him for some advice.

“You don’t want to be training every day – every other day would be enough,” he said.

“And you want to be doing about one long run a week.

“So, if you’re up to six miles at the moment, there is no point in doing a ten-mile run straight away, because you will put too much stress on your body.

“There’s still lots of time to go and I would suggest building up your distance by ten per cent, either every week, or every other week.

“You don’t need to be doing any intensive speed training or hill training – it’s just a question of doing one long run a week and two or three slightly shorter runs of about half the distance.”

And if I was feeling more adventurous?

“If you want to try something a bit different, have a go at a tempo session,” he said.

“Find a set route, which is a couple of miles and run this route maintaining the same speed all the way round.

“The first time do it two or three times, with a minute’s recovery in between, and then work up to about five times.”

Richard also advised me to make sure I stretch well after every run and rehydrate – even on cold, or rainy days.

He said a cold bath straight after a run was also a good idea because the cold water relaxes overstretched muscles and reduces any swellings.

For more top tips, and to find out Richard’s favourite running routes around York, log on to www.upandrunning.co.uk/shops/york.php.

Incidentally, kitted out with a pair of running shoes that are perfectly suited to my running gait, my knees and shins have so far been completely pain free during my training runs.