Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen: Proper Running Shoes

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Proper Running Shoes

Hey fellow readers! I know I have been kind of MIA but I have actually been doing research on a couple of upcoming blog posts. And well, just haven't written them yet, but they are coming!
~My current shoes, Brooks Adrenaline- GTS 13~

I learned a lot on my 1/2 marathon. Not just about me but about other runners too. When I run, I tend to watch the person in front of me and try to pace them or just think about their shirt, often I will call someone by their shirt, (a lady in my training program last summer was wearing a Cinderella the Musical shirt and I called her Cinderella for 3 miles as I was pacing her) or just anything that will keep my mind off of what I am actually doing. Running is hard and we need to focus on other things to keep going.

Well, I watched a ton of women's feet for their pacing and tried to match my pace to theirs on the 1/2. I often look down since I am pregnant just to make sure I don't trip or anything. One thing that I noticed were the improper running shoes some ladies were wearing. I broke my heart seeing them in some shoes that we not made for running knowing that they had a grueling 13.1 miles in front of them.

These are the 3 that really stuck in my mind:
Mile 2 I was behind a lady when she stepped she was actually stepping on the side of the shoe and not the actual base of the shoe. And she had to pull her shoe back into place about every 10 steps because it was sliding off her feet. AT MILE 2!

Other ladies, many ladies, were wearing their BRAND NEW New Balance Cinderella shoes, with the ribbons. Yes they were brand new because they were spotless on the sole of the shoe.

Another lady around mile 11 or so I passed had bloodied bandaids on both heels of her feet and the back of her shoes were just covered in blood. I felt so bad for her.

Please, please, please! GET PROPER RUNNING SHOES when doing 3 miles, or 6 miles especially 13.1 miles. These are shoes that you can find at a local running store or shoe store where they check your running stride, and foot fall and ones that you have been TRAINING IN! Break in your shoes by using them on training runs. Every time you run so that you know where rubbing happens or where you need to tape up your feet to avoid sores or bloodied heels. (I felt so bad for that lady) You will know how you feet feel after pounding the pavement at 3 miles, 6 miles and 10 miles. You will know if you need more support and have time to get it before the race.

Using brand new shoes is a no, no too because again you don't know how your feet are going to feel after such a long distance. And the shoes are so stiff and not broken in. Yes New Balance did make a brand of running shoes with the Disney theme in mind. They are cute and they have fun ribbon laces that will be totally trashed or damaged by the end of the race but again, knowing how the shoe and your foot work together is so important. Here is a Runner's World article on common shoe questions.

Running is a sport. Injuries happen. Toe nails are lost, and bleeding will incur. Runners may not have the best looking feet but we know that our feet can carry us many, many miles! But I felt so bad and my heel just ached after seeing the lady's heel. I know someday it might happen to me, but I have finally learned taping up certain parts of my foot is ok to add extra protection. If you start to get a blister on a test run, or a shorter distance run you know what your tendencies are for longer runs now. (E, I'm talking to you!) I taped around the ball of both feet to protect the bunion area and the callus on the bottom of my feet during my runs. They helped but, I taped too high (like 2 cm) on my left foot and got 3 tiny little blisters from the irritation caused by my shoes. I will chalk it up to being super excited and nervous oh and sleep deprived for my misplacement of my tape.
So there we have it! Running shoes, properly fitted, and worn by you, running shoes really are a necessity. I hope these 3 ladies and all the others that participated in the race had a happy and safe race and they were able to accomplish what they set out to do. Take care of your feet because they will take you place if you show them a little love! 
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