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shoe confusion!
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Hi all,
I'm brand new to this running game, so please be gentle! I hope someone is able to help me. Im just coming up to completing the c25k plan (7th week) . I've completed all my runs so far in my trusty pair of Puma faas 300 shoes (VERY lightweight/deconstructed/minimal toe to heel drop,etc).
I was starting to feel a little shin/knee pain a couple of weeks ago, so Seeing as I bought my Pumas ' straight off the shelf' at TK Maxx, and having a snoop around youtube/this site, etc, I thought it time to bite the bullet and go to a specialist for a pair of shoes, in case I was doing myself any serious damage.
After a gait analysis, I was told I over pronate slightly and was recommended a neutral shoe. I went for the Adidas Adistar Boost ( yeah I know- worlds away from my Pumas).
Anyway, went out this morning in my shiny new trainers... and had to stop after 2 miles: getting achey ankles from the Adistars. In my old shoes, I was managing close to 3 miles relatively easily. This is the first time ever that i physically haven't been able to complete a rum, so I'm a little gutted.
My question is: Do I persevere with the new shoes ( i've only used them once), and hope i get used to them, or take them back for another lighter, more minimalist pair, similar to the pumas? I never remember those shoes feeling as weird as the Adidas' do when first wearing them.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Comments
First of all, Faas 300 is a pretty lightweight shoe to be a beginner in. It is more like a transitional shoe to the minimalist trend with about 24/17 mm or 7 to 8 mm drop (according to shop pages). So are you landing mid/forefoot, or (more likely) a heelstrike? If the latter, the rockered shape and lack of cushioning is likely to be putting a bit of stress on the front of your shin as your heel slams down and the leverage tries to make your foot slam down and the shin muscles work against this. If this is true I would first have tried to shorten up my pace/increase steps per min so that the heel is not so far in front at each landing. A more radical experiemnt would be to change to forefoot landing, but this has its own risks for achilles and calf problems.
Secondly, the gait analysis. Assuming the analysis was right, the Adidas shoe doesn't seem totally wrong, but it's actually for mild overpronation, more like a conventional drop, and way more squishy, with 26/16 mmso more like conventional drop. I can't say why you're getting achy ankles but it sounds worse than the problems you were starting to get with shins.
You might try persevering and correct your stride if I read between the lines correctly. Or you could do that plus take them back and swap for something similar but a bit more cushioned, like the Faas 500, if the shop will let you exchange.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply. I do try to make a conscious effort to strike with the forefoot- I delayed trying to run for ages, as I heard all the horror stories about running being ' bad for the legs', then heard this is likely caused by heel striking- that's not to say I don't lapse at times whilst running!
I guess the Pumas just feel so 'normal' I can't get over how light they are- the Boosts feel like running in Doc Martens!
I may perseverance with the boosts, and, as you say, work on my paces/strides.
Thanks again!
bit of a random suggestion - is there a different way that you could lace your shoe to help support your ankle?
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/shoes/how-to-lace-your-shoe/482.html
there's a few examples there in case you want to try something before returning them.