Running Shoes and Shopping

Shopppinnnggggg!!! A word that would stir any ladies heart. Combine the word with Running Shoes and most runners will be going Oooooo as well.That is of course, if there is no budget limitation lol.

I've just stumbled onto a post by Jay Dicharry, author of Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking Your Athletic Potential for Health, Speed, and Injury Prevention. He's also the Director of SPEED Performance Clinic and the Motion Analysis Lab Coordinator at the University of Virginia. But I digress. The post can be found here and mainly discusses on Tips for Running Shoes Selection.

Having bought my own shoes just recently, I can say that there's some truth in this. A shoe that does not feel comfortable may not feel the same way when you're running. Take the Skechers GoRun for example. It feels weird when standing on it. The only reason it got sold on me was because it's super light and when I was jumping on it, it felt different, with more firmness than I thought it would feel.

So when you buy your running shoes next time, do remember what's been discussed by Jay Dicharry in his post.

Running and Shoes dilemma

Let's talk shoes today. I have a major big issue with shoes nowadays. All my shoes have gotten uncomfortable.

What happen you may ask. God knows. Ever since picking up running, I've noticed that my feet seems to have change by quite a bit. My feet arch seems to have gotten higher, my feet shorter, and the toes area wider. Not just that. I've also developed Plantar Fasciitis and can't seem to tolerate overly cushioned shoes as well as any shoes with heels. All this in a matter of 1 month.

I've always bought shoes for comfort. I now have a dilemma whereby my ubber soft cushioned Camel shoes is now too softly cushioned, my super light and comfy Clarks have become too tight across the toes, and my Hush Puppies (Just bough -_-''') and it's heel is no longer comfortable.

Due to all these, I've now taken to not wearing shoes as much as possible. Every Monday morning, when I put on my work shoes, it feels as if my toes are being cramped and pushed together. There's also the higher heel to toe offset that gives me heel pain as well as a possibility of aggravating my Plantar Fasciitis if worn for too long. It's so uncomfortable nowadays that I have to take off my shoes as soon as I reached office.

I'm not sure how many of you guys and gals out there face the same problem as me. But I'll need to look for alternative Working shoes. I can always opt for barefoot or sandals or Minimalist shoes or even "Barefoot Shoes" for casual wear, but Work/Dress shoes are a big headache. I've done some research and have found 2 possible candidate for replacement.

Merrell Tough Glove

Vivobarefoot Ra

Both the above shoes are unfortunately not available in Malaysia. So now I'm undecided as to whether I import them in or just bear with the discomfort.

Sigh.

Interesting article on shoes and pronation

Just finished reading an article on RunBlogger title Neutral Running Shoes Need not be the Goal for all Runners. The article is mainly about our obsession with Pronation Control (you can read more about it here in this article).

In a way, I'm lucky not to be sucked into that sort of mindset since I just started running and went out to buy a pair of new shoes which I felt comfortable in (yeah, I'll try and write a review on it soon). I'm lucky in the sense that I had no idea what I am looking for and the store clerk was not overly convincing in selling me any of their "running shoes". I stumbled upon my current pair literally when I was walking out of the store.

I WILL say that I understand what Pete Larson meaning on the following:

" I would also agree that comfort is hard to define, but for me I think it’s mainly just how good a shoe is at letting my body do its thing without getting in the way – a comfortable shoe is one that I barely even notice when I run." 

I've recently had that experience in another pair of shoes. While trying it on in the store, there's always a niggling reminder of the shoe due to the presence of a pretty high arch curve on the inside shoes. I was a little worried that it will affect me on my run. I was however put at ease after running in the shoes for a bit as I totally forgot about the shoes and was enjoying myself a lot. I'll talk more about this shoes when I put more mileage in it. In the meantime, enjoy the article.

New to the Running Sport

As a new runner, I'll always have questions in my head. How should I start running? Is my form correct? What type of shoes should I get? How often should I run? Where should I start?

Out there in the InterWeb is lots of information. Unfortunately they're all scattered and some are even contradictory. Hopefully I can use this blog as a stepping stone for people who, like me, would like to pick up the sport of running. In no way

So, where do we start? We start like all manner of things, in the beginning. Nahhhhh. I'm not here to give you a history lesson (yet = P). Depending on whether you're like me, a couch potato, or already running short distances, you will want to start off on one of the following level below.

Walks: 
Walking is a good way to start. I would recommend you go to a park and pick up walking. Do your walks with a friend or relative to alleviate any boredom you may face. Yeah lots of people will say I walk enough when I go out shopping. The truth is indoor and outdoor walking differs. Some of these differences are:

• Indoor walks do not face Wind Resistance. A strong head wind can force you to use more strength to counter the push back factor.
• Walking surfaces for outdoor walks have subtle unevenness, forcing your muscles in your leg to adapt to the surface you walk on.
• Outdoor walks have slopes and elevation you have to deal with, helping to build up your leg strength in many ways.
• If you walk in the evening, the heat and humidity of the weather will force you to exert more.

The objective of the walk is to build up your leg strength as well as to build up some level of stamina for you to progress to the next step.

Walk/Run: 
Once you feel that you are ready to start running, you can transition into it by adopting a Walk/Run Program. A walk/run program such as C25K is used to help people who are not used to running to get into running in a systematic, controlled approach. The program is designed as “Intervals” to ease you into the habit of running.  These intervals can differ. For example, you can have a 1 Minute Run X 90 Second Walk interval. As you progress along, the intervals between Run and Walk will get Longer and Shorter, till you’re running a full 5KM non-stop.

When are you ready? For me, I walked up to about 6km in 1 hour after which, I couldn’t stand the itch to start running. Some things to consider when you do walk/run program:

• There is no Hard and Fast rule that you have to follow. Everyone is different. You can always slow down the program or repeat 1 plan till you’re comfortable to move on to the next step.
• Take it slow and don’t overdo it. That’s what everybody tells me. Problem is, how would you know you’re gonna overdo it till you’ve overdid it? So instead of telling you that, I’ll say, Take it slow and listen to your body. If you hurt, don’t push it.
• Be patient. Sometimes it may not be apparent that you’re improving. It is important to remember that you’re building your foundation at the moment and will reap the fruit of harvest in the near future.

The objective of the Walk/Run program is to get a person used to running for longer distance in a systematic and gradual way. If  you'd like to try one out, go on and head to Cool Runing's Couch to 5K Plan.

Run: 
Congratulation. You’ve made it to your goal of being a runner. Take your time and slowly build up on your mileage, from 5K to 10K to half marathon to full marathon and etc.

Disclaimer: All the rambling above are from a crazy old man and should be taken with a healthy dose of caution and self-censorship. ;)

My current running gear and wish list

3 months into a sport is a relatively short period of time. And yet, it this short period of time what have I gotten myself into? Let's seeeeeeee.......

Shoes:
I'm currently using Skechers GoRun. It's a pretty comfortable shoes to run in. It's however not suitable for you to go shopping in. I'll explain more on this when I write a review on it. I also own an adidas JawPaw II Watersport shoes. I'm still wondering if it'll make a good substitute for barefoot running shoes. We'll see how it goes when I do test it out.

Belt/Pouch:
Currently using a twin pouch SPIBelt. Fairly decent and cuts down on the jingling of keys I would say. I can even stuff my iPhone wz casing in it.

Apps:
I'm using iSmoothRun app on iPhone to track my runs. It is feature packed compared to the rest of the apps I've used.

Wish List (Read Shopping):

Head/Sweat Band:
I'm currently eyeing Bondi Band. They're unfortunately unavailable in Malaysia as yet and have to be shipped in from US. I really hate it when sweat starts dripping from your forehead into your eyes so this is the next thing I'm getting.

Jacket/Raincoat:
Still doing research on this. Saw the Nike Vapor Windrunner and I'm drooling over it. There's also the Adiviz Jacket which glows in the dark. Doesn't seem to have any hood though for the adidas.

Cap/Hat:
Not too sure if I wanna get one or not as my main concern is heat ventilation. We shall see.

Bag:
No extra gear as yet to pack it in, but would be useful when the raining season come for me to pack in the extra clothes and towels.

Shoebag:
No extra shoes as yet so not needed yet, but I got my eyes on some of em already.

Shoes:
Oh my. The list will be too long to list down. My eyes are on Merrell, Vivobarefoot, Saucony, Skechers GoBionic, Vibram and etc. I'm a "little" picky when it comes to shoes I'm afraid. How picky can you get you ask? Let's see now.

1. Lightness: They have to be light. If I wanna train with weights attached to my feet, I can always attach it myself. 
2. Flexibility: Flexibility is a relative term I guess. Basically it should flex at the right places and allow for a full motion of feet movement to conform with road surface.
3. Heel Drop: I would say 4mm and lesser. Why? Currently I'm getting PF whenever I get into anything with a high heel drop-off. This may change in the future once my feet has strengthen up but we'll see.
4. Toe box: Wide and Big is the keyword here. I've grown used to having full motion of my toes when walking and running. I like my toes to be able to splay our, curl and have freedom of movement when they're shod.
5. Cushioned vs Non-Cushioned: I'm currently running in the Skechers GoRun which is fairly cushioned. I've yet to run in a Non-Cushioned shoe but planning to give it a shot when my feet has strengthen up

Yeah yeah, "little" is a bit inappropriate I guess. :P I also plan to buy 1 or 2 Sandals/Huaraches for comfort wear and as emergency run gear but we'll see.

I think I better put a stop on my wish list for now. It's getting kinda scary even for me. Hehe.