I ran three miles on the treadmill yesterday. It was the first time since my most recent debacle in which I struggled to get to an equal distance. Things have changed for the better it seems as I finished the short distance without much in the way of pain.
So what was the difference? At my last physio appointment, the physiotherapist and her intrepid orthodic fitter took a look at my foot structure in relationship to the "support" running shoes I have traditionally worn. I have extremely low arches, which are typically the hallmark of an individual that needs "stability" or "motion control" shoes to control pronation (the rolling over of the foot during a running stride). Well, it appears that I may be an anomaly. After inspecting my feet, they came to the conclusion that, despite my low arches, I appear to have a "neutral" foot strike - one that does not need assistance from a shoe or orthotic shoe insert. When a guy who sells orthotics for a living tells you that you do not need them, you tend to take it as a reasonable position.
During my short run yesterday I wore a pair of "neutral" shoes and ran relatively comfortably - I say relatively as I had some lingering pain from this past Tuesday when I started the run. So while I was not completely without pain, I felt great overall in coparison to my previous outing.
So am I cured? I am not sure yet, however, I must say that the progress compared to my last outing has led me to be cautiously optimistic.
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Good news for your health, bad news for your pocketbook. The shoes Cos don't make as many neutral shoes, so they're harder to get at discount. And they're more $$$ to start with.
This might also be a good time to consider switching brands. In my experience, Nike tends to be a softer shoe. They feel great off the shelf, but they always end up feeling a little too squishy by 100 miles. (IMO. Nike aficionados will no doubt disagree.)
And make sure you don't get (not yet) a performance trainer, most of which are neutral. They feel like butter, but will likely be too soft for you in the short- to medium-term.
For what it's worth, I wear the Saucony Trigon Ride. They're neutral, but they feel just like Hurricanes. And they go on sale.
Need a pair of 11 1/2 Hurricane's?
Been looking at a few different shoes. The aforementioned Rides, Saucony Triumph's, Asics Nimbus, Adidas Adistar Cushions and Supernova Cushions. I will have to try a few of those mentioned above before making a decision.
Sale pricing will definitely impact which of the above short list enters the final decision.
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