Gait Analysis, How can these shoes work?, Ankle pain and so much more

Morning all,

A bit of a mixed bag this one and no doubt answered a million times previous but just in case someone has the magic bullet I thought why not fire away.

I am new to running but I come from being a very keen and seasoned cyclist, I cycle about 8-10'000 miles a year and my second sport is Mountaineering and rock climbing.

Whilst I love cycling having done it for years and years I really needed something new to keep me motivated, I was hoping to drop my mileage down on the bike and compensate with running, not to mention it would give me option in the winter to head abroad on a cheap training weekend and not have to bring a bike box.

I will say at this stage I did have a ankle sprain about 18 months ago and by all accounts I was told it has heeled and it does not cause any issues when I do my other activities.

I started off slowly doing a few 20 minute trail runs on the fire roads around Epping forest and slowly increased my mileage over the next few weeks to where I was running 5k 2-3 times each week but having some ankle soreness after. I stuck to only running 5k as I did not want to over train and after 6 weeks my right ankle was killing me. I had a Gait Analysis done at a leading London store and I was told my right ankle overpronates slightly but nothing major. The shoes I was wearing (New Balance Hierro 3s) were said to be perfect for my running style?.

I took 9 days fully off running icing the ankle every evening and only cycled on my turbo trainer to try and rest everything and the pain had totally gone, I was able to snag through a shrewd negotiation a as new Reebok Treadmill for peanuts and jumped on it yesterday to ease myself back into running, within 30 seconds my ankle was killing me again and at this stage I started to think it was my shoes.

Whilst I was walking around speaking loudly to myself in my workshop I noticed a pair of Air Max 95s that I had not worn since my younger days and you know what I put them on and ran a few miles with only minor discomfort they are 99% improvement over the New Balances, I know they are not a true running shoe but something in their shape has to be working for me!!!..


So TBH I am at a bit of a cross roads with it all, do I get another Gait Analysis done?, more than one persons has said the Asics store in London is superb?. Do I just rest as the likely cause is over training?, this whilst could be a option I am just not sure about as I walk about 4-5 miles each day with my work and go up and down 20-30 flights of stairs so I am certainly not a couch potato in that regards, weak ankles have also crossed my mind but I did in my younger days play Ice hockey for 20 odd years (injury fee).

For whatever reason the Air Max 95s seem to be far better for me than the New Balances all be it they are a "lifestyle trainer" not a running shoe.

I did have a ankle X-ray done which shows no fracture or similar so I guess it is Tendon related and looking at guides online I would say it is PTT by the location of the soreness, It is discouraging to read about people suffering for years with no relief from the symptoms. But then some people the correct shoe was a game changer, I guess finding said shoe could take a very long time?.

I cannot get to see my GP for weeks to request a MRI,.. So I am just trying to work out a plan going forward, for running to be viable for me I need to be able to do it weekly..

Anyone else been in this position?..

Regards

Comments

  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Although you've been told that your NB shoes are perfect for you only you know how comfortable and good they actually feel.   Having a gait analysis is often inaccurate as we often don't run the same on a treadmill as you would when out running on trails.

    I would suggest you go and try on some shoes and chose one that feels right for you, that feeling of 'I could wear these all day'.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    What he said^  Gait analysis is really just a starting point with shoes, there's so many variables that you need to try them out and see what works.  FWIW I have two pairs, one I love but too hard over longer slower runs and another pair which I can roll for miles in but don't feel great at faster speeds.  Well I have a third lightweight pair for races too.  It's a bit of guesswork unfortunately.

    A good analogy would be bike fitting, rarely at one visit would a bike fit be perfect.
  • <div>Thanks for the info. I think you are correct regarding the Gait analysis and also the same thinking to a bike fit. I was working around Oxford street yesterday and went into the Nike store and if i am honest I was not expecting much but I got speaking with a lad there and he gave me the low down on why the Air max 95 "could" feel so much better and he explained the Heel drop on these is 11mm and the New Balance was around 8mm.He said a lot of compaines where dropping the pitch of their down from around 12mm to 6-8mm but many people where still asking for more heel drop, hence a lot of the Nike range still has around 11mm.
    </div><div>
    </div><div>He wrote down a fee styles for me to look at in the future if i wanted a true running shoe but with the same feel as the 95s so that will be a start.
    </div><div>
    </div><div>Honestly I was so naive coming into the running game.....
    </div><div>
    </div><div>Regards
    </div>
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    That different drop shoes feel different makes sense.  The shoes I mentioned above (the ones I struggle to do long slow distance in) are low drop either 4 or 6mm.  I like to do the majority of my running in them as it forces me to keep better form.  For long slow runs I switch to shoes with a 10mm drop as they are a bit more forgiving.  

    As you're starting out, a 10mm or 11mm drop is ok but try to be aware of where your foot is landing in relation to centre of mass, hint it should be roughly underneath it not out in front.  It's easier to heel strike and overstride in high heel drop shoes.
  • > @JGav said:
    > That different drop shoes feel different makes sense.  The shoes I mentioned above (the ones I struggle to do long slow distance in) are low drop either 4 or 6mm.  I like to do the majority of my running in them as it forces me to keep better form.  For long slow runs I switch to shoes with a 10mm drop as they are a bit more forgiving.  
    >
    > As you're starting out, a 10mm or 11mm drop is ok but try to be aware of where your foot is landing in relation to centre of mass, hint it should be roughly underneath it not out in front.  It's easier to heel strike and overstride in high heel drop shoes.

    Yeah I was told that you could be more prone to having the heel strike with higher drop shoes, TBH the information yesterday was coming think and fast, I am sure he mentioned one range "Possibly" the new Pegasus that had a 11mm heel drop but the sole was designed to help prevent it. I have it all wrote in my work bag so will spend hours reviewing and studying it all!!! :-)..

    Out of interest I have done two runs this week on the treadmill of 5K with my Nikes and so far touching copious amounts of wood my ankle is fine.

    Regards
  • I over pronate a little bit as well after a gait analysis.. and found that the brooks gts shoes that I bought gave me blisters after 5 miles and continue to do so.. yet the ascis gt 2000 5 or 6's are brilliant for my feet and I could run 10 miles in them from the start and they felt brilliant.. some shoes may work for you and some may not.. 
  • > @dave turpitt said:
    > I over pronate a little bit as well after a gait analysis.. and found that the brooks gts shoes that I bought gave me blisters after 5 miles and continue to do so.. yet the ascis gt 2000 5 or 6's are brilliant for my feet and I could run 10 miles in them from the start and they felt brilliant.. some shoes may work for you and some may not.. 

    Indeed, The issue now is getting 30 minutes worth of running in a shoe to see if it works. My new Balances feel great when I first have them on, after 45 mins of running my ankles are dying..

    I can see a few trips to a good store with a treadmill being in the pipeline..

    Thanks everyone.
  • JGavJGav ✭✭✭
    Sweatshop used to do a 30 day money back promise if the shoes don't work for you.  Not sure if they still do.
  • > @JGav said:
    > Sweatshop used to do a 30 day money back promise if the shoes don't work for you.  Not sure if they still do.

    Somebody else also told me this, the Google page does show some text to suggest that was the case but when you click on the link regarding the 30 day money back guarantee it no longer exists so my guess would be they have removed this option.

    I will search around now and see if anyone else offers such a scheme, realistically I think I would know within 30 mins on a treadmill if they work. I was impressed with Nike Town with walking in there I was not expecting much but sadly they only offer very few shoes in a WIDE and that is something I think I would need.

    As the weather is creeping in now and my local trails in Epping turn into a absolute mud bath in the winter due to the high clay content of the soil I think I will be looking for a pure road shoe, I also think I will build my running muscles up on the treadmill for a month before hitting the road.

    I will short list 4-5 shoes and go from there..

    Regards
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Sweatshop were bought out by Sports Direct some time ago, so obviously the 30 day promise became history.

    LDNML - I have a wide forefoot too and Nike and adidas are too narrow for me.   But Saucony, Asics, Brooks and Hokas are my favoured brands and I don't have any trouble finding comfortable shoes.

    There's a very good website here that will help on sizing/width/heel drop/reviews

      https://runrepeat.com/ranking/rankings-of-running-shoes
  • > @SHADES said:
    > Sweatshop were bought out by Sports Direct some time ago, so obviously the 30 day promise became history.
    >
    > LDNML - I have a wide forefoot too and Nike and adidas are too narrow for me.   But Saucony, Asics, Brooks and Hokas are my favoured brands and I don't have any trouble finding comfortable shoes.
    >
    > There's a very good website here that will help on sizing/width/heel drop/reviews
    >
    >   https://runrepeat.com/ranking/rankings-of-running-shoes

    Oh ok, I was unaware that SD bought out Sweatshop, I did wonder why their shops now sold so much Karrimor stuff??..

    Anyway I think I may have found a pair of shoes, I only just found out that Nike has a factory outlet a little way from me and so I headed down this morning, I managed to find a pair of Pegasus 34 in a "wide" retailing for good price and so far that they are about the best I have found for comfort out of the box, also they offer a good amount of support for my right ankle. I will look at a couple of other places tomorrow but I think they will fit the bill..

    Regards
  • If you find a pair that fit and don't give you any issues, make sure you buy another pair or two of the same make and model number asap. 
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    LDNML - that's great news you've found a pair of shoes that are really comfortable.
  • > @dave turpitt said:
    > If you find a pair that fit and don't give you any issues, make sure you buy another pair or two of the same make and model number asap. 

    > @SHADES said:
    > LDNML - that's great news you've found a pair of shoes that are really comfortable.


    Thankfully if all else fails I see little reason why I cannot just run in the Air Max 95s, I have clicked off just over a weeks worth of running in them with zero issues, I obviously will stick with the lighter Nikes long term but as stated I need to purchase a few pairs for when they get discontinued.

    The good thing with the 95s is that they have been on sale for nearly 25 years and they have numerous releases during each season so I "should" always have a option if all else fails.

    I have started to think what I would expect my weekly mileage to be after 6 months of gaining running fitness and I estimate around 50 miles a week should be about right and allow me to drop down my cycling miles a bit, HOWEVER!!!

    I am still struggling slightly to get a trail biased shoe , granted I have not looked at many options but the ones I have seem to lack over pronation support and tend to have a lower heel drop which I think was causing me issues previous.

    TBH I am gutted the New Balances that I own do not work for me as I really like the look and quality of the shoe but then if they turn my ankle to poo they are garbage and will no doubt be heading for the Bay for a lucky punter.

    Whilst in the summer months I could get away with using a more road biased shoe on the local trails they certainly will not cut it from October onwards. The only models that seem to be of interest at the moment are the Saloman speed cross 4 and the La Sportiva Mutant that both have heel drops around 11mm from memory.

    I have some gel inserts that I use in my work boots and would ponder if these could be added to a pair of trainers to raise the heel drop to open up the options of other models but currently I am not sold on that being the best idea..


    Regards
  • Be careful with any updates to the shoe that you've found that works.... every year the manufacturer may bring in a new modification to the shoe...which may screw you up again..


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