Forums >Gears and Wears>Am I in the Right Shoe?
White Lightning
Hey all, could use a little help making sure I'm in the right shoe, hoping you can pretend to be my LRS.
I've run in the Brooks Adrenaline 12's for the last 8 months, on my third pair now, about 1000 miles. The left shoe is wearing heavily on the outside of the heal and the outside of the little toe. The right shoe is a bit different, wearing on the outside heal and on the inside of the big toe. I started pfitz 18/55 this week and running paces around a 4:00 ish marathon.
I've struggled with inner ankle pain that Doc calls Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, broken that ankle three times. I usually KT tape before anything over six miles and it "kind of" works but not all the time. When I'm not running and walking in my adrenaline 12's, my index toe goes numb on the left foot. I can walk barefoot, in sandals or my five fingers all day with no issues, like vacation site seeing walking, but can't walk in my running shoes. I'm a chef and on my feet for 8-10 hours a day at work in very flat clogs with almost no support, i'm very comfortable in them.
Here's video from the TM tonight, running at 10:00 min/mile, a comfortable easy pace for me in my Adrenaline 12's. Did a regular speed and slow motion video
Barefoot
Full Speed
Slow Motion
So if you were my LRS, would you want me to change anything from what i've told you and what you see?
Play the Game Hard!
It sounds like they are working for you since the ankle problems are due to a previous injury. I have severely flat and overpronated feet. If I don't have the right shoe, I have knee problems and shin splints. When I get too many miles on my shoes, my knees let me know.
MTA: I looked at your video. Your right foot is overpronating, but if it doesn't bother your knees or shins I don't think it is a problem. I am not an expert, but I think a few people on this board are.
I'm not sure if you had PTT on your right or left ankle (assuming right?) and I don't know what kind of circumstance(s) you had when you broke your ankle (right or left? same ankle or not???) 3 times. I wouldn't necessarily classify you as "over-pronation" though your right foot does turn more than left (doesn't mean you OVER-pronate; you simply pronate more on your right foot than left).
Your wear pattern difference is nothing to be alarmed about. Most people do that. The fact your right foot wears more toward big toe means you're "kicking" or "pushing-off" harder with your right foot (I'm assuming, when you say "inside the big toe", it's more like right underneath the big toe???). The slow motion view indicates that you "twist" your foot a bit with your right foot. I don't know if this and/or slight pronation on your right foot is the cause of PTT or because of PTT you do that...
Actually, my biggest concern is--I don't know if you actually run in those 5-fingers or barefoot but...--the fact you still land on your heel while running in 5-fingers. You can even hear "thug" twice as your foot lands. The whole idea of running barefoot/minimalist shoes is to eliminate this heel-landing and run more like tip-toe and you're not doing it. Perhaps one of the leading cause of injuries when people switch to minimalist shoes or barefoot is to carry on their "normal" heel-first running form to minimalist shoes. Hard to see without the side view of your running but I would suspect, and I checked the shadow on the wall, at "comfortable pace" of 10 minutes pace, you hardly show much "kick-up" and your legs are sticking quite a bit forward, hence landing on your heel. This means you are moving your legs like a pendulum, not like a circle. It's not a matter of landing on your heel or mid foot; or not a matter of wearing 5-fingers or thick bulky shoes that matter; but more of an issue of how you carry your legs.
Whether or not your current shoe is the right shoe or not; it's hard to say without seeing the shape of your foot (http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/blog/EntryDisplay.aspx?EntryID=124); and it appears that this thick bulky shoe with medial reinforcement seems to "eliminate" your slight twist on your right foot; I don't know if it's because it's "forcing" it not to twist. Pronation is a natural movement--some may do so too much; but there's a reason for this twist. It's not something you want to forcefully eliminate. I would suggest--in fact, strongly suggest--that your work on your form first; try to move your legs more like a circle, not a pendulum; learn to land more mid-foot; then gradually switch to more minimalistic shoes. You don't want to have too much underneath your heel--that's one reason why so many people over-pronate. The closer you are to the ground, the less torque you'll feel. Land hard on your heel--> need more cushion under your heel--> less stable you'll be--> get bulky shoes. It's a vicious cycle. If you want to break that chain, you'll have to cut it somewhere. Actually, when people started to switch to barefoot running; it's a hard-core switch. It would work better if you work on your form first, Not everybody successfully switch to barefoot/minimalist running. I see so many people showing off their barefoot or 5-finger running style slow motion and, yet, they're still landing hard on their heel. One of the biggest "don't do it that way" show-cases of all time.
Hey all, could use a little help making sure I'm in the right shoe, hoping you can pretend to be my LRS. I've run in the Brooks Adrenaline 12's for the last 8 months, on my third pair now, about 1000 miles. The left shoe is wearing heavily on the outside of the heal and the outside of the little toe. The right shoe is a bit different, wearing on the outside heal and on the inside of the big toe. I started pfitz 18/55 this week and running paces around a 4:00 ish marathon. I've struggled with inner ankle pain that Doc calls Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, broken that ankle three times. I usually KT tape before anything over six miles and it "kind of" works but not all the time. When I'm not running and walking in my adrenaline 12's, my index toe goes numb on the left foot. I can walk barefoot, in sandals or my five fingers all day with no issues, like vacation site seeing walking, but can't walk in my running shoes. I'm a chef and on my feet for 8-10 hours a day at work in very flat clogs with almost no support, i'm very comfortable in them. Here's video from the TM tonight, running at 10:00 min/mile, a comfortable easy pace for me in my Adrenaline 12's. Did a regular speed and slow motion video Barefoot Full Speed Slow Motion So if you were my LRS, would you want me to change anything from what i've told you and what you see?
Hey Josh!
Great questions, and thanks for posting the video... the fact that you have 1,000 miles on a shoe is probably the bigger issue vs. if it's "right" for you. I for sure think you are due for a new pair...
Other than that... I think a moderate stability shoe like the Adrenaline is probably the best category for you... I'm not a huge fan of video analysis because the more you break things down, the more you start to over-think things... which puts most people in a tricky situation.
Your right foot certainly pronates a bit more, but your knees and ankles seem to stay in line.
Treat yo'self to a new pair of Adrenalines you deserve it.
---------
Thanks for the advice everyone
Sethh - sorry, it's three pairs of adrenaline's totaling 1000 miles.
Nobby - i don't run in my five fingers, ever. That was just to show what was going on without any support. Broke my left ankle three times and never healed properly, 15 years ago, and have had the PTT ever since. The PTT causes me to change my stride when it gets irritated, usually slow running and I catch myself running with a limp. Seem to have no issues with MP or faster, just the slower easy paces and recovery paces. My right leg is much stronger than the left, I definitely push off harder. I have added strength training this cycle so hoping that helps and been going to PT for the last month.
That's interesting... If what most people say, and many pretenders who only follow what the popular notion directs, is true; your should have a problem (PTT) on your RIGHT ankle which seems to clearly (as someone else said) OVER-pronate... The degree of "pronation" your right ankle shows, to me, is well within the natural range--in other words, I wouldn't worry about it.
It also makes sense that you don't usually run in 5-fingers. You do not look like someone who runs barefoot or in 5-fingers regularly (though, like I said, some people still do).
Most LRS people would tell you, because your right ankle "over-pronate" that you should get some stability motion control shoes like Beast. I'd say that's the exact opposite of what you should do. And you'll need to work on your running form--the fact you feel better and more stable when you pick up the pace actually proves it. If you watch the original "Rocky", when he runs along the harbor, by a bit ship, and he's picking up the pace (during "Gonna Fly Now" training scene); you can easily see that, while he's running slower, his lower leg sticks out in front of him; but as he picks up the speed, his knees come up higher and his legs start to move more like a circle. The fact is; you don't have to move your legs like a pendulum when you run slower. You can play around with this simple exercise; you stand about 2 feet away from the wall, put your both hands against the wall, about the shoulder height... You should lean slightly forward as you stand very straight, with your back straight, all the way from the tip of your head down to your feet. Run on the spot gently as if you're trying to push the wall down. Your knees would go up and down like a pump... And THAT is the image you want to have when you run...regardless of how fast or slow you're running. Make sure you keep your back leg straight--in other words, don't "sit in a bucket".
Thanks for the advice everyone Sethh - sorry, it's three pairs of adrenaline's totaling 1000 miles. Nobby - i don't run in my five fingers, ever. That was just to show what was going on without any support. Broke my left ankle three times and never healed properly, 15 years ago, and have had the PTT ever since. The PTT causes me to change my stride when it gets irritated, usually slow running and I catch myself running with a limp. Seem to have no issues with MP or faster, just the slower easy paces and recovery paces. My right leg is much stronger than the left, I definitely push off harder. I have added strength training this cycle so hoping that helps and been going to PT for the last month.