SHOES can I wait?

[RunningRosie]

Hi

I'm starting all over Again. Fed up making excuses. Today will be the day. I've promised the dog.

But I still haven't invested in good shoes. I have runners I bought from Aldi a couple of years ago. As far as I know there's nothing wrong with them. But I have a tendency to niggly achilles tendons and have wondered whether that's something particular shoes might help.

I'm going to London in a couple of weeks and could go somewhere that specialises in running shoes with gait assessments etc. But now that I've promised the dog I think I'm going to go ahead and make my start. The amount of running involved in the first couple of weeks wouldn't require fancy shoes, right? I'm not even sure my achilles problem is one that would be helped by shoes and if I wait I feel I'd just be procrastinating as usual...

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Your running shoes are your most important piece of gear..if you are getting the chance to go and get your gait analysis done then do it

Niggly Achilles, need keeping in check, especially as the runs get longer...If the shoes you have feel okay for the first week or two.. and you are taking it slowly and steadily, you should..( and I said should) be fine

Listen to your body, and especially those Achilles... you will soon know if there is an issue.

So..you have posted... you can begin...take it slower than a snail on a go slow... I, and the dog are waiting

[RunningRosie in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks Oldfloss. I do intend to take it VERY slowly!

Handing over my grandson to his auntie in half an hour and heading for the woods ☺

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Yep, you're right... get out there first. New shoes as a reward for keeping it up.

Still haven't seen anything which suggests that the choice of trail running shoe is informed by gait analysis and if you in a position to do most of your running off road, those may be the ones to go for anyway.

I started in walking boots as I didn't possess any trainers. These were a long way short of being my worst shoes either - those were the most expensive ones fitted at a specialist running shop after gait analysis (the only time I have ever, or hopefully will ever, needed to run on a treadmill) and they made my knees knock together out in the real world...

[RunningRosie in reply to GoogleMe]

Haha thanks Google me - no one can accuse you of showing bias towards posh running shoes. Of any brand!

Right, there goes my excuse for today then. I'd better lace up and get on with it so!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to GoogleMe]

Apart from one or two exceptions all trail shoes are neutral. This is based on the fact that running on uneven surfaces will not give the same repetitive stresses that running on smooth firm surfaces. So if you are running off road, take your pick of trail shoes.

[RunningRosie in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Great, thank you, maybe I can save the money. I'll see how I get on with what I've got.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

I'm not the only one who got shin splints in week 2 from running in ordinary trainers, they came on very quickly and were very very painful. Some people seem to get away with running in non-running shoes, I'll never do it again...

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

And running more or less cured decades of shin pain for me (only thing it has cured other than 20kgs of blubber I didn't need to be dragging around, but I'll take it and be glad)

Even now I'll run in my Keen sandals to avoid the risk of not bothering with a run at all.

But brisk walking...blurgh... still tough, tough, tough...

[RunningRosie in reply to GoogleMe]

Well, determined not to be put off today, when I couldn't find my Aldi shoes I rooted out a very bedraggled pair I bought years ago and got on grand. Nothing hurts so far...

[sheps Graduate]

Might you want to think about going to a local shop that you can go back to, where you can build a relationship of knowledge and trust. Might be better than being a random "punter" in a London store where they will never see you again and have no need to care for you.

[RunningRosie in reply to sheps]

Hmm, maybe. Think I'm going to see how I get on for now as I'm planning on most of my running being through the woods. The problem with local shops here is they seem to have very limited choice. I know when I took my daughter in a few years ago she was given 2 pairs to choose from. (Even as I write this I can sort of see that's the whole point of getting expert advice, to save looking at a whole wall of shoes and not knowing where to begin....anyway I'll stick with what I have for now. Maybe if I get past week 3...

[reluctantrunner76 Graduate]

If you can I would recommend good shoes. I thought I had a decent pair to begin but was getting sore feet. Went and did ten gait thing and found out I needed more support, was quite expensive but no more pain so very worth it. The shop had cheaper ones, but I would like the blue ones that were dearer. Good luck:)!!

[RunningRosie in reply to reluctantrunner76]

Thank you! I think I'll wait and see. It sounds like trail running, which is what I mostly expect to do, doesn't require particular shoes. Maybe I'll regret it, but I'll have a low threshold for pain and will buy better shoes if it seems to be painful (I mean more painful than running will anyway be)

[Rignold]

As GoogleMe astutely points out, if you are running off road, gait analysis will make not difference to thetype of shoe a running shop will recommend anyway. On trails/uneven ground your feet are constantly landing in slightly different positions so the whole pronation/neutral thing is immateriel. Trail shoes are a good investment, but they are generally based on degrees of grippiness in wet/muddy conditions, which, hopefully at this time of year should not be a problem.

[RunningRosie in reply to Rignold]

Thanks Rignold. Got on ok with old shoes today and have found my Aldi trail shoes for day 2.

[misswobble Graduate]

The Aldi ones should be ok for now

You promised the dog. If you break your promise ......🐶🐕

[RunningRosie]

Wasn't quite as planned, but I did it!

[Downtwo]

Hi I don't know what type of shoes to recommend. I would however go to a shop that knows its stuff. I went to Runners Need in Pentonville Road not far from Kings Cross. It has a bike shop at the front and the shoe shop at the back for some reason. However, because I have arthritis n my toes and encapsulitis of the second toe which had stopped me running completely for a year I got advice from them. You can run up and down the shop. They also have a gait treadmill to see how you run. They don't have a huge range but it might be worth going to get advice at least. I got a lovely pair of Brooks runners which suit me fine but they were expensive but hey are really excellent. I couldn't do this without them and I'd pay a lot more at a gym etc. I know that I probably made things worse by running in a worn out cheap pair for some time. Never again. Good luck with that.

[RunningRosie in reply to Downtwo]

Oh great , that sounds like just the sort of thing I was looking for! Hopefully I can't do too much harm in the next couple of weeks. (I only saw your reply just now btw. Hadn't spotted the notifications bell at the top!)

[nikkiwabit Graduate]

Umm yes you are procrastinating, so go in the shoes you have. No one should break a promise to their dog

Then when you come to London do the gait analysis and new shoes - the timing sounds about right and they may well help your Achilles' tendons.

Sounds like you have your plan. Good luck

[RunningRosie in reply to nikkiwabit]

Haha thanks, that's exactly what I decided! Will have finished week two when I go so I can treat myself for having done that.