Determine The Right Shoe That’s Good For You!

Well, I’m almost a month away from my second marathon. This year I’ll be trying to beat my finish time from last year in San Antonio which was a 4:04:54. My goal last year was 4 hours but at mile 23 I began to have severe right knee pain and knew something was wrong. What did I do? I slowed down and pushed through the pain but weeks later I paid the price on my recovery. A month after my recovery I decided to go have my gait tested at a running  shop. In case you are wondering what your gait is let me explain. The gait is your foot strike. it is how the foot contacts the ground, specifically which part of the foot first contacts the ground. I would have to say that having a running specialist analyze your gait by running on a treadmill with a video camera is the best way in determining what type of running shoe you need to try on.

By recording your gait, natural foot-strike, this will help the specialist determine what shoes to bring out to try on. What I found out was critical to my passion for running. I was running in the wrong pair of shoes! Earlier in my training I began running in stability shoes and what was determined through my test on the treadmill was that I needed a light weight cushioned shoe made for neutral runner’s. I had no idea how critical your gait came into play in factoring what shoes to buy. I was always under the assumption if it feel’s good then buy it. And while you do need a shoe that feel’s natural and good you also need a shoe that will help you and not hurt you.

This year I have been training in the Brooks Ghost 4. it is a light weight neutral shoe made to go the distance. So far this year it’s been great and “knock on wood” no injuries thanks to the specialist at Texas Running Company. Do you know what kind of shoes are best for you? Do you need stability shoes- for more support? Or are you like me and need neutral shoes for more cushion?

For more information on what kind of shoes to buy check out this article in Runner’s World. See you on the pavement!