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Lead Stories: Friday, May 16, 2008

ASK LARA: Best brand of running shoes?

Posted September 21st, 2007 at 7:45 AM by Lara Johnson

Section: Columns, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. I am fairly new to running. What is the best brand of running shoes?
~Mike from Portland, ME

A. Every runner’s feet are unique, and thus each pair of feet requires not the best shoe, but the right shoe for his or her feet. Therefore, the real question here is not which brand is the best, but which type of shoe is best. Fortunately, there are many companies that manufacture high quality running shoes that are based on scientific research. All of these companies seem to have their own trademark style, materials, and basis for why they make their shoes the way they do. This is great, since we as runners will fit better in one type of shoe than another. Furthermore, one type of shoe may fit better from one brand than another. Basically, it’s best to keep an open mind about which brand you choose, and an overall focus on finding the right shoe for you.
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Choose Running Shoes
by Arch Height

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Check the height of your arches when you shop for new running or walking shoes. If you have high arches, you usually need shoes with good shock absorption. If you have low arches, you will probably benefit from shoes with good motion control (Gait & Posture, July 2007).

When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward. This is called pronation, which helps to protect you from injury. If you landed on your foot and did not roll, the force of the impact would be transmitted up your leg to increase your chance of breaking bones and tearing muscles. However, as you roll in from the outside bottom to the inside bottom of your foot, you will see that your lower leg twists inward.

Excessive pronation twists your lower leg, which can cause stress fractures of the lower leg bones. It can cause knee pain because it forces your kneecap to rub against the bone of your upper leg. Excessive pronation can even twist your hip joint to cause pain in the hips and lower back.
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It’s time! … To start rotating your running shoes!

Posted January 26th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

Rotating two or more pairs of running shoes can produce the following benefits:

1. Reduced risk of injury.
2. Extended lifespan of shoes.
3. Flexibility to use different types of shoes for different types of runs.

It takes up to 48 hours after just a few miles of running for the midsoles of running shoes to fully recover their shock absorption properties. Allowing them time to recover at least that long reduces one’s risk of injury and extends the life span of the shoes.
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Velocy attempts to revolutionize shoe industry; embraces Forward Gravity

Posted January 24th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Amanda Black

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Traditional shoe technology focuses on the heel; a concept that has been widely accepted by manufacturers and athletes for more than 50 years. However, architect Daniel Talbott and his team at Oregon-based Velocy have decided to challenge this conventional wisdom with their innovative new line of running shoes.

After spending ten years researching human performance and identifying the factors that help propel the animal kingdoms fastest species, such as the cheetah and ostrich, Talbot invented Velocy’s patent pending “Forward Gravity” shoe technology. Velocy explains:

“Forward Gravity technology is engineered to place emphasis on the forefoot and in doing this, all weight is shifted forward and supported by your leg’s muscular ability during knee flexion. This is the human body’s natural way of absorbing shock.”

Velocy asserts that Forward Gravity will enable runners to run more efficiently and effectively. They also believe that Velocy shoes are capable of helping elite runners run times that are substantially faster than many, current world records.
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Foot type, pronation and how to choose the right shoes

Posted December 17th, 2006 at 6:09 AM by Emily Hoskins

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Everyone can relate to the overwhelming feeling of walking into a sporting goods store to buy new shoes and being faced with a seemingly infinite number of choices. Sure, you want your shoes to look cool, it is of far greater importance that your shoes are right for your foot type.

Proper shoes will go a long way in preventing running related injuries and improving your long-term performance. So how do you decide?
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Orthotics for injury prevention

Posted November 27th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Sports Medicine

Runner’s face the risk of injury on a consistent basis because of the extreme and wear and tear of the sport.

The impact that is innate to running is hardest on our joints but also can cause serious injuries to our feet, muscles, etc. Although a good pair of athletic shoes is of the utmost importance, studies how that for many people that just isn’t enough.

That’s why orthotics can be a helpful solution. Orthotics are specifically made foot inserts to correct the biomechanics of the foot during running. Many runners suffer from common lower extremity injuries, such as stress fractures, and studies have found that this is often caused by a person’s stride, pronation, foot structure, etc. In correcting biomechanics, orthotics help keep the foot in the normal position through the footstrike; helping to relieve stress caused by structural or postural instability. Read the rest of this entry »

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Changing your running shoe type . . .

Posted November 4th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

A word of caution about making too much of a sudden change to the type of shoes that you use. At least, I will offer my personal experiences, which may or may not apply to you.

In 1983, during the first year of my first running life, I developed a severe case of ITBS at my right knee which completely stopped me from running. A visit to a sports medicine center determined that it was caused by overpronation…..that was when I learned that I am a moderate overpronator, especially on the right side. Read the rest of this entry »

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Technological Evolution: Measuring & Planning Routes in the 21st Century

Posted October 11th, 2006 at 4:00 AM by Trish Monks

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous

TFS is proud to welcome our newest writer - Trish Monks. She is our first writer from our neighbor across the Atlantic. Although Brits might speak a little differently and make us laugh from time to time - we still love them and we love Trish’s writing. Enjoy!

Back in the olden days, when a string vest was considered suitable race wear and over-pronation didn’t exist, measuring the length of your training routes was fairly torturous stuff. Depending on your preferences, it usually involved fiddling about with a bit of string on a map, driving around your route in a car (tricky if you like a bit of the muddy stuff!), or pushing a trundle wheel ahead of you: not ideal.

These days your options are rather more sophisticated. There are a plethora of gadgets available to take with you on the run, designed to tell you how far you have gone and how fast you are going (I have a Polar S625x which is a fabulous bit of kit - I’ll tell you about it some day!) or, as an alternative, software which can be used as a sort of “virtual” piece of string.

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Reebok Running: Making Progress

Posted September 21st, 2006 at 7:09 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Reebok’s exponential growth and strong emergence in the running market is hard to miss. Their advertisements are everywhere - their shoe line has exploded - and their apparel can hold its own against Nike, New Balance, Under Armour and even Brooks.

For all you skeptics out there - guess which shoe was just designated as the “Editor’s Choice” by Runner’s World Magazine? Believe it or not - it is the all-new Trinity KFS - by guess who? REEBOK. This shoe is somewhat of a hybrid as it offers cushioning but is also characterized by Road Runner Sports to be a stability shoe. It is best for medium frame runners with normal to slight pronation and normal arches.

NOTE: Want to know what type of shoes best fit your body type, arch and running needs? Check out our article on the “wet test” and our shoe buying guide.

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“Concrete vs. Asphalt” - Which is the Better Running Surface?

Posted July 28th, 2006 at 5:30 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

A note from the TFS: We are pleased to welcome Jim Fortner as a guest contributor to The Final Sprint. Jim is an extremely knowledgeable runner and talented writer. Make sure to also check out “Jim2’s Running Page”, his own personal running and advice site.

Below you will find his latest post concerning the debate over running surfaces - what’s better: concrete or asphalt?.

Concrete is a much harder surface than asphalt or macadam. It’s the worst commonly encountered surface that you can run on and should be avoided like the plague. To compare the “hardness” of concrete and asphalt, hit each surface with a hammer and see how it feels to your hand and arm. You will find quite a difference. You will leave a dent in the asphalt, but not in the concrete.

When running, your feet strike the surface with a force of up to 6 times your body weight. And unless you land dead midfoot all that force is concentrated on a very small landing surface. For a typical heel striker, it’s maybe a square inch or two. Let’s assume that a person who weighs 120 pounds lands at 5 times body weight with a heel strike that covers two square inches. That’s equivalent to an initial strike force of 300 pounds/sq in (equivalent to 3600 pounds/sq ft) upon contact. If asphalt is really 10 times “softer” than concrete, as the study that Bill mentioned said, that would make a big difference in initial energy dissipation vs that which shoes, normal pronation and body structure have to absorb. (BTW, that’s also the problem with a non-overpronator using stability or motion control shoes. They unnecessarily restrict normal pronation, which is a natural shock absorption biomechanic, and result in an increase in the force that the body’s skeleton and joints have to dissipate.)

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