More about Shoes - following on from Panorama.

[Stevetheb]

Whilst surfing for something else, I found this article..

dailymail.co.uk/home/mosliv...

[tantrumbean Graduate]

Has he written another one? Because all the stuff in the article is in "Born to Run" - which is a brilliant read by the way!

[RhonaL]

Interesting! What do you think is a low tech shoe? I do know that shoes for overpronators do stop my knee pain. £65 well spent ...

[tantrumbean Graduate in reply to RhonaL]

From what I remember from the book, he is referring to those 70's type trainer with no cushioning, gels, arch support etc - proper back to basics stuff

[RhonaL in reply to tantrumbean]

Hmm, the ones that used to smell of rubber when it was hot ...

[Hidden in reply to RhonaL]

Totally agree ! I spent more or less the same for a pair of shoes for overpronators and I got rid of my split shin.

[stevecramp]

I'm a huge cynic when it comes to this. I'm no runner, so feel free to disregard this is rubbish

But what I got from the Panorama show were two slightly different arguments:

1. Sports drinks don't improve *performace*

2. Sports trainers don't stop you *getting injured*

Both no brainers. They avoided saying outright that trainers don't improve performance which is, after the drinks segment, what I thought they were going to suggest and is what, in my view, they were trying to imply. Of course adding springiness to the bottom of your foot is going to help make you move faster, but they didn't challenge that claim.

Like everything these days, cameras, computers, fishing rods, bikes, cars, coffee machines, t shirts.. anything. They are marketed to fuel this lowself esteem, eternal 'mine is better than yours' p****** contest. Running, by its very nature, probably lends itself to this more so.

[RhonaL in reply to stevecramp]

I am reading Jeff Galloway's 'Running until you're 100' He claims never to have been

injured in 27 years of running but when he feels something is wrong he stops and does not run again until feels it is ok. May be it is a change in attitude to injuries that is the real change?

In reality only elite athletes really need to worry about the minutae of sports drinks and shoes. I agree that for most people it is competitive consumerism.

[Anniemurph Graduate]

I really struggle with the argument about running shoes. I started c25k on 10th April, and got up to round about week 3 but with dreadful knee pain. I went for gait analysis. In my new trainers I have no knee pain. So for me, the £95 spent on Brooks was money very well spent - otherwise I would be sitting back on the couch.

[George42 Graduate]

I completed C25k about a year ago, but after reading Born to Run decided to try bare foot running.

Not actually in my bare feet but in very minimal shoes. I was having terrible knee trouble over the last 4 months but since retraining the way I run to the balls of my feet and I find my knee problems are much better.

My Merrell Trail Gloves were not any cheaper than my old fitted running shoes, but I find I run better with no supports and no cushioning.