Changing up your footwear....
Posted on July 04, 2017I remember the first time I ever stopped to think about shoes specifically for running. It was 1996 and I was 11 years of age. My first ever running shoe, which I used for sports day and anything else activity related was the Asics Tiger Touch.
I remember the first time I ever stopped to think about shoes specifically for running. It was 1996 and I was 11 years of age. My first ever running shoe, which I used for sports day and anything else activity related was the Asics Tiger Touch. I couldn’t tell you if it was expensive, in fact I think they may have been hand me downs from my brother Tim. However, I loved these shoes specifically for running. They were ‘under-complicated’, light enough and what I would refer to as ‘responsive’ (even now). When they wore through the outsole, and then into the midsole I had to get another pair, and I needed them ‘right there and then’. However the local sports store didn’t have my size…..so what did I do? I convinced mum that I would grow into the 9’s, even though I was more like a size 7.
Asics Tiger Touch
I can remember not changing from the Asics Tiger touch until 1999, and now 16 years on the Tiger touch is still sold, however more so as a casual shoe as opposed to ‘touch football’ (which I believe it was intended for). I presented to the local sports store, a little older and a few more miles under my belt looking for bigger and better again. In the Riverland, there were not many options besides Asics to be honest. They sold Asics for running, football and netball and they sold them quickly. Asics had the name at the time, and were at the front-line of research and development. I knew it was time to try something different, so I moved into the first high mileage shoes (or what I like to refer to now as a ‘heavy’)
Asics Gel GT 2050
The Asics Gel GT 2050’s had Gel cushioning, and large medial Duomax stability posting from the middle of the rearfoot to the forefoot (which 2 models later was reduced solely to the medial midfoot only – probably for weight reduction purposes). These bells and whistles in this shoe were designed to decrease risk of injury via reducing ‘pronatory’ forces/movements. I still have this shoe to date, stored in an old cupboard – with the plantar wear of the forefoot grated down on the lateral side of the shoe (as the medial side was far denser). I did enjoy this shoe for jogging and training, but found it ‘not as’ effective for racing – as it felt like ‘a lot more’ shoe than the tiger touch.
It was at this stage I developed my first signs of medial tibial stress syndrome from the increased running mileage, worn out shoes and more than likely other running mechanical attributes that lead to medial tibial stress syndrome. I can date this moment (1999) was probably when I was first interested in lower-limb function and biomechanics (now 16 years on, I have been practicing Podiatry with a lower-limb biomechanical focus, helping runners for almost a decade – not to mention wearing the Asics Gel DS Trainer 20). It was also 1999 when I began to utilize the Internet to research footwear for my running – which lead me to investigate for ‘lighter’ shoes to assist me in racing. So in the year 2000, my next shoe was the Asics Gel DS Trainer
Asics Gel DS Trainers (2001)
At the time, this shoe had to be ordered in by the local store as the shoe was a bit too ‘specific’ to be stocked in store. It was a lighter weight Asics shoe – which I viewed perfect for training. I raced in the shoe for cross country and other road running events (and still have some of my best memories in this running shoe). However, only a month or so after this purchase, I realize…..they weren’t Asics lightest shoe at all. In fact they weren’t even a racing shoe, they were referred to as a ‘performance trainer’.
My Internet search (in the yr 2000) showed a shoe looked something like this:
Asics Gel DS Racer 5
I had to have these racing shoes! At this point (2001) I was running and competing a lot more and I had 3 shoes on the go:
- Asics Gel GT 2060 (updated version of the 2050 – not a lot different – the 2070’s reduced the amount of Duomax in the medial column of the midsole) – Heavy or Mileage Trainer
- Asics Gel DS Trainers 6’s – Performance Trainer
- Asics Gel DS racers 4’s or 5’s – Racing flat
While this looks like an Asics advertisement, you have to understand that in the country, there were not many other options for sale in local stores. However, what I didn’t understand, is that most shoe companies were doing similar things. It was until my much more talented training partner (and eventual best man at my wedding) came out to one of our sessions with a new set of racing flats. The Nike Zoom Streak (14 years on I am wearing the Nike Zoom Streak 5). Even to date, he will claim these were the best performing shoes he ever wore.
So since 2001 (at 16 yrs of age) I began the habit of having 3 shoes on the go. Back then I didn’t realize that the evidence would fall towards that variation of footwear throughout the week, would assist in decreasing injury risk (Malisoux et al 2015). I normally picked the shoe for the activity type – for example. On my long/easy runs, I would tend to wear my heavier shoe (as I wasn’t fussed about the pace I was running at). At 16, I more than likely didn’t have the strength to wear shoes will less substance (DS Racer) for a longer, easier run without getting tight calves, but I never got this when I wore my heavies. However, when I ran an interval/repetition session (with heavies or racing flats) I would normally get tighter calves regardless of shoe (as when I ran faster – I would run a lot more often with a midfoot/forefoot strike – loading my calves more often). So I simply chose to wear my racing flats for these sessions, to knock of a few seconds of the 200 – 400m repetitions. The 3rd type of session I would do was more like an extended effort (tempo or threshold run), and this was the halfway session which I wore my half way shoe (performance trainer – in this case the Asics Gel DS Trainer). This shoe ‘felt’ perfect for this particular session.
While I don’t believe every runner requires different shoes for every session they perform, it is a great tip to have at least 2 different shoes on the go (that may be structured a bit differently – whether it be the stack height/weight/drop). These subtle variations in shoe geometry may lead to alteration in load from day to day that leads to ‘over-loading’ running related injuries.
However, it can be quite daunting heading into a running specialty shop and seeing such a ‘large range’ of footwear to select from. Where do you begin?
Here are some of my tips when choosing a variety of shoes for your consistent training week.
TIP #1 Get advice from a Running Specialist, like ‘The Runner’s Pod’ for you mileage/heavy shoe. Most brands will have a variety of Heavies that are categorized into areas ‘related’ to foot type (Stability / neutral) for your comfort, i.e a higher/rigid foot may prefer a softer shoe while a flatter/mobile foot may prefer a ‘more rigid – stable shoe’.
TIP #2 Pick the shoe design/geometry for the ‘activity' you are performing (read about variation of training here)
Lightweight racer – Racing / speed work (repetition/interval)
Performance Trainer – Tempo/steady/threshold running
Heavy/Milage Shoe – Easy/Longer running
TIP #3 While there are many brands to select from, make sure you try a variety on, as one brand may just have the perfect Geometry and fit for you specifically. Make sure the shoe feels very good from the get go along with trying the shoe at the pace you may intend to run use it at (picking a performance trainer – run at tempo race on the treadmill/outside the store (the best running shoe retailers will allow this)
The team at SPARC have been exploring various footwear for almost 20 years. Along with practical knowledge, we pride ourselves on being up to date with the running footwear industry. See our Podiatrists for more information!