Fitness Together Brecksville: What are Some Important Things to Look For in a Running Shoe?

Trainer Tuesdays

Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.

What are Some Important Things to Look For in a Running Shoe?

Taynee Pearson: A few important things to look for in running shoes are adequate support around the ankle region, enough support and cushioning, and the correct inner sole for the shape of your foot. There should be at least a thumb space between the end of your toes and the front of the shoe because as you run your foot shifts forward. The mid sole should fit like a glove and the back of the shoe should fit snug around the heel and ankle. Good running shoes should provide adequate support to prevent knee and ankle injuries.

Steven Madden: Not being a runner, I feel a bit ill informed on this issue. So I had to do some research. To my surprise, only a few sites even mention the one thing I knew for sure you had to understand, your arches. You need to understand if you have a flat arch, high arch or somewhere in the middle. Flat arches often lead to over pronation of the foot while high arches, naturally, lead to the other problem, supination. If your shoes do not address this issue, you lost before you've even stepped in them.

Next, check to see where the shoe flexes. If it does not flex along the same line as your foot, that will lead to comfort issues. The heel should be snug, but not tight. Also remember that with all the pounding your feet will be experiencing when running, your feet will swell. Because of that, you need to have some lateral room in your shoes as well, or your shoes will simply start to hurt your feet.

Remember, that everything needs to be comfortable, or why bother.

Kelly Bailey: As far as important equipment goes, the shoes you run in probably deserve more consideration than anything else you wear. There are literally hundreds of choices out there, so it can be difficult to know what to look for. I have recent personal experience with this. A few months back, I went into a popular shoe store in the mall. The teen working the counter hardly said hello when I came in, but I was dazzled by the brightly colored and sleek-looking running shoes neatly aligned on the wall. I bought a pair and ran in them for two months, only to end up with plantar fasciitis. I immediately stopped running, and high-tailed it to a local boutique dedicated to runners. The owner of the shop greeted me, and after hearing my story, got right to work figuring out what was causing my problem. She measured my feet, and watched me walk with shoes and without shoes. The problem: my feet pronate inward. The shoes I had bought at the mall were making it worse. I spent significantly more money on new running shoes, but they have been worth every penny. My plantar fasciitis is gone and I’m back to running.

Moral of the story: find a professional who can help identify any issues you have, and can set you up with the right shoe.

Jenn Noggle: Please excuse Jenn this week as she has been very busy training clients all day.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

What are Some Important Things to Look For in a Running Shoe?

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