Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Shoe and Apparel Clinic

I knew that shoes and clothes were important, but didn't know how important they were to running! Tonight we went to The Cyclery in Edwardsville and had a shoe fitting. Scott Shaw, the shoe guru, told us about the 3 different categories that people fall into with shoes.  The type of category depends on how you walk, the arch of the foot, and how much you roll in on your feet. The categories are Motion Control, Stability, and Neutral. Here is an explanation of each category. 


Motion Control: Recommended for runners with low arches who are moderate to severe overpronators. They need maximum rearfoot control and extra support on the medial (arch) side of their shoes. Also best for larger runners who need plenty of support and durability.

Stability: Recommended for runners who are mild to moderate overpronators and generally have low to normal arches. These runners tend to need a shoe with a combination of good support and midsole cushioning.


Neutral: Recommended for runners who need maximum midsole cushioning and minimal medial support. These shoes are best for biomechanically efficient runners with minimum pronation and for midfoot or forefoot strikers with normal to high arches.



Some stores will have you run on a machine to determine what category you fall into,  but all you really need is someone who knows what they are doing and take your shoes off and they watch you walk. I am so glad that I had an opportunity to have a professional see how I walk and tell me what shoes are going to work best for my feet.

After Scott determined I was in the Stability category he brought out 5 or 6 different shoes to try on. I walked around the store and ran up and down the aisle to see how they felt. After some difficulty making a decision I landed with Saucony shoes.  Pictured below :)


Some other interesting things I learned that I never thought about.. socks. Running in regular cotton socks is a no no. In the running world "cotton is rotten" because whether it be socks, shirt or shorts cotton doesn't wick away the moisture which will lead to chafing and blisters. So along with my new kicks I got some Balega socks which are made of the moisture wicking material.

One of the other Team In Training coaches was there, Jacob, and we started talking about wearing hats when running. I said that I didn't really like wearing hats because it traps all the heat in, but would be interested in wearing a visor. He made a really good point that I never would have thought of. He said when picking out a visor make sure the under side of the visor is black or a dark color. My response.. Why? Well,  if you get a visor/hat with the underside or bill that is white it will reflect the sun into your eyes which defeats the purpose! Who knew!!?

Needless to say the evening was very informative and I finally got to meet my coach Sharon and some of my other team mates. It was a fun evening and I was proud of myself for getting out of the store with a total under $200! New shoes, socks, shorts, sports bra, and dri fit shirt..  on my way to looking like a runner!



1 comment:

  1. How is the running going? I need to start up again with Mr. Eli in his stroller! Hope you're doing well!

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