Finally the last week or so I have been able to run with no noticeable discomfort in my lower right leg. Woo hoo. Anyway running every other day or so on the treadmills. 20 minutes. A little over 2 miles each time. So far so good.
I've had a couple of people ask me about shoes, so I thought this would be a good topic to start with this year. There are hundreds if not thousands of choices available in running shoes. Running shoes as an industry did not truly begin until the late 1960s. In 1971 when Bill Bowerman poured liquid urethane into his wife's waffle iron, Nike, had it's first self designed shoe, the Waffle Trainer. The shoe industry has exploded since then. Chris McDougal in his 2009 book, Born To Run, asserts that running shoes are the cause of most running injuries. He presents some pretty convincing statistics to back up his claim, as well as some interesting discussion of the Tarahumara Indians. Obviously men have not always run with running shoes. Yet with all the "advancement" in running shoes there has not been a subsequent decline in running injuries.
Today you can find a plethora of shoes, many with lots of cushioning and a thick sole, and most with a heel noticeably higher than the forefoot. Of course when wearing shoes with a thick heel you tend to land your foot on your heel. Interestingly enough when you run with bare feet you tend to land more on your forefoot. Doesn't take too long to realize that maybe striking with your heel first, in a thick heeled running shoe is not natural and maybe it's not the best way to run.
As you can see my thoughts tend to run toward less and not more in terms of shoes, and less of a heel toe drop. What is a heel to toe drop you ask? It's the difference in height between the heel of the shoe and the forefoot of the shoe. Traditionally running shoes have a 12 to 15 mm heel to toe differential. Over the last year or two there has been a trend toward a lesser heel to toe drop. Many new shoes that are considered minimalist have a heel to toe drop of 4mm to 11mm. And the zero drop shoes have 0 to 4mm as their heel to toe drop. I've been doing most of my runs since last summer in a pair of Brooks Mach 11s. They are considered to be spike less cross country shoes. Also may be referred to as racing flats. Very low heel to forefoot drop, about 4mm or so. Got them about a year and half ago. Very inexpensive, but comfortable . Runblogger has a review of them. Unfortunately these have been phased out some time back. Now Brooks has the Mach 13. I'd expect the 14 will be out before too long.
My other shoes I sometimes run in are the Saucony Grid Type A4. Super light weight - a mere 6.3 oz. 13mm heel, 9 mm forefoot. So just a 4mm drop. I ran the Route 66 marathon in these this past November. The A4 is considered to be a racing flat. I am a little unsure if I want to run my next marathon in these or to go with something with just a tad bit more padding. Did a few 18 to 20 milers in them last fall without issue. Anyway, changing from a heel strike style of running to a forefoot style of running is not usually you do overnight. The transition should be more gradual. Different muscles are being used and those muscles need time to adapt and get stronger. The Saucony Kinvara has been a pretty popular shoe. A bit more padding so it sits a little bit higher but still a pretty minimal heel drop. I believe it's a good choice for those looking to transition to more of a mid foot/ forefoot heel strike style of running.
At the end of the spectrum for minimalist shoes, are the Vibram Five fingers. Similar to toe socks in appearance. Very light weight and very thin. They fit like gloves. I have a pair of Vibram Fivefingers Bikalas. I've done a few short runs in them. Nothing over 2 and half miles. You can definitely feel the road in these. Not sure if I want to do any significant distance in these. Maybe when my recovery is farther along I may take these out again. Again it is important to transition to running in this type of shoe. One's feet and ankles need time to adjust and to get stronger. The VFF's are closest thing to running barefoot.
Sic'em Bears!
