Tag Archives: Athletic shoe

A First Run: Kinvara

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Saucony

Image via Wikipedia

Wow, the Saucony Kinvara feels amazing.  It feels almost like a slipper when you put it on.  The mesh upper is quite comfortable, felt snug, but also felt like there was still support.  I think the sole is solid – firm but not overly stiff or with too much extra padding.

On my 3 mile run, I was able to experience a few different surfaces – concrete, asphalt, dirt, and gravel. I didn’t feel any rocks poke through the soles, like you might expect from a minimalist shoe.  The neutral shoe felt really good through most of the run.  I say most, because at around 2.5 miles my right leg started hurting a little bit.  Now on any given run a random pain could show up, so I’m not gonna blame the Kinvara’s for that on this run (but I’ve not had any pain on my right leg before or since). Other than that it was like going for a run in my older shoes.

I really liked the fit and feel of the Kinvara.  I was focused more on how the shoe felt than on my footstrike.  I ran a new route but my time was several minutes faster than a 3 mile run in the past week and one of my faster runs in the past month.  Again, I don’t want to give too much credit to the shoes specifically for that, because a lot of factors could play into running faster on any given day.  But several minutes is fairly substantial without any noticeable difference in effort.

Overall my first run in the Kinvara actually went better than my first run in a new pair of ASICS – GT 2150 which is a stability shoe of the same ilk as I’d been wearing. My feet didn’t hurt, the didn’t seem to mind the lack of support found in the stability shoe.

The biggest problem, which I expected, was later in the day and the next day my ankles hurt on the sides of the achilles tendon.  I’ve had this problem before with Saucony.   I ran in Saucony a lot and bought a trail shoe to use for running and hiking for a summer in Yellowstone. Part way through the summer I strained my achilles and I’ve never been able to run in Saucony since.  I actually traded my Saucony’s that summer with my roommate.  Oddly, I was able to race in a Saucony flat, but never a trainer.  Needless to say, this made me a little nervous about trying the Kinvara’s out and I wasn’t surprised when the sides of my achilles hurt.  Fortunately, the pain went away by the end of the 2nd day.

Final Thoughts: I plan to give the Kinvara at least one more shot.  I know to truly have an opinion about a shoe I need to give them a few tries, but that will all depend on the achilles. I will test them out on another short run and see how things go.  I’m not sure if the achilles pain is something that will get strengthened over time or not.  But I think that if I just add the Kinvara into my shoe rotation that I might be fine.

Just a reminder that I received my Kinvara’s free for the purposes of reviewing.

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Curing Plantar Fasciitis

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After a year suffering through the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis I can say that there is only two certain ways to get rid of it.

1) Never walk on it, i.e. don’t leave your bed.

2) Cut off the ailing foot.

I looked through my running log and it was a year ago today that I first mentioned foot pain and took a day off. I have tried a lot of things in the past year, all to no avail.  I’ve done physical therapy and spent a lot of time at the doctor’s office listening in as the doctor and therapists share with the residents about Plantar Fasciitis.

I’ve broken this post into three segments – immediate actions, intermediate actions, and last ditch/extreme measures.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

1) Stop running.  Take a few days (weeks) off immediately to give your foot a chance to heal. I recommend swimming to keep the cardio strong.  Everyone says it is ok to bike, but I’d be really cautious.

2) Stop walking around barefoot.  Nothing is nicer than kicking off your shoes and letting the old dogs relax.  However, walking around barefoot can exacerbate Plantar Fasciitis.  I’d recommend some nice Crocs or slippers with about an inch of padding to protect your heel.

Plantar fasciitis
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3) Take ibuprofen.  I’m not a doctor.  My doctor recommended taking 800mg (4 tablets) 3x’s a day with food for 2 weeks.  This will help take down the inflammation.  The consistency builds up the amount of medicine in the body which helps it work faster.

4) Check & Change Shoes.  All of them.  Even if they are brand new I would recommend buying new running shoes, maybe switching brands or styles.  Go to a running specialty store and have them analyze your running (after resting for a few days).  Then check all of your other shoes for wear.  If they show a little excessive wear – get rid of them.  I know its expensive but it is better to be healed or buy new shoes?

5) Roll out the foot.  I used a can of soup for a long time before buying a more advanced roller. In a fluid motion roll the jar under your foot from heel to the ball back and forth for a minute or so. Really dig into the heel. Do this two times a day.  One of the times you should soak the foot in warm water first.

6) Stretch the arch.  Place your foot on the opposite knee.  Taking the 5 toes bend them towards the same knee.  This will stretch the fascia. Hold for 30 seconds.

7) Ice. At the minimum put ice on the heel. The best option is to take a frozen dixie cup of ice and massage the affected area.  I just rub an ice cube into it until it melts.  Another option which combines step 5 and 7 is to roll out your foot with a frozen water bottle.

8) Night Splint. I’ve used both the Strassburg Sock (my review or Amazon) and the Dorsi-Wedge.  Obviously, neither worked.  I felt the Strassburg Sock was easier to wear.  My sports doc (who works at the University of MN) felt like the sock allowed too much room for “cheating”, etting the foot move around or not wearing it properly. Other night splints on Amazon.

9) Stretch. Obviously stretching the entire body is always an important part of the routine.  It is important to stretch out the calves, achilles, and hamstrings.  I’ve used both the foam roller and the stick to do this.

Optional:

10) Massage.  Especially the calves and foot. This actually feels really good, I should go get one again.

11) Hot Tub.  Sitting in the hot tub really can feel great and helps relax the muscles.  I need to do this again too!

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INTERMEDIATE ACTIONS

1) Physical Therapy. This encompasses a wide variety of tactics and exercises.  Most of mine focused on hip, core, and ankle strength.  It is important to have a strong core to help hold your body together and in proper alignment.  This Running Times article covers a lot of the hip work that I was doing.

Physical Therapy
Image by crossn81 via Flickr

2) Iontophoresis (wikipedia). Actually a part of physical therapy, but this takes a steroid like dexamethasone and electrically injects into the skin.  This works well for a lot of people, but loses effectiveness after 8 treatments.

Iontophoresis

3) Taping.  I had mixed success with taping my foot while running and walking around.   I used this method. The idea is that this helps reduce the load that your fascia is forced to carry.

4) Inserts/Orthodics. I’m not really sure where to put this. I’ve heard of people having success with it, but I haven’t with inserts.  Also, with orthodics you’ll become dependent on them.  It might “fix” the problem but not change the body issues creating the problem. Treating the symptoms, not the problem.

5) Active Release Technique. ART, as it is called, releases the fasciia and other “tight” areas the cause Plantar Fasciitis.  I’ve heard that it works well and the Ironman offers ART Certifications, but my sports doc wasn’t aware of this non-traditional treatment.  It is often offered by chiropractors.  More information can be found here. Locally, some of my friends recommend Dr. Folske.

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LAST RESORT/EXTREME MEASURES

I’m sure there are more than these 2 but I don’t know of them.

1) Cortisone shot. Or other steroid injection. This injects a steroid into the fascia which speeds healing.  This is not a long term fix and masks the pain – quite well I’ve heard.  It has at least 2 major drawbacks:  tearing the fascia and atrophying the fat pad in the heel.  My sports doc really doesn’t like to use this option.  She thinks the long-term risks often outweigh the short-term gains.

2) Surgery. Yuck, who wants to go under the knife.  Basically they cut the fascia and it heals itself and is stronger.  This is the ultimate last resort. My thought is that if I just put my foot in a cast for 6 weeks I’d probably get the same results.

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Have you had success with any other treatments?

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Shoe Reviews

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First Run Back
Image by crossn81 via Flickr

I’ve often thought that the shoe reviews in Runners World and other running magazines were fairly useless.  I guess if you understand everything about your foot and shoes then it might be helpful.  But I would agree with others that it has become more of a marketing scheme than really useful information.  But if I were offered a free pair of shoes to review, I’d be happy to test them out.

I came across this recent posting at Running Times: No Need for Shoe Awards that talked about why RT doesn’t give out shoe awards or have a special shoe issue.  Below are two great quotes:

The primary reason Running Times doesn’t present quarterly awards is because “editor’s choice” and “best new shoe” awards don’t serve the readers who might be in the process of figuring out which new shoes to buy. It’s based either on one person’s specific viewpoint of a shoe, the general or numerical consensus of a wear-test group or a collection of vague and very general shoe characteristics that the magazine deems “best.” But best for what type of runner or gait or running style is it best? That’s not meant to be overly harsh toward magazines that do give awards; while those awards are probably just meant to be a guidance tool for readers, the problem we have is that they could be giving improper guidance to an eager runner who thinks they really need a shoe that a magazine calls the latest and greatest instead of letting his or her body tell them what works best.

So why do we publish shoe reviews in the first place? Ideally, it’s a way to inform our passionate readers about what’s out there so they can decide for themselves what works best for them. (Similar to how we publish stories about training plans from a variety of athletes and coaches. Take new ideas and apply them to your personal running experience.) Our shoe guides are intended to offer insights as to what will be available at stores, while also touching on industry trends that might (or might not) improve your running.

The bottom line is that the way to find the best shoe for you is to do so by “feel” based on how you run and not how a shoe feels when you’re sitting on a bench in the store or when you’re wearing it for everyday life — school, work, chores, errands, going to the mall, etc. (And by the way, you shouldn’t be wearing your running shoes for anything but running. Walking breaks down shoes differently and more quickly and can ultimately lower the performance value of those shoes or alter your gait ever so slightly. If you like the feel of your running shoes that much, buy a second pair for mowing the lawn or walking the dog.)

What do you think? Do you find the “shoe review” issues helpful?

I usually stick with a shoe that has worked well for me in the past and talk with someone at a running store about the different shoes.  I have also used this chart created by Brooks (mentioned previously) that compares different brand’s shoes so that you can transition between them.

[tags] shoe review, shoes [/tags]

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Got IT Pain?

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A tight IT Band is not a good sign.  It needs to be stretched out and loosened up or it could turn into the dreaded IT Band Syndrome.

I was told my a massuse last year that my IT Band was extremely tight.  So I started stretching it on a regular basis.  I did some research and found this excellent information sheet about the IT Band.  By a trained physical therapist it lists some of the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of the IT Band.

I think most of us are most concerned about not having problems with it and could care less about some of the anatomy that surrounds it.  She lists five keys to preventing ITBS – but they are actually almost identical steps to preventing any injury!

The list is:

– Changing running shoes every 300-400 miles and alternating between shoes with every run.  I’ve occasionally talked about my shoes and shoe preferences.

– Slowly increasing mileage (no more than 10% a week or on any run), including adding hill workouts gradually.  Downhills can add a lot of strain to the ITB.

– Avoid uneven surfaces.  More likely always running on the same side of a cambered or cantered surface like a road.  One leg can become predisposed to ITB because of the extra pressure placed on it.

– Keep the knees warm. Seems like if you are predisposed this might be helpful.  She said below 60 – but above 40 I’m wanting to wear shorts.

– Cool down and stretch after a run.  Ice if needed.

The article continues on and offers some stretches and strength training ideas specific to the ITB.  For now you’ll just have to go read up on it.

[tags] IT Band, ITBS, iliotibial band [/tags]

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Thoughts on Running Shoes

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I have really enjoyed my Mizuno Wave Inspire running shoes.  I started with the 3 and am now on my third pair of the 4’s.  They came out with a 5, but the 4 is cheaper so that’s what I went for.  Oddly, I first picked up the 3 because it was on the clearance rack at a running shoe store.

I know, that is dangerous.  But I did due diligence and talked with the staff to make sure that the Wave Inspire was the correct shoe for me based on my wearing of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7.  Later I found this great chart that shows all of the different major brands and which shoe you should wear based on your current one.

I’m not sure that last sentance makes sense so based on the fact that I wore the Adrenaline GTS it recommends Mizuno’s Wave Inspire and Asics GT-2140, etc… I wish there was a good chart that could help you pick out trail running shoes based on your road shoe, without making a trip to the store.

It is a fun little chart and I recommend looking at it.  A lot of people say that you should never change shoes after you find one that you like, but there is a lot of anecdotal information out there that every now and then it is good to switch brands – each one is a little different and that will help your foot and body.  Obviously, I have changed brands a few times.  I wore Adidas in college, Asics for a few years, then Brooks, and now Mizuno.  I can attest that they are all a little different and my feet have enjoyed pretty much all of them.

INSTRUCTIONS

I started writing this post to highlight some of the “care instructions” and a “Caution” that came with my most recent Mizuno purchase.  I find them a little humorous.

– None of the Mizuno range shoes are suitable for machine washing.  This may destroy or damage the technical fibers used on the shoes.  We had a freshman one year in college who washed his shoes occasionally (in the washing machine).  One time he washed them and then the next day we ran on some muddy trails.  He complained the whole time about getting his clean shoes muddy.

-Your shoes should be regularly cleaned and maintained.  Generally this can be done by hand washing in soapy water, however you should not use chemically enhanced powders or detergents. Does running through puddles count? I’ve never washed my shoes with soap.  Does it add extra mileage to them?

– Do not force or artificially dry your shoes. This may damage or destroy the materials or substances used in production. Well talk about confusing – don’t wash, then wash them but you can’t dry them.  Actually the best way to dry your shoes is to stuff them with old newspapers and lean them up against a wall so the toes are pointing down.  They’ll usually be dry overnight.

– You should regularly check your shoes to ensure that the necessary components are still suitable for performance as deteriorated midsoles or outsoles may cause injuries.  Components? Are the shoes little widgets? Shoes only last for about 300 – 500 miles depending on your build and gait.  The soles will start to break down and show wear.  Even if they don’t it is a good idea to purchase new ones.

Cautions

– This product has been designed and manufactured for the sport running. Use of this product for other activities limits the warranty for this product. I didn’t realize shoes had a warranty, except for Nike which would replace any shoe whose air pocket burst.  So if I walk around in my shoes does that void the warranty?  That doesn’t bode well for all of the Jeff Galloway fans out there.  Not to mention the grammatical error!

[tags] Running Shoes, Nike, Asics, Mizuno, Brooks, Adidas, Shoe Care [/tags]

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