Pronation and calves

After some great advice here on the right sort of shoe (still looking, can't find any running shops within an hour's drive of me) I have been doing some reading.

A gait analysis said that I over-pronate and my walking shoes wear badly - all shoes look like the leaning tower of Pisa after a few months. However, if I look at my old running shoes (both pairs), the soles look fine - there isn't an uneven wear pattern and they don't lean inwards when I put then on a flat surface and look at the back. Neither shoe is a support or motion control shoe.

Does this mean that I don't over-pronate when running, and should stick to a neutral shoe?

 Second question - calf guards. Do you wear them while running? My calves often feel uncomfortable while running and afterwards, too tight at the bottom and as if they need some compression at the back. Not exactly painful but feels as if the muscle fibres are pulling a bit. Are calf guards/compression tights any good?

Comments

  • i can highly recomend calf guards, i used to have tight and achy calfs when i upped the milage for marathon training, i got some 2xu ones and they have made an amazing difference to me. im training for manchester marathon, 60 mile last week. no calf pain or aches. i rarely run without them now. no advice on the shoes sorry.
  • The different wear pattern you describe on your walking and running shoes would be what you'd expect to see if you're a forefoot striker. i.e. you don't land on your heels and roll forward with each stride, you land on your forefoot which means the heels of your trainers don't suffer the same wear as the heels of your walking shoes. I don't know if this would mean you won't need a motion control shoe for running. Somebody asked that exact question just recently on a different thread. Might be worth phoning up a couple of specialist running shops and asking their advice...

    Calf guards? Don't know cause I've never tried them. Maybe consider a thorough calf stretching regimen to see if that helps any before spending money on gear you might not need. Personally, I prefer warming up with just a gentle jog and doing my stretching routine after exercising; other people prefer to stretch before running. Just depends what suits you best really.

  • Got calf guards here and it makes a difference with higher mileage weeks, I try and leave them off for short runs as I was getting too dependent on them, but they are a great investment.
  • What on earth are calf guards? Mine are like rocks...need a proper pummelling!
Sign In or Register to comment.