Spent a lot on trainers

[alcopop]

I finally went to 'Sweatshop' and had my gait analysis done, seems I have a high arch, and do not land very well. So a very helpful sales person talked me through it and helped me to get the right trainers.the hard bit was the running machine, I have never been on a running machine before and did not like it at all, in fact it flipping well hurt my ankles as I was not used to it and ended up having to hang on to the handles.

Any way, I ended up with a pair of new balance m860 v3 which will apparently help me. They were £90 and I have never spent that much on any shoes or trainers, the insoles were £45, needless to say I did not buy the insoles!

They do offer a 30 day returns policy if you are not happy with them - which seems fair.

So - on Monday I start week 5 and hope the my investment is worth it and that the pain in my feet goes.

I will report back on them after the run

[greenlegs Graduate]

Hope the shoes are good for you. Goodess, those were expensive insoles - I'm not surprised you left them there!

[wilmacgh Graduate]

I reckon shoes are a good investment and have fond Sweatshop really helpful. You'rre becoming a real runner now. Enjoy!

[LMS2110 Graduate]

Hiya, I too visited a 'Sweatshop' after hearing all about them from enthusiastic, sporty friends. Had done first 4 weeks schedule (spread across 7 weeks because of various hindrances) on old, general-purpose trainers, and thought that as I become more committed to C25K, I owed my feet and legs a better experience. Felt a bit of a prat jogging up and down the shop, standing on a mirror and matching my running speed to the machine which could also photograph my footfall and ankle angles. I apparently over-pronate, ie one foot has a fallen arch following being plastered along with a broken ankle a few years ago. This results in a lop-sided landing which will eventually give grief to knees and hips. I did, therefore, get their customised insoles, with a pair of Brooks running shoes which come in various width fittings. I cannot praise the service enough! I was encouraged with my plans to get to grips with C25K, invited to join their running group (folk of all levels meeting each week at the shop, for a fun jog, walk or run together), and told all about the 30 day return policy! At no time was there any pressure ... They were happy to let me try several styles, colours, prices etc so that I could really feel why some were more suited to me than others.

I've now run on them a few times.... Why did I ever think my old shoes would do? These are amazing ... not, perhaps, for everybody, but great for ME! That was the whole emphasis of the Sweatshop sale. I love my new shoes and my feet, knees, and hips thank me by not aching at all! I'm into week 5 too.

Enjoy your new shoes, lots of luck X

[con-brio Graduate in reply to LMS2110]

What a lovely testimonial and very informative.

Especially liked "I owed my feet and legs a better experience".

^-^

[TX-Bluebonnet Graduate]

If it's a good investment (running pain-free allowing you to improve your health, reducing doctor visits, etc) then maybe that's not so expensive in the long run. Right now I'm making due with running shoes I picked out for myself, and they seem to be working fine for me, but if I start developing running aches or pains then I'll bite the bullet and go for a gait anaylis. I'm hoping you'll report back that they're the best things ever!

[Maisiemugwump Graduate]

I am having a burning pain in the arch f my right foot. Am going tomorrow to Run 4 It in Glasgow I hope it helps reading your posts has given me hope.

[alcopop Graduate in reply to Maisiemugwump]

Good luck to you and I hope you can get over your pain in your foot. Don't ignore it if it continues.

Happy running

[Malcy Graduate in reply to Maisiemugwump]

Hi. You read a lot of stuff about this but what really worked for me was to go to a sporty shop, get a pack of "practice" golf balls - the hard foam type that won't collapse). Take off your shoe & roll your foot back & forth over the ball. You should feel a little discomfort as you manipulate the muscle, but it shouldn't hurt. My four months of pain was cure in less than a week. No guarantees, but it's cheaper to try this first rather than a series of consultations with a physio. Another trick is to stand on a staircase with only your toes on the tread (heels hanging over the edge) then stretch your heels down & up, holding at each end of the stretch for 10-20 secs. Repeat this 3 times on each foot. Takes 5/6 mins x 3 times a day. This didn't cure my problem but it did relieve the pain. There's decent info at injuryfix.com/archives/plan...

Hop that helps.

[Maisiemugwump Graduate]

Thanks for the advise will give that a go am determined to keep going